Out of the box

LUCKY for the "International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition" that Tom Klobe likes world travel. Each year, as he visits countries around the globe, Klobe is on the lookout for good art to display in the show.

On a recent visit to China, for instance, Klobe spotted the porcelain work of Liguo Liu. After seeing the body of Liu's artwork, Klobe invited him to create something for "Shoebox." The result is an exquisite tiny porcelain shoe collection.

Other international artists hail from Australia, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan and Finland. American artists represented in the show come from all over the country.

The Hawaii artists "come off very good," says Klobe. "Our artists represent us well."

He says artists often find "Shoebox" a challenge because of the show's size requirements: all pieces must be the approximate size of a shoebox.

"With some of these works, you can sense just by looking at the piece that the artist is accustomed to working on a huge scale," Klobe says. "It's a challenge for them to work in a manner they're not accustomed to."

The University of Hawaii Art Gallery director helped start the traveling exhibition some 20 years ago. The show originates in Hawaii every three years, making this the university's ninth show. Other participating art institutions take the helm the other two years.

This time around, "Shoebox" will tour 83 of its 120 small sculptures to such cities as Hilo; Kahului; Carson, Calif.; Ellensburg, Wash.; Dayton, Ohio; Clemson, S.C.; Logan, Utah; and Murray, Ky. Galleries abroad set aside time in their schedules to show the exhibit. Unfortunately, new restrictions in international shipping made exhibiting abroad impossible this year, Klobe says.

The "International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition" runs at the University of Hawaii Art Gallery through April 13. Gallery Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 956-6888.

Dodie Warren is lauded for a lifetime of work

Koa Gallery at Kapiolani Community College is honoring printmaker and teacher Dodie Warren for her lifetime of work with the 2006 KOA Award.

Warren has been teaching and making art for some 30 years.

She joins past recipients of the award, including Harry Tsuchidana, Bumpei Akaji, Lucille Cooper, Tadashi Sato and Claude Horan. "It's like reading a who's who of contemporary (local) artists," says David Behlke, director of Koa Gallery.

A dinner for Warren will be held Thursday at the college. Call the gallery at 734-9544 to make reservations.

In addition, Warren's work is on exhibit at Koa Gallery through April 7. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and to 2 p.m. Saturdays.