MEDIA RELEASE

Cool Fusion – The Art of 1000 Handcrafted Stoneware Bowls
To Slurp or Not To Slurp, That is the Question!

Holualoa Foundation for Arts & Culture welcomes the return of their signature cultural event “Cool Fusion” Sunday, September 5, 2010 from Noon to 3:00 p.m. at Donkey Mill Art Center.  During this 4th annual fundraising event, an astounding 1000 ceramic bowls were hand-made by several local artists at Donkey Mill Art Center’s ceramics studio.

Guests will choose one beautiful bowl to keep, and from it enjoy a light lunch of Japanese cold somen noodles with live music performed by Mana Hasegawa. This event is great fun for the entire family and is also a great way to get involved with the local community, art museum, and art education center. Entry fee: $20 Adults, $10 for children under 12. Fee includes one bowl and hiyashi somen (chilled Japanese noodles) for lunch. Enjoy a wonderful afternoon of lovely music and delicious noodles in the relaxing atmosphere of Donkey Mill Art Center’s lawn.

Guests will enjoy browsing through the many colorful noodle bowls, each one unique and artfully created by a local potter.  Extra bowls are available for purchase for $10, and this year there will be a selection of “seconds” available for purchase.

Somen is known to Japanese to be the queen of all noodles and is a signature summer dish that is served cold. Very thin, made from wheat flour, they are artfully presented and served with a personal sized bowl called a soba choko, a special broth, and an array of carefully prepared toppings.  In Japan, eating somen is a way of building community where new and old friends mingle discussing business and enjoying the art of food, ceramics, and flowers.  At DMAC, this experience of somen will honor the tradition by way of strengthening community through discussion and the meeting of new and old friends.

Holualoa Foundation for the Arts and Culture
The Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture was established in 1994 by a diverse group of individuals who shared a vision to develop and expand opportunities in the community to enrich lives through art and culture. In 2001, the Foundation renovated the old Donkey Mill steeped in the history of Kona coffee and re-opened in 2002 as the Donkey Mill Art Center. As the foundation grew, it brought new programs to the community, implementing an ‘Artist in Residence’ program and adding studios for ceramics and printmaking. Its gallery provides a venue for faculty and children exhibitions, features music and dance performances plus a wide range of art and cultural events.