How have you been shaped by love?
Tell your story on paper, canvas, wood or stone. Scratch it onto surfaces with black ink, silver graphite and washes of color. Wrap it with fabric and cover it in thread.
Dimensions of Love: An Exhibit of Art and Words will be featured in June at the East Hawaii Cultural Center in downtown Hilo. The public may submit artwork and writings for the show through May 16. Additions are invited for this exhibit of cross-cultural, multigenerational perspectives on love, through art and words.
In addition to artwork from the community, the exhibit will feature mixed-media installations by Anne Catlin, encaustic wax paintings and sculptures by John Matsushita, photography and found hearts by Naia Rae Fox and photorealistic portraits by Mason Akers. A selection of “love notes” will also be displayed, collected from anonymous boxes over the past three years.
For more information on how to participate, visit the project website at www.dimensionsoflove.com.
What are the dimensions of love?
Three years ago, this question was aroused for University of Hawaii at Hilo student Anne Catlin, while studying abroad in Italy. During her junior year of college, the artist and mother of two cajoled her family to go with her from their home in Hawaiian Paradise Park to an apartment in the heart of Florence. For six months they explored the city on foot, seeking connection with the artwork that they had only before seen in books.
On the meandering path to school, the Hilo exchange student often got lost in the streets of the bustling city. With her grandfather’s old 35-mm film camera, she snapped black-and-white photos and talked to strangers she met along the way.
Over time, she realized that many of the people she talked to spoke openly about their lives and experiences on the subject of love.
“Rather than warm and fuzzy, these stories were complex, heart wrenching and often bittersweet,” said Catlin.
Inspired by the depth of their experiences, she put out an open call to friends and family to share their own thoughts on the subject, including a comment box placed in the lobby of her school there.
Similar comment boxes have since been placed in coffee shops, book stores and schools on the mainland and in Hawaii. Through the contributions of numerous artists and community members internationally, the project has evolved into a series of art exhibits in Italy, Hilo and the port of Los Angeles.
“Each exhibit is a unique body of work from participants of all ages,” said Catlin. This will be the final exhibit of this project, opening June 1 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the EHCC on Kalakaua Street, across from Kalakaua Park.
