By Miguel Gonzalez
Editor
Photos By Melanie Francisca
(Honolulu)–Long considered by many in Oahu as a night life attraction and tourist destination, Chinatown can now also add art to its growing list of attractions.
The downtown-Chinatown Arts and Cultural District has steadily been attracting artists, local and from the mainland, because of a growing support from the community and entities that make living and creating art here easier. “This place personally allowed me to experiment with my art and inspired me to create,” said Kris Goto a local artist that works and lives in the Chinatown Artist Loft. “I have been living here for three years and in the last year I have seen that more people are interested in art and coming to experience what this place has to offer,” Goto added.
The Chinatown Artist Loft, among with other art-related establishments such as The ARTS at Marks Garage, opens its doors on the first Friday of each month. On this night, the area’s galleries, shops and boutiques have extended evening hours. Created in 2003, First Friday is credited with revitalizing the Downtown-Chinatown area, by introducing thousands of people to the areas galleries, performance spaces, shops, restaurants and nightclubs.
The ARTS at Marks Garage is a ten-year old community arts center attracting over 30,000 people annually to 12 major exhibits and over 150 performances, lectures, screenings, workshops. It is an incubator for over a dozen performance and visual arts groups, and offers creative classes for neighborhood youth. Marks sponsors the creative revitalization of the downtown-Chinatown area through neighborhood relations, street festivals, the Gallery Walk Map, First Friday Honolulu and other community celebrations.
What really makes these places special is the rich diversity of art. “Each studio in this building is almost like a fantasy world that is a window into the soul of the artist,” Goto explained.
Painter Ruth Sorensen said that there a misconception that first Friday is only a place full of bars. “We are certainly trying to bring back the arts and I think we are in a real golden period for arts in Chinatown.”
Kailua resident Alice Smith agreed that the Chinatown Arts and Cultural District is gaining fans around Oahu. “I have been coming to first Friday for the past two years and I have been glad to see more places displaying art as well as more people attending these events. I think it is wonderful,” Smith said.
Sorensen added that to keep on cultivating the arts, more living-working space for artists is vital. “I hope it inspires other property owners in Chinatown to follow the example of the Artist Loft and provide more living and working space for more artists who wish to come here, but can’t find a space.”
Longtime organizer and Public Relations specialist Shelly, otherwise known as Miss Catwings, probably put it best when she explained the vibe happening on First Friday.
“There is so much going on, there is art, there are new businesses opening and more people who stopped coming to first Friday are now coming back after they have informed themselves about all the great stuff happening here. It is really worth a look because there is something for everyone,” said Catwings.
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