Kapa Moe: Hae Hawai`i
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Object number5721
TitleKapa Moe: Hae Hawai`i
CreatorBernice Akamine
Descriptionkapa, Hawaiian bark cloth
Date2021
Material580-tapa
Current locationMS
Dimensions
Image: 6'4 x 6'4
Acquired fromMidsummer Art Celebration 4th Annual Statewide Juried Exhibit 2021" - annual, juried (June 4, 2021 - June 30, 2021)
Credit lineState Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Art in Public Places Collection
Accompanying textHawaiian artist Bernice Akamine has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the Honolulu Biennial in 2019. Selected awards include a 2015 Native Hawaiian Artist Fellowship from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation; a 2012 Community Scholar Award from the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History; and a 1999 Visiting Artist Award at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian in New York City. Kapa Moe: Hae Hawai`i was inspired by Hawaiian flag quilts from the late 19th– early 20thcentury but was created with handmade kapa (Hawaiian bark cloth) instead of cotton. Most Hawaiian flag quilts were made from cotton, a plant that’s cultivation is not suited to Hawaii’s climate, and thus imported fabrics were usually used in their creation. But here, Akamine’s quilt is created from laboriously beating and processing wauke or paper mulberry, along with testing, planning, cutting and stitching. For the artist, the concept of the work comes first, followed by the pattern or structure. She explains, “Kapa Moe: Hae Hawai`i strips the Hawaiian flag quilt down to its most basic element, the Hawaiian flag and speaks of patriotic pride and perseverance of the lāhui.”