Show highlights O’Keeffe’s Hawaii paintings
NEW YORK — Georgia O’Keeffe, famous for her desert paintings, created equally stunning — though lesser known — pieces inspired by a 1939 trip to Hawaii. The works, and a display of the plants she would have encountered there, are now on view at the New York Botanical Garden.
The multifaceted blockbuster of a show explores a little-known side of O’Keeffe — her 1939 immersion in the flora and landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands.
“Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai’i,” on view through Oct. 28, is the first presentation of the artist’s depictions of Hawaii in New York since 1940.
Adding dimension to the collection of 20 paintings, the garden evoked in its Conservatory the gardens and landscapes that inspired O’Keeffe, as well as galleries devoted to the complex history of Hawaii’s plants and ecology.
The show also features a short film about O’Keeffe’s journey to Hawaii, performances and presentations devoted to Hawaiian culture, a poke truck (serving Hawaiian food) and Hawaiian background music.
After New York, the painting portion of the exhibit will be on view at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee from Dec. 1 through Feb. 24, 2019.
Former dorms considered for housing
WAILUKU, Maui — Maui County has a set of old college dorms in mind for low-income housing.
But a recent inspection shows the buildings have a long way to go before they can be turned into livable spaces — or the best option might be to tear them down and rebuild.
Carol Reimann, director of the Department of Housing and Human Concerns, said the inspection revealed leaks, mold, poorly repaired fixtures and visible cracks in the foundation. Reimann said it would take “an army of licensed contractors” to make the old University of Hawaii Maui College dorms livable.
Reimann said the dorms in Kahului were built in 1981 and have been vacant for at least 20 years. The nearly 9-acre property includes three residential buildings, each with four apartment units; a multipurpose building with laundry, mail and recreation rooms; and a parking lot with 17 stalls.
Each apartment unit is about 800 square feet with two bedrooms and one bath.
With its lease set to expire in 2035, Chancellor Lui Hokoana said the college is willing to give up the lease earlier to allow the county to use the property for housing.
Hokoana said the college is supportive of the county’s plans and would be open to providing services to families, such as children’s summer programs and job training.
Reimann laid out three different options for the buildings. The first option, renovation, would cost about $300 per square foot and would require gutting and rebuilding the structures.
The department’s other recommendations are to either demolish and scrape or demolish and rebuild.
2 hikers rescued from Haiku Stairs
HONOLULU — Honolulu firefighters on Sunday rescued two people from the Haiku Stairs Trail.
The hikers were rescued with assistance from a helicopter.
The two visiting men began their hike Sunday morning from the Moanalua area to access the Haiku Stairs, and were on the way down when they both slid and were injured.
The two hikers were airlifted, one at a time, to Kaneohe District Park and then transferred to the care of Emergency Medical Services.
The shuttered staircase that scales high up the Koolau Mountains — requiring trespassing — has become a popular unsanctioned hike.
In March, state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ trails and access specialist, Aaron Lowe, said there had been a dramatic increase in people going to places that are obviously dangerous.