Tannya: WELCOME BACK TO
"LIVING 808."
WE SAID IT'S FIRST FRIDAY.
THAT MEANS A LOT OF GREAT ART IN
CHINATOWN.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THIS
ONE NIGHT A MONTH TO CHECK OUT
GREAT ART.
HAWAII STATE ART MUSEUM HAS
GREAT EXHIBITS AND WE'RE PROUD
TO WELCOME JOYCE OKANO.
GOOD MORNING.
John: IT'S A FREE MUSEUM,
BUT WHAT'S THE BENEFITS AND WHY
WOULD YOU WANT TO BECOME A
FRIEND OF THE MUSEUM.
WELL, A LOT OF US BECAME
FRIEND OF THE MUSEUM BECAUSE WE
REALLY BELIEVE IN THE LOCAL
ARTIST, AND THIS GREAT MUSEUM
THAT A FEW PEOPLE REALLY KNOW
ABOUT.
QUITE AMAZING HOW IT GETS
CONFUSED WITH OTHER MUSEUMS.
THEY'RE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.
HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART AND
HAWAI'I STATE ART MUSEUM.
HAWAII STATE ART MUSEUM IS THE
ONLY MUSEUM IN HAWAI'I AND THE
WORLD THAT FOCUSES ON HAWAI'I'S
ARTISTS.
WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE
HELPING TO WORK WORK TOWARDS A
CULTURALLY RICH FUTURE, AND
ARTISTS CAN STAY AND WORKING AND
THRIVE IN HAWAI'I AND SHARE
THEIR GIFTS WITH THE WORLD.
SO JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR, WE'RE
WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE HAWAII
STATE ART MUSEUM.
WE DON'T ACTUALLY REPRESENT THE
MUSEUM ITSELF.
Tannya: THAT'S GOOD.
WE'RE LOOKING AT FANTASTIC
ARTWORK THAT PEOPLE MIGHT BE
ABLE TO CHECK OUT.
WE UNDERSTAND THERE'S THE TOP
PICKS PROJECT.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS?
IT'S SOMETHING THAT ONE OF
OUR BOARD MEMBERS CAME UP WITH.
EVERY MUSEUM IN THE WORLD
CELEBRATING THEIR BEST, MOST
IMPORTANT PIECES IN THE
COLLECTION.
AND WHO DECIDES WHAT'S BEST?
Tannya: TRUE.
ART'S RELATIVE.
RIGHT.
WE PICKED DEP -- TEN DIFFERENT
VARIED BACKGROUNDS IN HAWAI'I
THAT UNDERSTAND ART HISTORY HERE
IN HAWAI'I, AND KNOW THE WORKS
OR GOOD PARTS IT.
THE COLLECTION HAS OVER SIX
THOUSAND WORKS THAT THEY'VE
COLLECTED.
SO WE TOOK THESE -- WE ASKED
THESE TEN ESTABLISHED ART
CONNOISSEURS TO PICK THEIR TOP
PICKS.
EACH OF THE TEN PICKED THEIR 25
FAVORITES, AND FROM THAT, THERE
WERE 91 PICKS THAT WERE
SELECTED.
AND FROM THERE, THE GROUP GOT
TOGETHER AND PICKED THE TOP 25.
AND PICKED THE MOST IMPORTANT
WORK OR TOP PICK THAT THEY FELT
WOULD REPRESENT THAT ARTIST.
SO THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE ON THE
SCREEN.
25 TOP PICKS FROM THIS TOP PICKS
PROGRAM.
Tannya: IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S
ACROSS THE CANVAS OF WHIMSICAL
PIECES AND IMPORTANT PIECES.
ALMOST LIKE PICKING YOUR
FAVORITE CHILD.
I THINK SO.
THEY TOOK IT VERY, VERY
SERIOUSLY.
IT WAS WONDERFUL HOW THEY ALL
WORKED SO INDEPENDENTLY, BUT
WHEN THEY HAD TO REALLY CHOOSE
COLLECTIVELY, IT WENT SO
SMOOTHLY.
REALLY IT WAS GREAT.
Tannya: FOR THOSE WHO
AREN'T SO FAMILIAR WITH THE
HAWAII STATE ART MUSEUM, ARE THE
EXHIBITS CHANGING ALL THE TIME?
IT'S ALWAYS FREE GO?
IT'S ALWAYS FREE.
AND THE EXHIBITS ARE CHANGING
BECAUSE THE ARTS IN PUM PUBLIC
PLACES, THEY HAVE SOME SIX
THOUSAND WORKS OF ART.
THE MUSEUM CAN ONLY HOUSE, I
DON'T KNOW, 350, 500 AT A TIME.
IT IS CHANGING.
THESE ARE THE 25 THAT WE REALLY
FELT -- THE GROUP FELT WERE
ICONIC PIECES.
WE WANT TO FOCUS ON GETTING WORD
OUT TO THE LOCAL PEOPLE AND
VISITORS ABOUT HOW RICH AND
WONDERFUL OUR COLLECTION IS.
Tannya: MAKE SURE YOU CHECK
IT OUT.
AND FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE
CURIOUS, WHAT DO THE FRIENDS DO?
DO YOU SPEND TIME LOOKING AT THE
EXHIBITS OR WHAT OTHER TYPES OF
THINGS DO YOU WORK ON?
WE WORK ON SUPPORTING WHAT HI
SAM DOES AND TRY TO FILL IN THE
GAP.
WHERE WE CAN BE OF HELP TO THE
MUSEUM.
WE FEEL TA THERE'S AREAS IS THAT
COULD USE SOME HELP, SUCH AS
ADVERTISING.
WE HAVE IT AT ALA MOANA AND
KAHALA MALL AND ROYAL HAWAIIAN
SHOPS CENTER.
Tannya: YOU'RE GOING TO
FIND PEOPLE.
JOYCE, THANK THANK YOU SO MUCH.
BEST OF LUCK AND WE'LL HAVE TO
CHECK OUT YOUR MUSEUM.
THANK YOU.
Tannya: COMING P ON "LIVING
808," HAWAI'I HAS HOPPED ON THIS
TREND IN A BIG WAY.