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Poetry, opera, tea and soup


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POSTED: Friday, February 06, 2009

“;Poetry, Opera and Jazz”; highlights this month's First Friday downtown gallery walk that runs from 5 to 9 p.m.

               

     

 

FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK

        Place: Downtown arts district
       

Time: 5 to 9 p.m.; plus, afterhours events at some venues

       

Call: 521-2903

       

       

The “;Live from the Lawn”; concert at the Hawaii State Art Museum (250 S. Hotel St., 586-0304) will present an interesting mix of poets, opera singers, and jazz and blues musicians.

The lineup includes selections from Hawaii Opera Theatre's upcoming productions of “;Abduction from the Seraglio”; and “;Carmen,”; spoken word performances from Youth Speaks Hawaii, the jazz-blues sounds of Friends of Adam, Bamboo Ridge Press writers Joe Tsujimoto and Mavis Hara reading from their recent books, more spoken word from the Hawaii Slam group, and guitarist Makana.

And there'll be more in the museum's second-floor Lanai Lounge, with straight-ahead jazz by Bop Tribal and poets from the local Tinfish Press.

Other special events include:

» Starting a little earlier just outside of the main downtown area, the Kai Wellness Center at the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew (229 Queen Emma Square, 524-2822, ext. 214) will once again present “;tea & labyrinth.”; It's an opportunity for visitors to sip green tea and take a meditative walk through the cathedral's labyrinth maze from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

» The Black Cat Tattoo Studio (1157 Bethel St., 524-7580) presents its first formal exhibit, featuring the art of Jeremy Strength and Sonny Ganaden, who are also collaborating on one unique piece specifically for the event. Live music and cocktails until midnight.

» Caroline Young's watercolors on silk, depicting Chinese legends and “;lovely maidens,”; will be on exhibit at the Kim Taylor Reece Gallery (1142 Bethel St., 546-1144).

» Things kick off at the Loft Gallery & Lounge (115 N. Hotel St., 521-8008) with a mixed-media show featuring Chinese-inspired art, audio ambiance by DJ Kittylee and live music by Rocket Powered Cadillac, plus drink specials. Starting at 10 p.m., there will be a $5 cover for 21-and-over only, and dance music spun by Byron the Fur.

» This month's “;One Night Stand”; in the Medonca Building Courtyard (1126 Smith St., 262-5930) features surf art by Paul Forney, local scenery acrylics by Henry Ha'o, Jules Schaper's batik on rice paper and jewelry from Shayne Turner. Music will be provided by Otis Schaper and Friends.

» The Laughtrack Theater Company (1123 Bethel St., 384-3362) presents its “;30min Frenzy”; again, with a rapid-fire sampler of consecutive half-hour shows starting at 7:30 p.m. The groups IYFI and Aftermath will do the on-stage honors. Five bucks will get you in, and for those 21-and-over, it's BYOB.

» “;Empty a bowl and help fight hunger”; will be the operative phrase at the Empty Bowl event at The ARTS at Marks Garage (1159 Nuuanu Ave., 521-2903). Members of the Hawaii Potters' Guild and ceramists from throughout the community will offer their crafted ceramic bowls, filled with specialty soups from some popular restaurants around town, accompanied with bread. Attendees will donate $15 for a bowl of soup—and the bowl is theirs for the keeping—and all proceeds will go to the Hawaii Foodbank. Live music will be provided by Southern Swell.

For more on the event, see our lead feature story in Monday's paper or go online to www.starbulletin.com/features/20090202_fill_er_p.html.

And go to www.artsdistricthonolulu.com for a complete listing of gallery participants.