2021 Awards + RecognitionsWelcome to the Department of Art and Art History 2021 Awards website!

A Message from Kate Lingley
Chair, Department of Art + Art History

The annual awards ceremony is one of our favorite times of the academic year, when we have the chance to get together to celebrate the many successes of our remarkable students. On a Sunday in April, we bring together students, family members, scholarship donors, faculty, and staff to recognize some of the many students who have excelled over the past year. The event is followed by a festive opening reception for the annual BFA exhibition. Of course, this year as last year, having a large gathering of several hundred people in the art auditorium and later in the Gallery remains impossible, even as we hope that, thanks to widespread vaccination access, this might be the last time that is true. In lieu of the in-person ceremony, we would have wanted to provide, our staff have put together this website and slideshow to honor our students and the amazing work they have done even in the face of pandemic and quarantine and the total upheaval it has caused in all our lives.

One of the signs of a good artist is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and some of the great art of the world has come out of war, poverty, crisis, and even epidemic. The students whose work is honored here (and, in fact, many of our students) weathered the shock and upheaval of Spring 2020, the uncertainty of the summer that followed, and then a school year that started in near-complete lockdown and proceeded to open up a little, but not as much as any of us wanted, after that. They responded to this creative challenge even while recognizing that artistic success might not look quite as they had originally imagined, and the success of their work is a testament to their talent and dedication.

We also recognize our students’ families and friends for their role in helping our students cultivate their talent and stretch their limits.

In a time of slashed budgets and reduced resources, we depend even more on the generosity of donors who have established and endowed many of the scholarships and awards we are privileged to present. Some of them have been loyal supporters of the department for decades, while others are relatively new and happy additions to our community. The support of donors who recognize the value of the arts has been crucial to the survival of artistic practice for a long time. In every case we are tremendously grateful for their support of our students.

Finally, I would like to thank the faculty and staff who have continuously supported our students toward their success over their time at UH. Many hands have made it possible for us to recognize our students in this way despite the cancellation of the ceremony. Thanks to every one of our departmental instructors, to office staffers Francine Uehara, Becky O’Reilly, and Lynn Mayekawa, to Associate Chair Wendy Kawabata, and to Dean Peter Arnade for his support of the arts across our college. We also recognize our students’ families and friends for their role in helping our students cultivate their talent and stretch their limits.

We celebrate the success of our students, bid a fond farewell to those of them who are graduating, and hope for a future in which we can once again come together for an awards ceremony in person. In the meantime, our best wishes to all our students and all their supporters.

A Message from Peter Arnade
Dean, College of Arts, Languages + Letters

Congratulations to you for your artistic accomplishments and dedication.  As dean of the college, I want to underscore how much our academic and artistic community values your creativity, your commitment to your craft, and your ability to weather all the restrictions and challenges presented by COVID.  That you accomplished so much given the practical restraints placed upon you is both impressive and gratifying.

The combination of our global pandemic and unsettling political and economic challenges is a call to your generation to respond—one I am confident you will continue to answer with the resilience and commitment to change you have already demonstrated. Through your creative gifts and the rigorous training you have received, you are making original, cogent contributions to all that we face.

I had hoped to congratulate you in person, but absent this ability, let me say I encourage you to stay in touch with us. You leave a visible footprint and legacy in the Department of Art and Art History and at UH Mānoa, and for this, I am grateful. Congratulations again.

Outstanding Undergraduate Students

Partial cash awards for the Outstanding Students have been provided by the J. Halley Cox Memorial Scholarship Fund.

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Award + Scholarship Recipients

Numerous individuals and organizations have assisted students in their study of art and art history. The department is grateful for these donors’ commitment to educational excellence.

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Inspired by the work of our students and want to know how to support them or the department? Visit our Giving Page.