MEDIA RELEASE

Volcano Art Center has added a tool to its arsenal to help Hawaii Island artists and is sending out an open call to all isle painters, photographers, woodworkers, ceramicists, glass blowers, blacksmiths, jewelers, fiber artists, kapa makers, weavers, mixed media artists and sculptors to take the Hawaii Island Network of Artists (HINA) survey online.

“One of our goals with this project is to prove that artists make a positive difference to our local economy and quality of life,” said Tiffany DeEtte Shafto, HINA project manager.

“We are asking fine artists and craftspeople who make all or part of their living from their work to take our survey and in return, we provide a free web page on our actively marketed website,” Shafto said.

“We began last July, thanks to funding in part from Hawaii County, and are collecting data through May of this year to prove what we know to be true about our “creative workforce,” said Tanya Aynessazian, who conceived the project. “Our local artists are an unrecognized creative workforce, because so many artists work independently, we need the public’s help in spreading the word about this project.”

Aynessazian and Shafto have been hosting community meetings in each island district as a means of sharing the intent of this project and hearing from artists directly.

In 2012, they hosted meetings in Volcano, Pahoa, Waimea, Hilo, Honokaa, and Kapaau and met with nearly 100 artists — learning first-hand about their needs.

Now they are getting ready for the 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24 at SKEA in Captain Cook and have meetings lined up in Holualoa, Naalehu, and Laupahoehoe.

“The response to the project from the community has been wonderful, but taking a survey takes time and we needed a way to make it faster and easier,” Aynessazian said. “With the HINA survey now online, making it much easier for artists to participate, we expect to see a major increase in responses and artists represented on our site.”

One promotional website will reward all island artists, Shafto said.

“We visualized a website that acts as a resource directory — connecting art collectors with artists and increasing sales of artwork on island through one promoted website and its taking form,” she said. “We’re out to prove that there are far more than 270 artists on this island and with the support of our creative community, we know we can do it.”

— Find out more:
www.HINArtists.org