HAWI — For the last three years, The Kohala Village HUB has run a ceramics class for youngsters and adults taught by artist Peter Kowalke.
“We’re really grateful to The HUB for letting us do this program,” he said.
Offered in two month cycles, the classes begin with an introduction.
“I put down 100 pounds of clay and the kids cut it up using the wire, roll it out, make slabs and quick little sculptures. It’s learning to experiment with the materials,” Kowalke said.
The students then complete assignments.
“We do projects so they can get techniques like joining the slabs and sculpting, coil work. I give them three or four projects. One is a pot decorated with Native American symbols for the values they want to have in their lives. And once they’ve built the skills, they start having their own ideas,” he said. “Grace made a juicer and a teapot. Katie is really good at handles. Daren likes sculptures and figures.”
But beyond ceramics, Kowalke’s afternoon HUB classes and his work in the schools are a blend of art, science and culture.
“We want to show the beauty in science and the order and logic in art,” Kowalke said.
Growing up in Kailua on Oahu, Kowalke spent many hours exploring the ocean and windward forests and has incorporated those experiences into the art classes he teaches. After his undergrad degree, traveling and playing soccer in Europe, he returned to complete a master of fine arts at the University of Hawaii, with a concentration in the natural history of the Hawaiian Islands.
After teaching art at Punahou School, Kowalke came to Hawaii Island to teach at Parker School and HPA. This eventually led him to create “Art in Sight,” a nonprofit devoted to the integration of art, science, culture and health education.
“I could spend half the time doing art and then the other half doing grant funded programs in the schools that didn’t have much art. I was driving about 25,000 miles a year going to schools all over the island,” he said.
Through Art in Sight, Kowalke has obtained grants to do community art projects in the schools, offering a way for students to explore art, science and culture on a personal and a community level.
“There’s so much beauty in science. The ultimate source of inspiration is nature. The more we can study nature and in many ways, artistically and scientifically, I think it helps people to feel that inner connection,” he said.
For the last couple of years, Kowalke has settled in Hawi and has been working at Kohala Elementary and High School.
“We set up a big 20-by-20 tent in the Discovery Garden and we have learning stations. We plan for different proclivities. If they’re feeling restless they can wrestle with a 200-pound piece of clay and then if they’re introspective they can go to the poetry area or sketching,” he said.
Its location in the Kohala Elementary School garden makes connections to the garden curriculum.
“They would do a lesson on horticulture, compost, flowers, planting and then they could go to the art tent and reflect on it and do some art to reinforce what they just learned,” Kowalke said.
One of the latest projects, funded through a private grant from Jim and Mary Ottaway from New York, includes a fountain that stands in front of The HUB’s state of the art kiln, ready for firing. All the projects require the students to do some natural science research.
“We had a 7-foot fountain that they added creatures to and it was in layers. Ocean, then forest and forest birds and pueo on the top,” Kowalke said.
The theme for the project was the water of life.
“Water in the ocean, water in the forest, people need water, birds need water – so we tried to look at the science of water and the artistic uses of water too and then to relate it to the Hawaiian culture also. We learned a beautiful hula by Leia Lawrence about the rains of Kohala and we performed it for the blessing of the fountain,” he said.
Along with about 80 students who contributed to the fountain, community members were given an opportunity to create creatures to add to the fountain, truly making it a community art project.
“We did community outreach at the Kava Kafe. They’re really generous and opened up their space to create art for the community,” Kowalke said.
Along with the fountain, Kohala Elementary students created a mural and a giant community chess set.
“This time we did ocean versus land creatures, but other times we will do native versus introduced species so we learn science as we do art,” Kowalke explained.
The ceramics classes are held from 3-5 p.m. for youngsters and 6-9 p.m. for adults Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Info: Call Kohala Village HUB at 889-0404
