Wailoa Center education and outreach efforts expanding

Wailoa State Recreation Area in Hilo is unique among Hawaii state parks given it’s one of a few parks in an urban setting, right on the edge of downtown Hilo.

What also makes this beautiful park unusual, is the unique building that houses the Wailoa Center, the largest venue on Hawaii Island for showcasing the work of local artists.

The 12-sided building was completed in 1967, to help breathe new life into the green zone created by the devastating 1960 tsunami along Hilo’s Bayfront. Throughout the course of the past half-century the Wailoa Center has featured countless exhibits.

The Wailoa Center hosts 24 exhibits annually. This month’s exhibit, “Transformations,” chronicles and depicts last year’s devastating eruption of Kilauea, which destroyed more than 700 homes and displaced hundreds of people in the lower Puna District.

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources recently issued a revocable permit to the Hawaii Island Art Alliance, which will allow the nonprofit to expand into education at the Wailoa Center. This includes the potential of hiring visiting artists to teach classes for the community, the production of an annual art festival and scholarships for keiki.

“It just opens up huge possibilities and opportunities for us,” said longtime state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks interpretive center coordinator Codi King. “Teaching-artists in the community are looking forward to it because they want to share their experiences. HIAA having the permit will jump-start enthusiasm and propel us forward into continuing to support the arts and sponsoring more shows that are community based.”

The center hosts monthly receptions, often attended by more than 400 people.

“When people attend an opening reception or peruse through the galleries of the Wailoa Center, we hope they will appreciate the beauty of the Wailoa River State Recreation Area,” said Dean Takebayashi, Hawaii Island superintendent for the Division of State Parks. “It combines the artistic beauty of nature and the artistic creations of the artists, in one setting.”