The Isaacs Art Center is an art museum and retail gallery in Waimea on the
Island of Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...
. It is operated by and for the benefit of the
Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Hawaii Preparatory Academy (also known as HPA) is a coeducational, private, day and international boarding school in Kamuela, Hawaii, providing K-12 education. The school has an annual day tuition at the Lower School (K-5) of $22,900, $25,300 at t ...
; all proceeds benefit the school's scholarship fund.
In addition to its retail holdings, the center houses an expansive permanent collection of Hawaiian, Pan-Pacific, and Asian art, including the world's largest intact collection of works by Madge Tennent. Among the many major artists represented are
Jean Charlot
Louis Henri Jean Charlot (February 8, 1898 – March 20, 1979) was a French-born American painter and illustrator, active mainly in Mexico and the United States.
Life
Charlot was born in Paris. His father, Henri, owned an import-export business ...
,
D. Howard Hitchcock
David Howard Hitchcock (May 15, 1861 – January 1, 1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School, known for his depictions of Hawaii.
Life
David Howard Hitchcock was born May 15, 1861, in Hilo, Hawaii. Since his father was also named Da ...
,
Herb Kawainui Kane
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
Louis Pohl
Louis Pohl (1915 – December 22, 1999) was an American painter, illustrator, art teacher, printmaker and cartoonist. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1915. A childhood illness made it impossible to walk without pain and prevented Pohl from en ...
,
Horatio Nelson Poole
Horatio Nelson Poole (1884–1949) was an American painter, printmaker, muralist and teacher.
Poole is known for both his intaglio prints (such as ''Fruit and Grain'') and paintings (such as ''A View of Honolulu near Old Plantation''). The Fine ...
,
Lloyd Sexton, Jr.
Lloyd Sexton Jr. (1912–1990), who is also known as Leo Lloyd Sexton Jr. was an American painter born in Hilo, Hawaii on March 24, 1912. In 1931 he entered the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 1933 he had a show of flower painti ...
The building was constructed in 1915 as the Waimea Elementary School. At its completion, the structure was the first public school in the historic ranching community of Waimea and among the earliest schoolhouses built in the Hawaiian plantation style. Locally, its size reflects the gradual increase in population that Waimea experienced in the early 20th century; nationally, a civic trend toward standardized American education.
The original architect and contractor responsible for the schoolhouse remain unknown. In 1916, it welcomed its first students, most of them the children of
Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii, now run by a charitable trust.
History
The ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating many mainland r ...
employees.
Military hospital
Between 1942 and 1946, the Waimea Elementary School served as a makeshift field hospital for
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
troops stationed in or around Waimea. At the war's peak, the region was host to approximately 30,000 G.I.s operating out of
Camp Tarawa
Camp Tarawa was a training camp located on Hawaiʻi Island constructed and used by the 2nd Marine Division during World War II. The grounds of the camp were situated between the volcanic peak of Mauna Kea and Kohala mountain. Marines were sen ...
; many would later contribute to major campaigns on Iwo Jima and
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
It was restored between 2002 and 2004, with George Isaacs being the major donor. In 2003, the Historic Hawaii Foundation accorded a Historic Preservation Honor Award to the completed restoration; the building itself was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2005. The museum opened in 2004.
Collection
The Isaacs Art Center's installations intermix its own permanent art collection with loans from private collectors and works for sale. The art on display consists primarily of paintings by early and mid-twentieth century
Hawaii artists
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
With the 2005 bestowal of the Tennent Art Foundation's assets, the center became one of the finest public collections of Hawaiian art in the state. This addition to the center's permanent holdings includes approximately 30 oil paintings and 40 works on paper by Madge Tennent. Other Hawaii artists represented in the center's collection include
Jean Charlot
Louis Henri Jean Charlot (February 8, 1898 – March 20, 1979) was a French-born American painter and illustrator, active mainly in Mexico and the United States.
Life
Charlot was born in Paris. His father, Henri, owned an import-export business ...
,
D. Howard Hitchcock
David Howard Hitchcock (May 15, 1861 – January 1, 1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School, known for his depictions of Hawaii.
Life
David Howard Hitchcock was born May 15, 1861, in Hilo, Hawaii. Since his father was also named Da ...
,
Herb Kawainui Kane
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
Louis Pohl
Louis Pohl (1915 – December 22, 1999) was an American painter, illustrator, art teacher, printmaker and cartoonist. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1915. A childhood illness made it impossible to walk without pain and prevented Pohl from en ...
,
Horatio Nelson Poole
Horatio Nelson Poole (1884–1949) was an American painter, printmaker, muralist and teacher.
Poole is known for both his intaglio prints (such as ''Fruit and Grain'') and paintings (such as ''A View of Honolulu near Old Plantation''). The Fine ...
Selections from the permanent collection of paintings
Image:Bartlett Duke Kahanamoku.jpg, Charles W. Bartlett, ''Duke Kahanamoku'', ca. 1918
Image:Hitchcock Cottages Amongst the Palms.jpg,
D. Howard Hitchcock
David Howard Hitchcock (May 15, 1861 – January 1, 1943) was an American painter of the Volcano School, known for his depictions of Hawaii.
Life
David Howard Hitchcock was born May 15, 1861, in Hilo, Hawaii. Since his father was also named Da ...
, ''Cottages Amongst the Palms'', 1932
File:Tavernier Kilauea By Moonlight.jpg, Jules Tavernier, ''Kilauea by Moonlight,'' 1889
Image:Lionel Walden - 'Racing Yachts', oil on canvas, c. 1900.JPG,
, ''Racing Yachts'', ca. 1900
Image:Wores Diamond Head by Moonlight.jpg,
Theodore Wores
Theodore Wores (August 1, 1859 – September 11, 1939) was an American painter born in San Francisco, son of Joseph Wores and Gertrude Liebke. His father worked as a hat manufacturer in San Francisco.
Life
Wores began his art training at age t ...
, ''Diamond Head by Moonlight'', 1902
References
8. Hustace, James J. Painters and Etchers of Hawaii-A Biographical Collection-1780-2018, Library of Congress (C)