Politics of Expression: The Contemporary Native Hawaiian Visual Arts Movement

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dc.contributor.advisorKahanu, Noelle M.K.Y
dc.contributor.advisorKosasa, Karen K.
dc.contributor.authorWray, Taylor Elaine
dc.contributor.departmentAmerican Studies
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-26T20:14:25Z
dc.date.available2024-02-26T20:14:25Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.degreePh.D.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/107952
dc.subjectAmerican studies
dc.subjectArt history
dc.subjectArt education
dc.subjectAmerica
dc.subjectcontemporary Native Hawaiian art
dc.subjectdecolonization
dc.subjectHawaiʻi
dc.subjectvisual culture
dc.titlePolitics of Expression: The Contemporary Native Hawaiian Visual Arts Movement
dc.typeThesis
dcterms.abstractPolitics of Expression: The Contemporary Native Hawaiian Visual Arts Movement sheds light on Indigenous self-expression through contemporary art in Hawaiʻi. It explores how Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) visual artists have shaped and responded to the socio-cultural landscape over the past five decades, revealing the inherently political nature of their creative endeavors. Spanning fifty years, this history highlights the dynamic and vibrant evolution of the Kānaka Maoli visual arts movement, which unfolds in three distinct waves: The Kūpuna (elders, grandparent generation) from 1973-1993, the Mākua (teacher and parent generation) from 1994- 2004, and the Moʻopuna (student generation, two generations later) from 2005-2023.This dissertation spotlights notable artists, seminal exhibitions, innovative arts programming, and the institutions and organizations that have either supported or hindered this movement. It also brings to the forefront the numerous achievements and challenges Native Hawaiian artists have faced over the years, including racism, discrimination, and cultural appropriation. Despite formidable obstacles such as the absence of infrastructure and the lack of recognition, Kānaka Maoli visual artists have successfully advanced the movement and cultivated a thriving arts scene in Hawaiʻi. They continue to employ visual art to transmit mana (authority, power, spirit) in their dedicated pursuit of ea (life, sovereignty, breath, and independence). Their artwork stands as aesthetic evidence of Kānaka Maoli claims for sovereign independence, while this manuscript serves as a testament to their aloha ʻāina (love of the land), often regarded as a political act in occupied Hawaiʻi.
dcterms.extent320 pages
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.publisherUniversity of Hawai'i at Manoa
dcterms.rightsAll UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dcterms.typeText
local.identifier.alturihttp://dissertations.umi.com/hawii:12029

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Ph.D. - American Studies