The Super Bowl-week concert is presented in conjunction with the museum's new original exhibition, He`e Nalu, exploring the Indigenous-Hawaiian roots of surfing.
PHOENIX, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Three-time Grammy Award Winner (2017, 2019, 2022) and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Winner Singer/Songwriter Kalani Pe`a is performing in concert at the Heard Museum during one of the biggest weeks in the Valley of the Sun. Visitors from around the globe will be in Phoenix to attend Super Bowl LVII and the Waste Management Phoenix Open and all will be invited to travel vicariously from the Sonoran Desert to the Hawaiian Islands via the golden waves of Kalani Pe`a's voice on February 8, 2023, at 6 p.m.
This concert is part of the celebration of the Heard Museum's new exhibition, He`e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing, which explores the Indigenous origins of surfing through the presentation and interpretation of historic material made by notable cultural practitioners as well as new contemporary artwork and site-specific installations created by leading Indigenous Hawaiian artists.
"I remember back in 2019 attending the 61st Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market. It was remarkable and I will say this, as a Native Hawaiian, we are similar to the cultural values and upbringing of the indigenous peoples of the continent. The First Nations can all relate. I was able to meet up with other Native American musicians and artists, as a First People's Fund grant recipient. We, the First Nations can relate through trials, tribulations and triumphs and it's definitely demonstrated through stories, music, dance and art. Through our work, we best exemplify who we are, our true history, our sense of place, our cultural identity and our true authenticity. Eia nō au (I am here). E Kū wiwo'ole au no Ku'u lāhui mau ā mau. (I will stand firmly for my people)," said Pe`a.
"I am excited to now be returning to the Heard Museum to headline my concert of Hawaiian, contemporary and soul music. I love everything about this Museum- the vision and mission of this beautiful place. I certainly love Phoenix and can't wait to share my original compositions, honored with three Grammy awards, along with hula and storytelling."
Tickets are on sale now, with general admission tickets priced at $15 and museum members and American Indian visitors at $10. The concert will be held in the Heard Museum's Libby Amphitheatre, most notable for being the arena for the annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, which will be held on February 18 and 19.
The Heard's Dickey Family Director and CEO David M. Roche is eager to showcase Hawaiian performing artists at the museum alongside some of the biggest names in contemporary Hawaiian visual arts. "People around the world know the Heard Museum for our significant collection of American Indian art, and in particular, artists from the Southwest United States," said Roche. "And while those works are in prominent display in our exhibitions including 'HOME: Native People in the Southwest' and 'Substance of Stars,' we are proud to present the work of Indigenous artists across the country and around the world. He'e Nalu explores the roots of surfing through the first-person storytelling of Hawaiian artists. Likewise, we are thrilled to welcome Kalani Pe`a to the Heard Museum to share his gift of storytelling through song."
Pe`a's third release Kau Ka Pe`a garnered his third Grammy win in Regional Roots. He took home his second Grammy Award in 2019 for his second CD No 'Ane'i [We Belong Here], a release that hit number one on iTunes World Music Charts and number eleven on Billboard's World Music Charts. His debut album E Walea won him his first Grammy in 2017 for "Best Regional Roots Music Album," which also received the 2017 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award (Hawaii's "Grammy") for Best Hawaiian Contemporary Album, making Hawaiian music history as the only album ever to win both a Grammy and Nā Hōkū. His newest album, "Purple Hawaiian Christmas," is out now across all digital platforms.
For more information, go to Heard.org.
About The Heard Museum
Since its founding in 1929, the Heard Museum, a private nonprofit organization, has grown in size and stature to become recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, world-class exhibitions, educational programming, and unmatched festivals. Dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, the Heard successfully presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective and exhibitions that showcase the beauty and vitality of traditional and contemporary art. In part, the Heard Museum is supported by the generosity of Heard Museum members and donors, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture. In association with the Smithsonian, the Heard Museum is part of a select group of museums and cultural, educational, and arts organizations that share the Smithsonian's resources with the nation. Heard.org
About He'e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing
He'e Nalu: The Art and Legacy of Hawaiian Surfing explores the Indigenous origins of surfing through the presentation and interpretation of historic material made by notable cultural practitioners as well as new contemporary artwork and site-specific installations created by leading Indigenous Hawaiian artists. The stories and histories of surfing will be shared through a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) perspective through the process of mo`olelo, the method of storytelling "how it came to be."
The exhibition is organized by guest curator Carolyn Kuali`i (Kānaka Maoli) and Heard Museum Assistant Curator Velma Kee Craig (Diné), with artwork by Kānaka Maoli artists Solomon Enos, Lehuauakea, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Pōhaku Kaho`ohanohano, Christopher Kahunahana, Clifford Kapono, Ha`a Keaulana, Ian Kuali`i, Nicole Naone, Rick San Nicolas, Tom Pōhaku Stone, and Cory Kamehanaokalā Taum. He'e Nalu is made possible through the generosity of our sponsors, including Major Supporters Bank of America, Arizona Community Foundation, Hawaiian Airlines, Susan and Appy Chandler and Virginia M. Ullman Foundation; Supporter Matson; Media Sponsor Ocean Paddler Television; Additional Supporters Arizona Commission of the Arts and Arts + Culture City of Phoenix; and Programming Partners Arizona Aloha Festival and Lau Kānaka No Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Civic Club of Arizona).
Media Contact
Sean Ornelas, Heard Museum, 1 602.251.0235, [email protected]
SOURCE Heard Museum
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