Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents dual exhibits by Marcia Morse and George Woollard : Maui Now

Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents concurrent retrospective exhibitions of two prominent Honolulu-based artists, Marcia Morse and George Woollard, tracing each artist’s path by highlighting notable bodies of work throughout different phases of their respective five-decade careers.

The exhibit is open to the public from Tuesday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Dec. 30. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

These exhibitions have each been in development over a period of several years, with former Gallery Director Neida Bangerter pairing the two artists based on their complementary careers and their roles as contemporaries in the Hawai‘i art scene.

Current Gallery Director Jonathan Clark said, “An important facet of our exhibits programming at Schaefer International Gallery is the inclusion of retrospective exhibits that showcase the life work and accomplishments of established Hawai‘i artists. These artists have had a profound impact on the trajectory of contemporary art here in the islands through years of engagement and dialogue, both as studio artists and as educators.”

A graduate of Punahou School, Marcia Morse studied social sciences at Harvard University, receiving a BA with honors in 1966 and then embarking to Quito, Ecuador, where she resided for two years. It was there that she was first introduced to the medium of intaglio printmaking, a chance encounter that sparked her endless fascination with the world of printmaking and its many technical processes.

After completing her MFA in printmaking at Stanford University in 1974, she returned to Hawaiʻi and immersed herself in the Honolulu arts community, developing a multi-faceted career that has grown to include a PhD in political science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2012; a tenure position teaching art and women’s studies at Honolulu Community College; and an invaluable role as an art critic bringing visibility to Hawai‘i’s vibrant and evolving art scene.

Amidst her many pursuits, Morse has consistently centered her studio practice at the core of her identity, looking to the potential for printmaking, paper, and other media to articulate issues that are both timeless and intensely relevant. She has developed distinct phases of work, ranging from monochromatic intaglio prints from her time in Ecuador, to dimensional explorations that alter paper into miniature tapestries and architectural forms, to her ongoing Women in Black series that investigates the ways in which women’s lived experiences become public narrative.

Her retrospective exhibition pays homage to these numerous bodies of work spanning over five decades and her contributions to shaping the dialogue of contemporary art in the islands.

George Woollard arrived in Hawai‘i as a teenager in 1961, having spent much of his formative years traveling the world with his family. His early exposure to classical masterworks, timeworn architecture, and archaeological excavations became a substantial part of his education in the arts, a thread that continued with his pursuit of a BFA in painting in 1969 and MFA in printmaking in 1977, both from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Tucked in the deep forests of Pālolo Valley, his home and studio for the past several decades have been a hub for his prolific explorations that navigate freely between painting, printmaking, drawing, and sculpture, punctuated by occasional sojourns abroad – among them a fellowship in printmaking at the Pillsbury Foundation residency at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; studies in marble carving in Italy; and artist workshop retreats to locations in Europe and South America.

As someone who is as comfortable painting a sketchbook-sized watercolor while traveling as he is carving out solid chunks of lychee wood with machinery, Woollard continuously varies his pace of breath. His paintings and drawings of figure, still life, and landscape capture the raw energy of a visual moment, while his sculptures and abstract renderings seek to unearth the innate forms hidden within a material. Seeing art-making and teaching as being inseparable, his ongoing educational practice often materializes in prints and watercolors created in camaraderie with his students.

This survey of his work spanning over a fifty-year period will showcase how his distinct vocabulary of vibrant abstraction and loose realism has evolved with remarkable coherence.

Schaefer International Gallery is open from Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm, and also before select Castle Theater shows. Admission is free.

This exhibition is presented by Maui Arts & Cultural Center and sponsored in part by County of Maui – Office of Economic Development, and Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Community Enrichment Program.

Related Public Events:

Workshop: Color and Composition with Watercolor
Sunday, Nov. 12 from 1 – 4 p.m.

George Woollard will guide participants as they combine drawing and painting to develop watercolor compositions, with an emphasis on capturing gesture and the movement of materials to set image into motion. Fee: $50 per person, includes materials.

Workshop: Book Forms and Other Transformations
Saturday, Dec. 2 from 2 – 5 p.m.

Led by Marcia Morse, this workshop encourages artists to consider the book format as an extension of their studio work. Participants will create a little “library” of book models from sheets of paper, along with a container and display for them. Fee: $50 per person, includes materials.

Limited space for workshops For details and registration contact: [email protected]