Mala’ai Garden “Art & Sol” Benefit Auction Takes Place This Sunday

Extraordinary experiences and rare pleasures will be up for auction this Sunday during Mala’ai School Garden’s Annual Art & Sol celebration to benefit the wellbeing of Waimea’s children and community.

Mala’ai Garden “Art & Sol” Benefit Auction – This Sunday, April 12, 2015

Items For Bid

Exceptional items for bid – both silent and live – during the 12:30-3:00 p.m. Sunday, April 12, “Art & Sol” Benefit in Kahilu Theatre Galleries, include:

1. 90 minutes of Stargazing with PWO Navigator and Captain of the Makali’i voyaging canoe, Chadd Paishon, who has captained several legs of the Hokule’a’s World Wide Voyage, and his wife, Pomai Bertelmann, a Makali’i and Hokule’a crew member, respected teacher, and life-long voyager. The evening will begin with a delicious ‘Ai Pono feast (healthy, locally sourced, and righteous foods), prepared by Mala’ai Garden founder and Program Director, Amanda Rieux, and Board President Matilda Tompson.

2. A contemporary piece of kapa created and printed by Waimea master Roen Hufford, and named “Kapuhealani” – “Forbidden Heavens” – a cherished family name belonging to her sister.

3. A stunning koa table whose top is carved to resemble a large monstera leaf – created by master furniture builder Stan Gollaher of Pa’auilo’s Raiatea Woodworks.

4. An 8’x3.5’ giclee of the shadow cast by Mauna Kea on the distant horizon at sunset, with the rising moon dancing in the foreground, as captured by Canada-France-Hawai’i Telescope astronomers.

5. Gourmet locavore feasts by private chefs with wine pairings.

6. A beautiful, nearly complete set of hand-painted antique white porcelain china decorated with pairs of tiny pink roses and blue flowers and accented with 18K gold trim. Each piece is hand numbered. Stamping on the back of the plates tells us that the porcelain dishes were crafted by Cauldon Ltd. in England, a rival in its day to Tiffany, and then sold by Davis Collamore & Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York City, probably in the early 1900s.

The set has been donated by the James M. Taylor family, for a second time, to benefit the children of Waimea; it was previously gifted by James Taylor – HPA’s Headmaster from 1954 to 1974 – to the very first HPA auction, and purchased in its entirety for $10,000 by a very prominent Waimea matriarch, who subsequently returned the set, demanding her money back because several pieces were missing.

7. Four handsome friends who will come to your house and create a 50-square-foot raised garden bed. Vegetable starts and soil included along with heavy lifting by Charles Oldfather, Joe Gaglione, Luke Simms, and David Knowles.

8. 18-holes of golf at Hualalali Resort’s most exclusive course, with a lunch gift certificate.

9. Two nights at the Mauna Kea, ocean view, plus breakfast and private tour of the Laurance Rockefeller Asian and Pacific art collection.

10. Beautiful baskets of fresh fruit and/or vegetables, tiny speckled quail eggs, hand-made jams and compotes, and other pleasures from Hawai’i island farms and gardens.

11. Gift certificates for restaurants, facials, massages, a Manalulu Farm Tour, and hand-made artisan jewelry and original art including Donna Bathory’s ever popular mini-paintings of laying hens.

Help Support a Great Cause

All proceeds from the auction go towards supporting healthy choices and making life-long learners out of Waimea Middle School’s nearly 300 6th-8th grade students and their extended community. Now celebrating its 10th year on-the-ground at Waimea Middle School, Mala’ai is Hawai’i Island’s model outdoor living classroom, growing real change for Waimea’s children and community.

From the beginning, Mala’ai has been funded almost entirely by generous community friends and foundations as a private not-for-profit partnership with Waimea Middle School. Mala’ai’s program integrates nutrition education and cultural and environmental stewardship with core curriculum and hands-on learning. The program is also reaching outside the garden setting to share integrated lessons with other school garden teachers, and to help provide healthier foods for our community and world-wide voyagers.

All auction items have been donated by Hawai’i Island artists or patrons to support Mala’ai. The gathering also will include delicious Red Water Café farm-and-garden-fresh pupu paired with wine by Alvin Wakayama and a signature lilikoi cocktail. Auctioneer for the event will be Pat Batchelder of Waimea.

Additional Information

Art & Sol tickets are $50 per person and may be purchased via PayPal at Malaai.org. For more information on the exceptional list of auction items offered, go to the above website, or call Executive Director Alethea Lai (989-7861) or email: alethea@malaai.org.

Warm Aloha~
Brooke