University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa alumni Allison LaValley (BFA,2008) and M.K. Carroll (BA, Art and Anthropology, 1999), with Michelle Schwengel-Regala (Artist in Residence, 2015-16) as The Fuzz Hawaiʻi yarnbombing crew, have been creating an ʻōhiʻa lehua forest of yarn at the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) as part of the museum’s “Joyful Return” themed reopening events.
“Recover” incorporates handmade panels once displayed at Spalding House, Honolulu, as well as community contributions of repurposed and new materials to adorn architectural elements, planters, and museum structures with colorful textiles. It transforms the columns surrounding this courtyard into the trunks of ‘ōhi‘a lehua trees, complete with branches, foliage, and inflorescences. Public interaction with the artwork has included making ʻōhiʻa lehua blossom pom-poms to add to the installation panels of knit and crochet fabric in HoMA’s Palms Courtyard.