The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College welcomes Kūlapa Kai—the newest addition to the campus’ outdoor art installations. The sculpture depicts a playful mother monk seal and her cub, and was carved from a solid block of New Zealand marble by local artists Bruce Turnbull and Kim Mosley. Kūlapa Kai now graces the small, grassy knoll between the campus’ Kalama and Noiʻi buildings. The public is welcome to attend the sculpture’s official blessing on January 29 at 4:30 p.m.
Kūlapa Kai is part of a gift from Jim and Mary Hirshfield’s Summit Foundation, which seeks to leave artistic legacies in the form of sculptures, notably of animals that live in a particular region.
“We sincerely appreciate this beauitiful addition to our campus,” said Chancellor Lui K. Hokoana. “I’ve already heard from faculty and students about how much they enjoy the new piece, and it was a wonderful opportunity for our art students to get some hands-on learning as well.”
The sculpture took nearly a year to complete, with the majority of the carving done at Turnbull’s Kahakuloa studio. The piece was lifted by a crane and placed on campus last August. Students at the college participated in sanding and finishing demonstrations, and learned how to grind, polish and chisel the stone with power and hand tools for the statue’s finishing touches.
“I love walking around the piece and taking it in from every vantage point,” said UH Maui College art faculty member Jennifer Owen. “It was a fellow art teacher, Mike Takemoto, who pointed out that from one of the nearby sidewalks, the sculpture looks entirely abstract, while from the other walkways the forms of the monk seals are revealed.”
For the full story, visit the UH Maui College news site.
