ARTIST COLLECTIVE
Various projects & collaborative experiences throughout the residency
Our collective combines artists of Hawai'i, Jamaica and Japan here on Turtle Island still voyaging as the ancient Hawaiians and Polynesians did to share their culturally rooted art practices with the greater world.
Matthew H. James is a contemporary artist raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, based in NYC. He earned a Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute. James builds rich visual conversations by forcing modern materials to coexist with classical techniques. Tactile, unpredictable compositions that invite viewers to peel back layers—of paint, texture, and meaning.
Paula Walters Parker is originally from Kingston, Jamaica, is now based in Brooklyn. Parker studied art in London and New York City. She holds a Masters in Creative Art Therapy, from Pratt Institute, a Bachelors of Fine arts from Parsons, The New School For Social Research among other certifications for teaching. Drawing on familial stories, rhythms, and experiences, her work is a celebration of resilience, curiosity, and connection. Her juxtaposition of enticing textures, bold colors, generous strokes transforms the quotidian foraged materials she employs in her work. Parker allows her art to unfold as a playful dialogue, exploring the interactions between each element as they reveal surprises.
Claire Unabia interweaves the languages of art, film, performance and fashion to explore identity and memory. Born and raised on the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawai’i, her island home is now Lenapehoking, Brooklyn NYC for over 20 years. As a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University with degrees in film and psychology, she has put on art shows all around the world and worked on numerous television shows and films.
Linda Kuo is the Co-Founder and Director of Dancers Unlimited. Born in Taiwan and raised in O`ahu, Linda’s artistry is shaped by cultural diversity and the vibrant arts scene in Hawai’i, and her journeys across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. She believes dance is woven into cultural identity and resilience, and her choreography addresses social and cultural issues by blending different dance styles and voices through a community-centered creative process. She is a versatile dancer trained in Hula, Ballet, Modern, House, Hip Hop, Voguing, Waacking, Hustle, Capoeira and Orisha dances. Linda holds a MFA in Dance from Bennington College, B.A in Communications and Economics from Boston College, and a certificate in Nonprofit Arts Management from New York University.She is currently a haumana (student) at Ka Pā Hula O La`akea and studies pre-contact Hawaiian instrument making with Uncle Calvin Hoe.