Categorized | Volunteering

High Fire Hawaii’s Gallery sale to benefit Humane Society Saturday (Nov 26)

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On Saturday, November 26, 2011, High Fire Hawaii, the art gallery & studio at 114 Kamehameha Avenue on Hilo’s Bayfront, is having a one-day sale on its gallery prints, paintings, jewelry and ceramics, and all sales will benefit the Hawaii Island Humane Society.

Deals include everything from student-created art and ceramic studio seconds – both functional and sculptural items – to gallery prints, paintings and jewelry. There will also be specially created animal- and Christmas-themed items. “We’ll have things like pet bowls for food and water, ceramic Christmas ornaments that are animal-related, like bones, and also Hawaiian-themed ones, like palm trees and pineapples, to hang on the tree,” said gallery co-owner Shannon Hickey.

“We’re hoping we have something to appeal to everybody, so everyone will buy something and the money will go to the Humane Society,” she said. “You’ll be able to get handmade ceramic coffee cups for $2 and up. We want people to come and buy stuff!”

The gallery, which is located at 114 Kamehameha Avenue near Cronies Bar & Grill, will have extended hours that day from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Hickey says she was motivated to do this benefit because of her love for animals. “We adopt most of our animals from the Humane Society, and I’ve always wanted to do something for them,” she said. “Also, my pottery students are really excited about making the items and selling them for a good cause.”

“Every artist in the gallery is giving a percentage of their consignment sales that day toward the Humane Society’s cause, and High Fire Hawaii will also match the percentage,” she said.

Everything for sale in the gallery has been created by a Big Island artist. “We have fine art, cards, hand-made bags, prints and ceramics. We have hand-made jewelry by about five different local artists,” she says, “and one lady features Kahelelani jewelry, which is made with the Ni‘ihau shells, but when they’re found on the shores of Kaua‘i and not Ni‘ihau, they are called ‘Kahelelani.’”

High Fire Hawaii opened in early 2009, first on Haili Street and then relocating to Kamehameha Avenue later that year. The art studio offers a wide selection of art classes and workshops for adults and for children, including pottery, painting, drawing and more.

Hickey, who has an Art degree and specializes in ceramics, says she and her partner Steve Lang originally opened the gallery/studio because there wasn’t really any other place in Hilo to do ceramics. “Other than the Community College, and not everybody wants to enroll in the college to do and learn about ceramics,” she said. “I saw a need and figured we should try to fill it. It seems to be working out great with the community; they can take a one-night workshop, or a longer class, whatever fits their needs.”

Their expansion into other types of art classes has gone well, too. “They keep cutting art more and more in the schools, especially in the public schools,” says Hickey. “A lot of my ceramics students are teenagers. We have adults too, but a lot of teens come through and are really interested. And of course our four-week children’s art classes on Saturday afternoons are a huge hit and fill up fast.”

For class and workshop details, or other information about the November 26 benefit sale, see www.highfirehawaii.com, email highfirehawaii@gmail.com, or call the gallery at 935-8380.

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