Youth Art Contest Celebrating ‘Ulu

[go here for Adult Art Contest]

Background

The beautiful ‘ulu tree once played a major role in the spiritual and cultural life of Hawaiians and it was a key staple food and a source of wood, craft materials and medicine. ‘Ulu is easily grown and Hawaiians had large field systems that integrated ‘ulu with other crops including kalo (taro), ‘uala (sweet potato), mai‘a (banana), kō (sugarcane) and other important crops. In a mauka region of Kona there was a band of ‘ulu trees ½ mile wide and 18 miles long called the kalū ‘ulu that produced as much as 36,000 tons of ‘ulu fruit per year. Other important ‘ulu groves were located in North Kohala, Hilo, and Puna. ‘Ulu is also nutritionally and culturally important throughout the Pacific (including for the thousands of non-Hawaiian Pacific islanders who make Hawai‘i their home). Modern nutritional analysis shows ‘ulu to be a highly nutritious food that can be prepared in a variety of ways compatible with both traditional and modern tastes.

For hundreds of years before Western contact, traditional Hawaiian breadfruit groves were capable of providing the food value to sustain tens of thousand of people. Today, few of these trees remain. Today, Hawai'i imports about 90% of its food, making it one of the most food insecure states in the nation. Additionally, since the economic downturn of 2008, many families in Hawai‘i lack access to affordable and nutritious food. The Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu  project believes that breadfruit is a key to solving Hawaii's food security problems.

Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu is a project to revitalize 'ulu (breadfruit) as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food which addresses Hawai‘i’s food security issues. Ho'oulu ka 'Ulu is a project of the Hawaii Homegrown Food Network and the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Download background pdf file: Linking the Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu—Revitalizing Breadfruit Youth Art Contest to Hawai‘i Content Standards

Breadfruit Festival and Youth Art Contest

Hawai‘i Homegrown Food Network, the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, are presenting the Breadfruit Festival—Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu  at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in South Kona on Saturday, September 24, 2011 from 9:00 am–3:00 pm. The Garden will also be holding a dedication for its new visitor center at 12:00 noon on the Festival day.

The Breadfruit Festival celebrates the rich culture of breadfruit (‘ulu) in Hawai‘i and the Pacific, raises awareness about the importance of breadfruit for food security and teaches about the many delicious ways to prepare breadfruit.

The Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu – Revitalizing Breadfruit in Hawai‘i Youth Art Contest is a part of the educational outreach associated with the festival, celebrating the beauty of the tree and fruit as well as the rich cultural heritage and future role of ‘ulu in Hawai‘i.

The artwork of the 12 Youth Art Contest winners (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in each age group) will be displayed at the Breadfruit Festival on September 24, 2011 at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. Directions to Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, the festival location.

Eligibility and Submittal

The contest is open to all youth artists in Grades 1–12. Entrants must be a full-time residents of Hawai‘i County and must be affiliated with a school, home school group or organization to enter, as the school/organization needs to pre-judge the entries for submission.

Role of School/Organization in Submittal

• School or organization must solicit student entries and choose the first place winner in each division (semi-finalists) for submittal into the island-wide contest. Each school will be able to submit a maximum of four works of art (one for each division.) The divisions are as follows:
• Grades 1–3
• Grades 4–6
• Grades 7–9
• Grade 10–12

Prizes

1^st place

Dolphin Quest Gift Certificate Encounter Program for two ($410 value)

2nd place

2 persons Hawaii Forest and Trail- Kohala Zipline’s Kohala Canopy Adventure ($300 value)

Honorable mentions

FishPipe Hawaii at Coconut Grove

Submission instructions

Semi-finalist submissions from schools must be dropped off at the Donkey Mill Art Center (78-6670 Mamalahoa Hwy, Holualoa, HI 96725, Phone 322-3362) or mailed by Thursday, September 15, 2011, between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place prize winners will be selected in each division and the winning art will be displayed at the Breadfruit Festival on September 24, 2011 the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. Non-winning submissions must be picked up from the Donkey Mill Art Center between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm on Monday, September 19, 2011. Artwork not picked up by this time will be regretfully put into the recycling pile!

Submission Form

All artwork must have the Submission Form taped to the back of the piece. Any work submitted without the form attached to the back will not be accepted. Download the Submission Form for printing here.

Download the Submission Form

Media

• Art piece must be original work by artist--no prints or giclee.
• Any 2D media, no crayons please!
• Maximum size of 12” x 18”.
• Not mounted or matted.
• Submission Form must be taped to the back of the artwork.

Subject

The main subject of the artwork must be ‘ulu (breadfruit) in Hawai‘i. Some possible educational themes and focus for the artwork are as follows:

• Tree, fruit and/or leaf.
• The kalū ‘ulu—past, present or future (In a mauka region of Kona there was a band of ‘ulu trees ½ mile wide and 18 miles long called the kalu ‘ulu that produced as much as 36,000 tons of ‘ulu fruit per year)
• ‘Ulu in Hawaiian culture: Hawaiian mythology, ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, traditional uses of ‘ulu (see link below)

Resources and Inspiration

• The most comprehensive source of information on breadfruit is the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (breadfruit.org).
• The Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu website has information about the Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu project in Hawai‘i (breadfruit.info).
• Hawaiian Mythology and ‘Ōlelo No‘eau—cultural information compiled by Kumu Ryan McCormack of Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School.

Contest Organizers

Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network
Donkey Mill Art Center
Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden

Download the Submission Form

Contest Sponsors

"Breadfruit—Traditional Roots and Modern Fruits" online campaign supporters

Christina Neumann, Ed Pollock, Peter Simmons, Russell Ruderman, Cindy Walsh, Jim Channon, Richard Rocker, Kaleopono Norris, Rebecca Parks, Paul Massey, Robert Osgood, Marc Kinoshita, David Sokol, Kjfrost, Angela, Priscilla Studholme, Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond, Hap Tallman, Aloha And Mark McGuffie, Kim Hoffman, Annette R. Hall, Caren Loebel-Fried, Karen Rosen, Michael C Whelan, Diane Ragone, Christopher McCullough, Ann Kobsa, Michael Kramer, Clyde Kidani, Louise LeBrun, Ngaire Gilmour, Mariposa Blanco, Sophia Bowart, Jim Wiseman, Jill Kuykendall, Caroline A, Brian Baker, Nita Ragone, Kohala Real Estate & 2nd Home Services, Bernard Vermeulen, Ian Cole, Lynn Beittel, Melora Purell, Shellee Machado, Neal Izumi, Diane Ley, LeAna B Gloor, Natalie Neal, Eve Emshwiller, Laura Davis, Caroline, Forrest Arnold, Magdalene McCann, Michael Swanander, Phaethon, Elyse Kirmaci, Bruce Shenitz, Sonia, Kim Bridges, Tyler Norris, Billie Dawson, 'Apono Hawai'i, Candice, John Antonelli, Christy Martin, Joao Kopytowski Filho, Olelo Pa'a Faith Ogawa, Hawai'i Island School Garden Network, Dennis, HAOsekeeping Inc., Puakoa Taga, J. B. Friday, Ismail Kirmaci, Kirk Eubank, Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden