EXHIBITION
Mud, Myth, and Memory
Masters of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
Rosie Connelly, Hala Megahy, and Hiroko Sakurai
March 2 – March 31, 2025
The Art Gallery, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM), Art Building
The Art Gallery at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is proud to present Mud, Myth, and Memory.
Mud, Myth and Memory explores the points in which these three artists meet, converge, and diverge. A theme of the relationship between body, spirit and land weaves through the pieces, speaking to the entanglements that make us human. These ideas are approached through a variety of media and stylistic approaches. Through digitally and physically manipulated photographs, Rosie Connelly explores the imprint of trauma on the land, and melting of the boundaries between the sacred and profane as well as the past and present. Hala Megahy’s sculptural work examines the threshold between self and others, body and spirit, separation and oneness, life and death, evoking creativity at the crux of vulnerability and process. Through the re-use of traditional craft materials, Hiroko Sakurai creates a portal of reflection, bringing forth collective memories and an experience of our interconnectedness with nature. In this time of ecological crisis, each artist reminds us that we are deeply connected to the land and to each other. Congratulations to the Masters of Fine Arts candidates!
-Professor Debra Drexler, 2025
Organization
Thank you to the Master of Fine Arts Thesis Committees. Rosie Connelly: Professor Scott Groeniger (Chair), Associate Professor John Szostak, and Professor Brad Evan Taylor. Hala Megahy: Professor Brad Evan Taylor (Chair), Associate Professor Jaimey Hamilton Faris, and Professor Richard Mills. Hiroko Sakurai: Assistant Professor Yola Monakhov Stockton (Chair), Professor Wendy A. Kawabata, and Professor Brad Evan Taylor. This exhibition was organized by Professor Debra Drexler, Interim Director of the Galleries and Museums. Thanks to the staff of the University Galleries and the John Young Museum of Art, Sheika Alghezawi, Assistant Director, Kainoa Gruspe, Exhibition Coordinator, Mia Zheng, Curatorial Graduate Assistant, and Dylan Gomez, Installation Graduate Assistant.
Opening Reception
Date: March 2, 2025, 2:00-4:00 pm
Location: Art Building
Hala Megahy
Personal Metronome, 2025
11 feet wide x 9.5 feet tall x 9.5 inches depth
Fused Cast Glass / Braided Copper Wire / Birch wood
Hiroko Sakurai
Invisible Landscapes #2
“Mind-scape and Mimic-scape”
Medium: repurposed five panel folding screen, paper, ink, dye, mineral pigment, gold leaf paper and fabric
2025
5 panels, each panel size h.65 ½” x w.23 ¾” x t.¾”,
THE ART GALLERY is located at 2535 McCarthy Mall, Rm 141, Honolulu, HI 96822.
Gallery hours and admission
Tuesday – Friday & Sunday 12 – 4 p.m.
Closed Saturdays, Mondays, spring break (March 17-21), and state holidays.
Free admission. Donations are appreciated.
Parking fees may apply during weekdays. Parking is free on Sundays
For more information please contact Sheika Alghezawi at 808.956.8364 and gallery@hawaii.edu