Local Color
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There were many accolades from friends and colleagues at last month's testimonial dinner honoring artist and teacher Ken Bushnell. But the most endearing tribute came privately from his fellow artist, teacher, former student and wife, Helen Gilbert. Generations of UH artists
endured ‘good cop, bad cop’"I think he's a much better teacher than I ever was. He was always sympathetic to the student point of view," said Gilbert, who also was honored as a recipient of the 2002 KOA Award for outstanding achievement in art.
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Speaking from her hospital bed where she was undergoing treatment for cancer, Gilbert described their approaches to teaching as good cop and bad cop."I was the bad cop. He always gave wonderful critiques. When I gave critiques, sometimes I made the students cry. Maybe they thanked me later, but they weren't too happy then.
"But Ken would never hurt a flea. He's not as critical as I am," Gilbert said, adding that Bushnell nevertheless set high standards for his students.
Many Hawaii artists -- if they received their training at the University of Hawaii-Manoa -- have had a brush with that good-cop, bad-cop experience. Bushnell and Gilbert were among the authorities on drawing and painting at the university before their retirement in 1999 (he, after 39 years, and she, after 30 years of teaching).
Their teaching -- as well as their own vigorous pursuit of art -- mirrors a tradition of excellence at the university's Art Department, which is showcasing the work of its retired faculty members in a new exhibition.
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"A Tradition of Excellence" opens today in the department's Art Gallery. A public reception is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. today. The exhibit continues through April 12, and admission is free. Call 956-6888 for more information.The exhibition features four pieces of work each by 25 retired faculty members. Coincidentally, the Art Building, a contemporary concrete structure featuring a bamboo grove around the gallery, is celebrating its 25th birthday.
The exhibition includes art luminaries Jean Charlot, whose murals still adorn public places in Hawaii, and art scholar Gustav Ecke, a definitive authority on Chinese art.
An exhibition of multimedia works by retired faculty from the Department of Art, University of Hawaii-Manoa "A Tradition of Excellence"
Place: University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Art Building
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday; closed Prince Kuhio Day (March 26), Good Friday (March 29) and Easter (March 31). Through April 12.
Admission: Free
Call: 956-6888
Reception: 2 to 4 p.m. today
"This show is a way to honor these retired faculty members who have dedicated much of their time and energy to teaching, to developing the programs and creating their own wonderful works of art," said gallery director Tom Klobe, who is a graduate of the department.
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"I think what most people may not realize -- unless they are familiar with the Art Department -- is that we have people who were not only good teachers, but very good artists, also. These people are collected in major art museums."The retired faculty may not have gained widespread public recognition, but their works are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Whitney Museum, Library of Congress, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and British Museum, to name a few.
While the university always offered some art classes from its inception, the Art Department really began in 1924 under Huc-Mazelet Luquiens, an American painter and printmaker educated at Yale University, the École des Beaux Arts and the Académie Julien in Paris.
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The department blossomed under the leadership of California artist Ben Norris from 1945 to 1955. His astute leadership brought a large number of visiting artists to the university, including several of the most important artists of the 20th century: Max Ernst, Dorothea Tanning, and Joseph and Annie Albers.Others came to the department after them upheld the high standards set by the two pivotal leaders, always demanding that the faculty members be proficient as teachers and as productive artists.
"You cannot be a good teacher without being a good artist," Gilbert said. "And if you have art education, it opens up a new dimension in your life. It doesn't matter if you become an artist or not, it adds to your life."
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Suzanne Tswei's art column runs Sundays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI, 96813
or email stswei@starbulletin.com
