Marques Hanalei Marzan
Marques Hanalei Marzan is a Hawaiian culture bearer and contemporary visual artist born and raised in Kāne‘ohe, Hawaiʻi. His skill, knowledge, and experience are highly acknowledged within his community where he serves as a mentor and advocate, promoting sustainable gathering practices, perpetuating Hawaiian fiber techniques, and instilling indigenous values in his students. He trained under esteemed experts in Hawai‘i including master weavers, Julia Minerva Ka‘awa and Esther Kakalia Westmoreland. Marzan represents Hawai‘i in major gatherings of indigenous artists, including four Festival of the Pacific Arts held in Palau, American Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Guam, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Through these interactions, he strengthens his commitment to his culture and champions the ideals of continuity and innovation.
www.marquesmarzan.com
Hōkūle’a ocean voyaging canoe
The Hōkūle’a, a replica of an ancient Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe, was designed by artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kāne. Kāne is one of the founders of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Honolulu in 1973. The Polynesian Voyaging Society’s mission is to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, each other, and their natural and cultural environments. Through voyaging to various countries and throughout the Hawaiian Islands, the Polynesian Voyaging Society serves as a beacon of identity and cultural renewal for Hawaii’s indigenous people, along with a preservation of Hawaiian language, dance, chant, and other expressions of Hawaiian culture.
www.hokulea.com
Chris Maynard segment
Chris Maynard creates intricate art entirely from bird feathers. Inspired by his love of the natural world and his background as a biologist, Chris hopes to give people a new perspective on nature through his art. Segment from SCIENCE episode
Judith Chernoff and Jeffrey Bernstein
Based in Laurel, Maryland, Judith Chernoff and Jeffrey Bernstein are craft advocates and avid collectors. They focus on sculptural and turned wood but collect a range of other media, including baskets, ceramics, fiber and glass.
Over the past thirty years, their wood collection has grown to include outstanding museum quality pieces from artists nationally and around the world. With the belief that sharing their collection with the public is what gives it greater meaning, they recently donated 43 objects in wood to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. In addition, over the years, they have opened their home to give educational collection tours to many wood centered groups and those new to wood.
Jeffrey and Judith have each held the position of President of Collectors of Wood Art, Jeffrey from 2009–2010 and Judith from 2014–2016. Judith has also been a volunteer docent at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery since 2012.
Fleur Bresler
Fleur Bresler is an international craft collector and patron of the arts. Bresler attended Mount Vernon Jr. College, Maryland University, and George Washington University. She was the recipient of the 2014 American Craft Council Aileen Osborn Webb Award for Philanthropy. With her first love being education, Bresler worked as a teacher, program director, and instructor. Bresler’s memories of collecting stretch back to her earliest days, from the barrettes and bobbles of her childhood to the internationally recognized craft art of today. Bresler’s collection encompasses all media. Her philanthropy goes beyond collecting, to preserving and promoting craft art and artists.
Jaime “Germs” Zacarias
Los Angeles native and Chicano artist Jaime “Germs” Zacarias blends futuristic visions with Chicano heritage. His vibrant paintings, filled with 3D characters and outlandish designs, capture the spirit of LA and Chicano history. Germs draws inspiration from Chicano art legend Gilbert “Magú” Luján, a founding member of Los Four, a pioneering Chicano art collective. One of Germs’ works pays homage to Magú. It features a playful scene with a blue dog cruising in a sleek, futuristic car, all entangled in purple tentacles. A closer look at Germs’ pop surrealist art reveals hidden messages – eyeballs, phones adorned with LA Dodgers logos, even the Virgin Mary – all woven into his vibrant canvases.
Frank Romero
Frank Romero is a dedicated participant in the Los Angeles arts community. He is a member of the 1970s Chicano art collective, Los Four, with fellow artists Carlos Almaraz, Beto de la Rocha and Gilbert Lujan. Through murals, publications and exhibitions, this group helped to define and increase awareness of La Raza. In 1974, Los Four held an historic exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was the first Chicano art show at a major art institution. Romero was the first Chicano artist to exhibit at MOLAA. The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. He had a retrospective in 2017 accompanied by a catalog, DREAMLAND. Romero created more than 15 murals in Los Angeles. He contributed “Going to the Olympics,” to the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival: a large-scale mural alongside of a bustling Los Angeles freeway.
Yolanda González
Yolanda González was born into a family whose artistic heritage dates back to 1877. She is a dynamic multidisciplinary expressionist artist known for her vibrant and emotive works that traverse various mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics and installation. Born and raised in Los Angeles, González draws from her rich Chicana heritage and personal experiences to create art that resonates with themes of unconventional beauty, identity and culture. In the span of 40 years as a professional artist, she has developed a unique style which combines bold colors, abstract forms, portraits and powerful narratives, making her a standout figure in the contemporary art scene. González has gained significant recognition for her ability to evoke deep emotional responses through her work, blending traditional and modern techniques to explore the complexities of the human condition. She believes that art is a way to connect people through emotion and dialogue.
Cheech Marin & the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture
Best known as one half of the hilariously irreverent, satirical, counter-culture, no-holds-barred duo Cheech and Chong, Cheech Marin is a paradox in the world of entertainment. Cheech is an actor, director, writer, musician, art collector, and humanitarian. Cheech (real name Richard) Marin was born in South Central Los Angeles. Cheech is recognized today as a preeminent Chicano art advocate. In the mid-1980s, he began developing what is now arguably the finest private collection of Chicano art. Furthering his goal to introduce Chicano art to a wider audience, Marin has entered a partnership with the City of Riverside and Riverside Art Museum to create The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture.
Sonny and Gloria Kamm
Los Angeles residents Sonny and Gloria Kamm have collected teapots for over 35 years. Their interest in teapots began as an adjunct to their collection of contemporary art and led to a passion that has resulted in the world’s largest and most comprehensive teapot collection. The Kamm Teapot Collection numbers over 17,000 items and runs the gamut from historical decorative arts to industrial design icons to unique works of contemporary art.
