March is Women’s History Month
The Story of Ellen Clark Sargent
by Judith Hurley-Prosser This tells the history of Ellen Clark Sargent and her role as a suffragist and the work she did towards the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Help us get the sculpture of Ellen Clark Sargent seen. Support our Efforts Article...
Nevada City Union Articles
Jan-Michelle Sawyer aims to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, which she says has roots in Nevada City with bust of Ellen Clark...
Public Sculpture in Your Community … How to Get It Done.
Don’t wait for government officials or a rich art patron to step forward to honor in sculpture an individual for your community. “Grass Roots Sculpture” is a method that Jan-Michelle has perfected when people have expressed a desire to have sculpture created for their...
Articles About Artist
Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole could once again gaze over the Wai‘anae Coast he loved so dearly if sculptor Jan-Michelle Kaiulani Sawyer is able to drum up enough support.
Professional sculptor Jan-Michelle Sawyer, who created this likeness of Gabby Pahinui, now hopes to honor ‘Bruddah Iz.’Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Sawyer, who creates lifelike bronze sculptures, wants to make a three-quarter-size statue of “Bruddah Iz” to pay homage to the legend whose music expressed what it meant to be Hawaiian — and proud of it. “Iz” died in 1997.
“I would like him to be facing the ocean,” Sawyer said. “He talked so much about the Wai‘anae coast and all his memories there. It makes sense to honor him, to put him in an area that meant so much to him.”
Vandalism to Public Sculpture
On a recent visit to see the portrait sculpture of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole in Waianae, I discovered that the bottom fishhook that rested on IZ’s chest was missing, i.e. apparently stolen. Who would do such a thing? And who would evoke such negative mana against a man who gave so much of himself to the people of Hawaii? I discovered the missing fishhook when I lifted a string of leis that draped his chest in order to inspect the condition of the bronze. At first my eyes hit a blank stare, thinking that there was something unusual about how his chest looked. It took a few seconds to realize that the fishhook was gone.
Colleges and Art Centers Around the Globe Offer Opportunities to Study Art and Sculpture
If you are a recent high school grad or returning to school and are thinking about going onto college to work on a BA in art, fine art or sculpture, there are many opportunities to study art in both the traditional college setting and at small colleges, institutes or art centers.
What to study in school and what to major in are important questions to thoroughly explore. It’s not uncommon for some students to major in art and not give much thought to selecting a minor in a field that they could eventually end up working in. With hard work and gut determination anyone can be successful as an artist and even make a living creating art. But why be so hard on yourself with that kind of pressure? I advise students to complete a minor in a field that they would equally enjoy.
My mother used to say to me when I was growing up to make sure I had a specific skill, like typing (ha) so that I would be employable. Well, I found learning how to type so absurd that I never did learn how to type. I still type using 2-3 fingers in a hunt and peck fashion. While my modest and rebellious typing skills or lack of grew to be ever so important, the basic message my mother gave me is a true and solid one: Be an artist, and have another skill that will pay the rent!