The state Capitol building will be in the spotlight Friday during the seventh annual Art at the Capitol event.
The showcase allows the public to visit the offices of more than 50 elected officials, from state representatives and senators to Gov. David Ige, as well as public rooms to view more than 500 works by local artists. Lawmakers and artists will be on hand to meet visitors.
Sen. Brian Taniguchi (D, Manoa-Makiki-Punchbowl-Papakolea) initiated Art at the Capitol seven years ago in keeping with the state’s Art in Public Places program.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of groundbreaking for the Capitol building, the evening will feature a documentary with interviews of architect Frank Haines, former Gov. George Ariyoshi and retired Judge James Burns, son of Gov. John Burns, the governor during construction and the first five years of Capitol operations.
The Capitol was commissioned in 1959, but construction did not start until November 1965. It was completed in March 1969 at a cost of $14.5 million. The five-story building features a reflecting pool, open atrium and sloping walls inspired by Hawaii’s ocean and volcanoes, and various references to the number 8, symbolizing the state’s major islands.
Among the other artworks on display that evening will be "Vivaldi Sojourn I," by Nora Yamanoha, an abstract drawn from nature, light and music, in Rep. Della Au Belatti’s office (Room 426); "Aquarius," by Tadashi Sato, a 36-foot circular glass mosaic inspired by stones submerged in water, on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda; and "Water: A Point of Departure," a series of surrealistic seascapes by Carol Bennett in the hallways on the fourth floor.
Other highlights can be seen at www.youtube.com/user/ArtatTheCapitolHI.
Festivities run from 4:30 to 7 p.m., beginning with a presentation on the third floor in Room 329.
