Molokai Arts

 

Meet our Board of Directors:

 

Emillia Noordhoek, President

Emillia Noordhoek  has  been an  artist for  25 yrs,  although her
most recent  employment  is working on  affordable  housing issues for
Molokai  Habitat  for Humanity, as a Resource Development and Project
manager.

She graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art focusing on Ceramic
sculpture and bronze work , from the University of Oregon  in 1993.
She then went on to graduate  studies in Art Education at the
University of New Mexico  focusing on Japanese  porcelain pottery.
She eventually had to get a remunerative job to support herself and
young child and although she continued artistic endeavors( firing raku
in her backyard, teaching art afterschool and on weekends), she
became a mortgage underwriter for almost 10 yrs.  Then she went back
to school and received a full scholarship for a degree in Real Estate
Development focusing on another passion:  sustainable affordable
housing.   She moved to Molokai 4 years and began working with Molokai
Habitat for Humanity.  Although affordable housing  is incredibly
important here and around the world, her heart yearns to create
beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful objects of use and interest
for herself and other like-minded soul  to embrace, use and enjoy.

 She hopes to  bring to Molokai Arts Center a passionate commitment
for creating a community space so that artists, students , teachers,
and the community as a whole can come together to celebrate the
diversity of the creative spirit.

 

Dan Bennett, Vice-President

Dan Bennett has taught Math, English and Physics to hundreds of
Molokai students over the past forty years.   Now officially
"retired," Dan's agreed to share his skills as a Master Potter in his
garage studio in Kala'e to a few students.   The few became many with
a waiting list for time and space on potters wheels, glazing tables
and firing time in the kiln.   Dan was a founding instructor at the
Keahou Potters Guild in Kona, Hawaii from 1978 to 1992.   Dan's
experience with that successful non-profit small business is the basis
for our startup of the Molokai Potters Guild.

Education-
                  1963  Citrus Junior College, AS (pre-engineering)
                  1966  University of California, Santa Barbara BA Mathematics
                  1967  Long Beach State University, Standard
Secondary Lifetime Teaching Credential
                  1969-71  San Diego State University, Course work
towards MA  English
                  1992  University of Hawaii, MA Higher Education
Administration
Professional-
                  1967-69 Mathematics Teacher, La Cumbre Junior High
School, Santa Barbara
                  1969-71 Substitute Teacher, Grossmont and San Diego
City School Districts
                  1971-72 Mathematics Teacher, Molokai High & Intermediate
                  1972-74 Substitute Teacher, Santa Barbara City
School District
                  1975-77 Teacher assigned to Molokai Garage Program,
Molokai High & Intermediate
                  1978-79 Teacher, Coordinator Molokai High &
intermediate School Alternative Program
                  1979-80 Mathematics Teacher, Konawaena High & Intermediate
                  1982-2005 Mathematics Teacher, Molokai High &
Intermediate (also taught Physics and English)
                  1982-Present Mathematics Lecturer, Molokai
Education Center, Maui College, University of Hawaii

Arts-

                   1968-69 Ceramics, Santa Barbara City College,
Adult Education
                   1969-71 Independent Study in Ceramics (2 years),
San Diego State College
                              Work accepted to San Diego County Fair, Art Expo
                   1971-73 Ceramics, Santa Barbara City College,
Adult Education
                   1972-73 Work accepted and sold, Sabado y Domingo
Art Fair, Santa Barbara County
                   1974 Bennett Pottery established on Molokai
                   1975-76 Ceramics Instructor, Adult Education,
Molokai High & Intermediate
                   1977-1999 Ceramics Instructor, Bennett Pottery,
Kipu, Molokai
                   1977-1999 Sold work at Crater Festival and Thomas
Square Christmas Festival
                   1978-1992, Owner, Founding Member, Instructor,
Keahou Potters Guild, Kona, Hawaii
                   1981-82 Artist in the schools program, Ceramic
Murals for Kualapuu and Kaunakakai Schools
                   1982-83 Chairman, Molokai Culture and Arts
Committee, State of Hawaii Culture and Arts
                   Committee
                   2005 to present, Ceramics Instructor, Bennett
Pottery, Kala'e, Molokai
                   1976-1999, 2005 to present, Pottery sales, various
Molokai businesses, Community Fairs

 

April Malama Torres, Recording Secretary

I studied art throughout school, but also love the science of
horticulture.  My grandfather Eulalio always had a beautiful and
abundant vegetable garden. So, I studied Spanish and horticulture with
my ceramics classes.  I began at Los Angeles City College studying
psychology.  My second child was born prematurely and was diagnosed as
totally blind, so I was bringing her to school at The Blind Children's
Center where I was part of the formation of a parents' support group.
I worked briefly at a print shop in Los Angeles where I learned about
the politics of the Farmworkers struggle and some bookkeeping.  Later,
at West Los Angeles College, I started studying Child Development and
Spanish and of course, pottery.  At El Camino in Torrance, CA, I
earned a certificate in horticulture with my A. S.  There were
interviews at the college to work in the L.A. office of the United
Farm Workers.  This sounded like a great opportunity to learn a great
deal.  I got that job, but when I heard someone was shooting at our
members, I decided that was not my direction.  Then I went to work at
The Begonia Farm for a year and a half.  At Ventura College, I worked
as a teacher's aide in the High Tech Center for physically challenged
students.  Always a farmer, a lover of art and language, when we
arrived here, ma Molokai, I switched to the Arts and began study of
the Hawaiian language and earned an A. A.  My husband, John Torres, is
an award winning artist who had a stroke in 1992.  His challenge to
continue his art was to switch painting of his beautiful oil paintings
to his left hand.  Now I am happy to create pottery again with my new
friends at Dan Bennett's studio.

 

Betty West, Assistant Secretary

My name is Elizabeth West.  Everyone knows me as Betty.  I have lived
in Hawaii since 1966 and have been living on Molokai since 1985. I
presently live in Kaunakakai and work part time in Maunaloa at The Big
Wind Kite Factory. I have been working there since 1986.

 I have been a ceramic artist and teacher for 43 years.  I have
taught classes here on Molokai for the seniors program at Mitchell
Pauole Center, for the youth program at the Molokai Youth Center, for
the art program for grade school at First Assembly of God Molokai, at
MCSC ceramic studio and private classes offered to the community as
part of my business.

 I have had a few studios open to the public at different times on
Molokai and I continue to manufacture ceramic pieces to sell in our
local galleries. I also make special order centerpieces for party
decorations and holidays.    I paint, sew and try new crafts all the
time. I especially enjoy teaching ceramics and crafts and the
techniques I've learned, whenever and where ever I can. I hope to
continue teaching and sharing ideas with others interested in what I
have to offer.

Betty West, P.O.Box 1885, Kaunakakai, Hawaii 96748

Kim Markham, Treasurer

My name is Kim Markham.  I have lived on Molokai since I retired from
public accountancy in 2005.  I live with my husband, retired family
physician Richard Kananiokahome Markham, M.D., two cats and one horse,
on a farm in Kaluaaha.  We grow lettuce, beets, leeks, radishes,
tomatoes and flowers.   Rich and I both dance with Na Kupuna o Moana,
an award winning hula halau for senior citizens.

In the beginning of my career, I was a Certified Public Accountant for
a Big 8 accounting firm doing audits and taxes for big companies and
wealthy people.   I was very interested in computers, especially the
new field of computerized accounting software.  I was on a team which
evaluated early prototypes of software that evolved into Excel and
Quickbooks.   Later I became a self-employed accountant working in
small businesses.  I concentrated in accounting for Medicare problems,
subchapter S corporations, local area networks, Quickbooks and tax
issues.   I spent ten years working with a nonprofit which was
re-developing a blighted inner city neighborhood called The Channel
District in Tampa, Florida.  My work there culminated in adoption of
Tax Increment Financing, a legislative project which funded the
Channel District neighborhood with millions of dollars to rebuild its
storm water, roads, and utilities infrastructure.    Since "retiring"
in Molokai, I've helped obtain almost a million dollars of grant money
for farmers, nonprofits and rural small businesses from the USDA, OHA
and the Department of Defense.

I enjoy creating pottery and am constantly inspired by Dan Bennett's
creativity.  I also believe in the power of small businesses to
stimulate our island economy.   I envision the Molokai Arts Center as
a productive nonprofit small business that will attract creative,
educated and entrepreneurial young people as well as retired
professional people to a central location where they can stimulate,
inspire and learn from each other.