Press Info

Press Releases

Thank you for supporting Still Present Pasts and helping us bring this exhibition to Hawaii to raise awareness about Korea, the Korean War, and the long-standing effects of war on communities around the world. The exhibit, Still Present Pasts will start conversations about the experience of war and the possibility of peace.

With your help, we hope to bring Still Present Pasts to over 50,000 people in Hawaii. For each visitor, we hope to unveil Korea’s forgotten war and situate its place in world history. We look forward to working together to initiate broad conversations about the inevitable hardships of war and the path toward peace for all communities around the world. Thank you for your support.

Exhibition Overview

Still Present Pasts will be held at the Bishop Museum from June 25, 2010 through September 26, 2010. The Hawaii showing of Still Present Pasts will include the traveling exhibit as well as a companion exhibit featuring local artists.

The Still Present Pasts traveling exhibit has toured through several major cities in the United States (including New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles) and has shown in Seoul. Still Present Pasts is an interdisciplinary, multi-media exhibit based on oral histories of first and second generation Korean Americans covering their memories and legacies of the Korean War. The exhibit includes oral history excerpts (presented as text, audio and video), original artwork inspired by the oral histories, interactive installations, video art, historical photographs from the Korean War, and didactic panels that provide historical context for the exhibit. More information about the artwork is available at www.stillpresentpasts.org.

Film Event

Finally, Still Present Pasts will also include a film event. We will screen Deann Borshay’s film about Korean Americans’ experience of the Korean War. Following the screening, Ms. Borshay will discuss her film and answer audience questions about the film.

Docent-led Tours

Throughout the event, we will offer docent-led tours. We would like to offer tours in both Korean and English. We would also like to make this a deeply personal experience and hope to offer tours by veterans who will share their personal experiences of war, older Koreans who will share their personal experiences of living through the Korean War, and younger Koreans who will share how the Korean war has affected, and continues to affect, their families.

Companion Exhibit

The Hawaii showing of Still Present Pasts will also include a companion exhibit called IF NOT NOW WHEN featuring the work of local artists exploring the shared histories of all communities experiencing the harms of war. To ensure that the art reflects the theme and quality of Still Present Pasts, the companion exhibit will be a juried show. Local artists who are interested in exhibiting their work will submit their pieces beforehand and our juror, Allison Wong, the Executive Director of The Contemporary Museum, will select those that best reflect the theme. The selected pieces will be displayed at the Bishop Museum alongside the traveling exhibit.

OPENING RECEPTION – June 25, 2010 - FREE!

To mark the opening of Still Present Pasts, we will hold two separate events with two different target audiences. The first is the official Opening Reception and Panel and Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War. This event will take place on the evening of June 25, 2010 (Friday) at the Bishop Museum. The event is FREE and open to the public. We specifically hope to attract media, dignitaries, and Korean and art enthusiast community members. The event will include a reception, cultural presentations (Korean dancing and drumming), a panel discussion about remembering the Korean War, and docent-led tours of the exhibit.

IF NOT NOW WHEN ART & MUSIC FESTIVAL – June 26, 2010 - FREE!

The second event is a youth oriented event targeted at engaging young people in cultural events and discussions about war and its affect on our communities. We also want to educate our youth about the Korean War, so that it is no longer remains the “forgotten war.” This event will take place on the evening of Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Bishop Museum. The event will feature both educational and entertainment components including Slam Poetry and live performances by local talent. We'll be featuring popular Korean American hip hop artists.

To ensure that the youth attendees actively engage with the exhibition, all attendees are invited to participate in a digital art contest. The participants will first view the exhibit and then use any form of digital media to produce an artistic reaction to the exhibit. Our juror, internationally recognized local artist John Koga, will then select the winners from a number of categories (high school, adult, etc.).

IF NOT NOW WHEN
ART & MUSIC FESTIVAL For Peace and Justice

FREE ADMISSION AND ALL AGES ARE WELCOME!
Bring your family, bring a beach blanket and chairs for an evening of art, music and fun!

530PM - 930PM at The Bishop Museum
Enjoy food and music and the opening of the SPP Exhibit!

Music by:

PAULA FUGA
KINGS OF SPADE
LINUS

DJ ESKAE
DJ CAPECOD

KAVET THE CATALYST
& NOMASTERBACKS
YOUTH SPEAKS HAWAII

Korean American Hip Hop Artists:
DENIZEN KANE
SKIM