In celebration of Lei Day, the Lyman Museum is hosting a special exhibition of featherwork created by Lei Hulu o Hilo.
Lei Hulu o Hilo was founded by the late Doreen Henderson, a Hilo native who dedicated her life to the preservation and perpetuation of Hawaiian featherwork. She practiced and taught the art for several decades prior to her recent passing.
Last year, two of Henderson’s students, Pili Johnson and Robert Beebe, decided to bring the exhibit to the Hilo community after an absence of several years.
Momi Szirom has been creating featherwork for 15 years and is now a teacher for students of Lei Hulu o Hilo.
“I always loved art class and featherwork is just like that again,” Szirom said. “Sometimes I go to class to work on projects, or I’ll be teaching, and I end up learning something I never knew before.”
According to Szirom, students must complete 13 projects, which takes about two years, before they can graduate from the program. After that time, they can make almost anything except helmets and capes.
Peggy Hanson graduated from the program in 2022 and has been treating the two-week exhibit like a retreat for herself as she finishes a piece for her husband.
“This is so fun and feels like vacation in a way,” Hanson said. “It’s nice being able to catch up with each other and work on our pieces and talk story with visitors, too.”
For one more week, Lei Hulu o Hilo students and teachers will be demonstrating featherwork techniques while their work is on display on the first floor. Visitors can also learn how to make a feather flower to keep.
Students and teachers make sure to emphasize that featherwork is best done with positive thoughts, so even if a piece is taking hundreds of hours, it should only be touched during a time of positivity.
“It does become almost meditative,” Szirom said. “I end up talking with people who have passed on or just thinking about memories I haven’t visited in a long time. It’s a nice way to spend my time.”
The exhibit will be open during normal museum hours from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 6 to Friday, May 10.
For those interested in joining Lei Hulu o Hilo, email pilialoha.johnson4@gmail.com.
