Jackie Mild Lau, PRESIDENT - Clay, Metal

Jackie Mild Lau, born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1958, studied architecture at the University of Maryland, College Park, but holds a BFA, 1982, and a MFA, 1987, from the University of Hawai‘i. She is assistant curator/art instructor at the Academy Art Center, Honolulu. She has completed commissions for the Hawai‘i Maritime Center and Bishop Museum.

Aaron Padilla, Vice President - clay

Aaron S. Padilla is an artist, educator, and an active participant in the art community in Hawai‘i.  A Hawai‘i Craftsmen member since 1998, he has participated in numerous programs and exhibitions; was the Chairperson for Raku Ho‘olaule‘a in 2005 and 2006 and is currently a Board member.

Aaron holds a BFA in painting and printmaking from Pacific Lutheran University and a MFA in ceramics from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.  He has taught ceramics and studio art at UH Manoa, Art Center at Linekona, Hawai‘i Potters Guild, Sacred Hearts Academy and Wilson Elementary.   He was also a founding member and co-owner of the Lodestar Collective, an art gallery in Kailua.  He currently is the Assistant Curator of Education at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

May Izumi - SECRETARY,

May Izumi was born and raised in Hawaii.  She currently works as a publications editor at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). May received a BBA in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  

She previously worked for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America in New York City and the Curriculum Research and Development Group at UHM.  May studied fine arts at UHM, mainly focusing on ceramics.  She has exhibited work at several local venues including bibelot gallery, workspace, Linekona Art Center, Honolulu Academy of Arts, and The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Bank.  Her work consists predominantly of ceramic or mixed media figurative sculptures.

Email: izumiriye @ yahoo.com

Claudia Coonen - Fiber

Claudia was born in S.F. Bay Area to architect father and a fashion conscience mother.  She came to Hawaii in February, 1969 and settled in Kona. Later, she left for California College of Arts and Crafts, followed by a full scholarship student a S.F Academy of Art. She returned to Kona as a homesteader, mother, artist, farmer. Moved to Maui in '87 after being tired of breathing vog. She had studied Batik in Holualoa from '79 to '87 and thus the fiber passion. Always working on new methods and taking workshops.

She is presently a printmaking studio tech and teacher at Hui No'eau. She is also a member and board member at Maui Crafts Guild. She co-owns a gift shop/gallery at a Arboretum. She is the regional rep for Surface Design Association and  presently a full time artist, with studio at her 3 acre home in Haiku , Maui.  Any free time is spent gardening, raising orchids, and in the past, competed in windsurfing races. She has a passion for travel, with 27 countries visited thus far. Claudia has been active with Hawaii Craftsmen since her Kona days.

www.surface-designs.com

Richard Duggan Glass, Exhibition Designer, Marks Liaison

Richard received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and MFA from California College of Art. He has over 30 years experience in the development, design, production and management of museum exhibitions and graphics and has worked at a number of institutions including Rhode Island School of Design, Boston Children’s Museum, and New England Aquarium.

Before moving to Hawai‘i in 1994 to serve as chairman of the exhibit department at Bishop Museum, Honolulu, he was design manager of the Field Museum, Chicago, involved in projects ranging from dinosaur reconstructions to Maori meeting house renovations. Richard now has his own business, Dare Design, an exhibit development and design business in Kaneohe. His work in glass has been shown internationally and is represented in many collections.

Email: daredesign @ hawaii.rr.com

Daven Hee - ceramics

Daven Hee received his Master of Arts in the Visual Arts from The Australian National University in Canberra and his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His work was recognized early by Toshiko Takaezu and others.   

Hee has been the recipient of numerous awards and his works are in numerous public collections as well as the collections of The Honolulu Academy of Arts; The National Institute of the Arts, Canberra, Australia; and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Daven teaches at the Mid-Pacific Institute.

Kip Howe - Clay, glass, metal, photography

Fletcher (Kip) Howe has a BFA in glass from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.  He has been a member of Hawai'i Craftsmen since 1998, introduced to the organization through Raku Ho’olaule’a and has been a strong supporter of both the event and the organization ever since.  

In addition to glass and ceramics, Kip works in metal and photography, works for a professional art consulting firm in Honolulu, and volunteers with "Art Enabled".

Email: howehi2@hotmail.com

Janice Kim

Janice Kim achieved her law degree from the Georgetown University Law School.   She offers legal counsel for a variety of cases involving personal injury and also consumer and civil rights law in Honolulu.

Janice has served many non-profits in Hawai‘i as:

Chairperson, Board of Directors, Research Corporation of the UH (RCUH), 1997-98
President, Korean Chamber of Commerce, 1990-91
President, Kaimuki Business and Professional Association, 1987-88
Alumni Member, U.H. Campus Center Board, 1985-87
President, Associated Students of the University of Hawaii, 1979

Diane Chen KW
Born in Chicago, Illinois 1951

Diane and her family moved to Honolulu from California in the early 1970’s. Her previous career in medicine took her to NYC, Boston and Switzerland, but she was finally able to return to Hawaii permanently in the early 1990’s, dedicating her time to art and to local volunteer actvities. Diane is a full-time studio ceramics artist– with a major obsession carving clay. She collaborates with several ceramic artists in Honolulu who wheel-throw forms for her to carve. Her collaborative work is represented by the Cedar Street Gallery in Honolulu and by the Mercury Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts and can be found in private collections in the USA, Europe and Japan.

Email: lavaflowceramics@att.net

Lynda Sakraida - Website Liaison, Clay, Fiber 

Lynda has been a Hawaii resident for over 30 years and works primarily in fiber, often incorporating her earlier experiences in clay and jewelry. 

 “I’m a real fabric-addict.  Fabric talks to me, nearly always telling me what it wants to do.”  Her handbags or other works have been shown in the Hawaii Handweaver’s Exhibition, several Raku Ho’olaule’a exhibitions, as well as local gallery shows.

She serves on two other community boards and over the years, developed a successful grant program to promote community safety and environmental projects

Email: sakraida @ yahoo.com

Tiffany Shafto , wood

Tiffany is a wood artist, working full-time with her husband, Tim. She received her BA in Interior Design from California State University Sacramento and began transitioning from her design career to woodworking in 2006.

Pursuing her passion for creating with her hands led her to Hawaii Craftsmen and she is pleased to be part of this active and talented group. With a focus on effective marketing for artists, Tiffany hopes to bring awareness to the exhibitions and educational opportunities available through Hawaii Craftsmen to artists living in Hawaii.

 e-mail for contact is info@DeEtteandAllan.com

Esther Shimazu - Ceramic Sculpture

Born and raised in Honolulu, Esther went to public school and the University of Hawaii/Manoa before transferring to the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and completing a BFA and MFA in ceramics with sides of jewelry, sculpture and printmaking.

Currently Esther is a a studio artist represented by John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis, California.  She teaches adult ceramics classes at The Honolulu Academy of Arts and Hawaii Potters' Guild and workshops here and on the Mainland.

Wilfred Yamasawa

Education:   UH at Manoa BFA 1972; 1975 MFA in Sculpture

Wilfred has been a professional glassblower since 1980.  The Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts has presented him with 8 Purchase Awards for their “Art in Public Places” Program.

The Corning Museum of Glass accepted his work for their “New Glass Review” in 1996 and 2001.  This is an international annual competition where they select 100 glassblowers out of 3,000 entries.

Wilfred’s work is in countless public and private collections on five continents.