COURTESY PHOTO Carl Jennings's pen and ink drawing "Means and Ends" is among the more than 150 pieces of artwork in the "Portable Peace -- Portable Art" exhibit on display at Kapiolani Community College's Koa Gallery through July 31. The show then moves to the school's Lama Library, where it will continue through Sept. 16.

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Portable peace

A traveling art show with roots
in Hawaii will allow artists globally
to share their visions of peace

KAPIOLANI Community College's "Portable Peace -- Portable Art" traveling exhibition is grand in intention: It seeks to spread the message of peace around the world through art. In each city, artists from the community will contribute works to add to the show and then send the exhibit on to the next destination. Honolulu begins the cycle with more than 150 pieces of art.

To employ this grand mission, however, KCC art professor, curator and gallery director David Behlke went grass roots. He accepted works from nonartists and children, as well as professional artists and art students, and encouraged contributors to send their pieces through the mail or via computer. "That's 'portable peace, portable art,' right?" Behlke says, only half-jokingly. It was important to him to streamline the process to encourage people to share their views of peace.

"No one needs to be an artist to create, and everyone has something to say," Behlke says. "Art is a nonverbal language."

COURTESY PHOTO San Shoppell's "See the Star Through Another's Eyes."

That concept of crossing cultures led Behlke and a loosely formed committee of academics, writers, healers and even a United Nations mediator to explore the ways of talking about the healing power of art.

Meanwhile, at KCC, Behlke was gearing up for the school's annual summer "Center Your Creativity" workshops, which focuses this year on peace. Behlke realized that aligning the committee's project with the workshops made perfect sense.

Thus, "Portable Peace" was born. The show opens on Monday, the Fourth of July, amid a huge celebration kicking off the workshops. Musicians, healers and artists will lead visitors in activities that promote peace. The event runs 4 to 8 p.m. at KCC's Koa Gallery courtyard.

"Portable Peace" runs through July 30 at Koa Gallery, then moves to KCC's Lama Library through Sept. 16. The exhibit's next stop is still in the works. On the drawing board are cities in Italy, Japan, Europe and the mainland.

Koa Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, and until 2 p.m. Saturdays. The campus is located at 4303 Diamond Head Road. Call Koa Gallery at 734-9374 for more information.

COURTESY PHOTO "May we all be in peace," a mixed media work by Kloe Kang.

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COURTESY PHOTO Hwa Ja Park's acrylic, above, is titled "Embracing Brothers."