Honolulu, HI: For decades, Hawai’i has been represented—and has presented itself—as the idyllic tropical paradise. This image manifests in every form of popular media and tchotchke conceivable. From Hollywood films, to glossy travel brochures, whale and dolphin murals, postcards, popular music, and even on the box-covers of its famous chocolate-covered macadamia nuts—Hawai’i is portrayed as the perfect picture of aloha. This is the Hawai’i in the public’s mind-eye. This is the Hawai’i that we are all trained to imagine.

But for kama’aina, and those who have visited this island chain, it is clear that Hawai’i is much more than sunsets, surf and picturesque scenery. There are places, for instance, that are one part nature to twenty parts other-than-nature (see: military bases, conglomerate hotel sites, H-1 freeway anytime of day). And there are certain areas, still, that are the quintessential picture of city life (see: Chinatown, downtown Honolulu, streets of Waikiki). It is this aspect of Hawai’i, the urban, or the “metro,” that the MetroHAWAI’I project seeks to showcase.

MetroHAWAI’I: Gridlock and Other Local Traditions is a groundbreaking project, which consists of a visual art exhibition, mural, and youth arts education program. MetroHAWAI’I seeks to utilize these mechanisms to explore issues of urbanness throughout the Aloha State, with particular focus on the city of Honolulu. In the spirit of community collaboration, this project will work with one community-based organization, three local businesses, three Honolulu professionals, and approximately twenty visual artists—all who currently reside in Hawai’i—offering diverging views on the Hawaiian urban eco-system. In an effort to expand the ways in which the concept of “metro” is explored, the project will also present a companion website to include artist interviews and related writings filtered through the eyes of a visual critic.

An integral part of the MetroHAWAI’I project is the youth arts education program. Hawai’i is a unique example of ecological, social, political, and cultural development. These issues are ultimately tied to how the resources of space and energy are used. Though traffic management is often thrust to the foreground, problems related to water, land, and power lurk in the background. Beyond gridlock, the youth of Hawai’i are set to inherit significant challenges that tie these islands to the rest of the world in strategic, ecological, economic, and human migratory terms. The MetroHAWAI’I project does not seek to solve any of these problems, but intends to put youth in a position to understand and comment on them, using their cultural expressions and desktop netmedia.