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jean-emmanuel frantz
Tome, Scott T (Consultant); Lum, Jamie K; mapuana.festpac.hawaii2020@gmail.com; Senator J. Kalani English;
Tiu, Timothy TH[EXTERNAL] Festival of Pacific Art : Symposium of architecture
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 4:16:08 PM
Hawaii Festpac Committee March 2021.docx​Dear Festival Committee,

Mahalo nui to All of You to get this open window on Festival organization.
Please, take a look on this free contribution about Festpac.
Best regards from South Seas, New Caledonia-Nouméa

PASIFIKA URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL LANDSCAPING SYMPOSIUM
2024, Hawaii

Jean-Marie Tjibaou: “Celebrating our heritage and looking forward to the
future is all very well, but we must also ponder over the use we make of[1]
our heritage in the planning of our towns and villages .”Jean-Marie Tjibaou: “We must also turn to Pacific heritage for inspiration[2]
when designing projects to improve our environment and our cities .”The architects, urbanists, landscapers from Oceania (Melanesia,
Micronesia, Polynesia) had never the opportunity to meet each other. The
urban professions need it to help to create a rich a varied designcommunity. The festival of Pacific Arts in Hawaii could be an opportunity
to start building a sense of Oceanian architecture community and tell tothe politicians why architecture matters in the evolution of our islands,
cities and communities. Architecture matters because it affects everyone.
The architects of the region need a symposium to share problems
and solutions to give Pacific the best possible buildings in which to live
their lives.

There are no any Pacific Architecture Association, no any PacificArchitecture Network. The festival could be a first step to imagine it. The
festival could be a response to Melanesian, Micronesian, Polynesianarchitects wanting better connections between the region and the urban
professionals. The festival could create opportunities that allow Pacificarchitects through practical contact to share some common interests. The
Festival will be an opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen physicalplanning and planning guidelines, urban design in Pacific countries andSmall Island Developing States.
Architects are also artists. They have all their place during a Festival
dedicated to Arts and Cultures. The Festival will be an opportunity for eachcountry to share experience.

In 2024, in Hawaii, the Festival of Pacific Arts will happen. May be
Manoa University Architecture Department could imagine the event ?

[1]

Council of Pacific Arts, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Caledonie, 15-17 septembre
1982
[2]

Council of Pacific Arts, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Caledonie, 22-24 avril 1983

PASIFIKA URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL LANDSCAPING SYMPOSIUM
2024, Hawaii

Jean-Marie Tjibaou: “Celebrating our heritage and looking forward to the future is all very well, but wemust also ponder over the use we make of our heritage in the planning of our towns and villages1.”

Jean-Marie Tjibaou: “We must also turn to Pacific heritage for inspiration when designing projects toimprove our environment and our cities2.”

The architects, urbanists, landscapers from Oceania (Melanesia, Micronesia,
Polynesia) had never the opportunity to meet each other. The urban professions need it
to help to create a rich a varied design community. The festival of Pacific Arts in Hawaii
could be an opportunity to start building a sense of Oceanian architecture community
and tell to the politicians why architecture matters in the evolution of our islands, cities
and communities. Architecture matters because it affects everyone.

The architects of the region need a symposium to share problems and solutions
to give Pacific the best possible buildings in which to live their lives.

There are no any Pacific Architecture Association, no any Pacific Architecture
Network. The festival could be a first step to imagine it. The festival could be a response
to Melanesian, Micronesian, Polynesian architects wanting better connections between
the region and the urban professionals. The festival could create opportunities thatallow Pacific architects through practical contact to share some common interests. The
Festival will be an opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen physical planning andplanning guidelines, urban design in Pacific countries and Small Island Developing
States.

Architects are also artists. They have all their place during a Festival dedicated toArts and Cultures. The Festival will be an opportunity for each country to shareexperience.

In 2024, in Hawaii, the Festival of Pacific Arts will happen. May be Manoa
University Architecture Department could imagine the event ?

1 Council of Pacific Arts, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Caledonie, 15-17 septembre 1982
2 Council of Pacific Arts, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Caledonie, 22-24 avril 1983

MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGMONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 AT 2:30 PM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE
Commission Members Present were:
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā, Chair
Snowbird Bento-

Guests:Staff:

Māpuana de Silva
Jamie Lum-

Monte McComber
Richard Onishi-

Makanani Salā-

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) Designee
Community Member At-Large(Arrived: 2:38 p.m.)
Community Member At-Large
Department of Business, Economic Development
and Tourism (DBEDT)
Governor’s Designee
House Speaker’s Designee (Arrived: 2:39 p.m./
Departed: 4:24 p.m.)City and County of Honolulu Designee

Jacob Aki
Kieleku Amundson
Jackie Lynne Burke
Maka Casson-Fisher
Hailama Farden
Jean-Emmanuel Frantz
Ilihia Gionson
Dede Howa
Terence Liu
June Matsumoto
Aaron Salā
Malia Sanders
Caroline Yacoe-

Director of Communications – State Senate
Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts
Public Member
Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA)
Public Member
Public Member
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA)
Public Member
Public Member
University of Hawaiʻi/Royal Hawaiian Center
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Public Member

Margaret Ahn
Marlene Hiraoka
Timothy Tiu
Scott Tome-

Deputy Attorney General
DBEDT
DBEDT
DBEDT

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 2 of 10

Apologies:
Jarrett Keohokālole
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu-

Senate President’s Designee
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Designee

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Ka‘anā‘anā at 2:34 p.m., who welcomed everyonepresent via ZOOM and Facebook Live.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā called upon Mr. Monte McComber to do the wehena (opening).
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā officially extended his farewell and aloha to Mr. McComber who will beleaving the Commission as of April 1, 2021. Chair opened the floor to others to share theirmanaʻo.
Ms. de Silva expressed that, as she said during the last Commission meeting, she will miss Mr.
McComber, however, looks forward to continuing to interact with him. She will continue to callupon him and engage with him so that he continues to be a part of the planning.
Ms. Salā also thanked Mr. McComber and expressed that she is excited that he will still be
involved with the Festival.
Ms. Burke sent best of luck wishes to Mr. McComber and mentioned that she has been with him
since joining the Commission meetings and expressed her mahalo.
Ms. Lum and Rep. Onishi also expressed their thanks and appreciation to Mr. McComber.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited members of the public to testify on the agenda items.
Ms. Burke asked a question about the Request for Proposal (RFP) and whether she would be able
to submit again under another sponsorship title. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā explained that he wasinterested in determining how Commissioners intended to move forward regarding fundraising
matters. He stated that today’s meeting will be to consider the process of fundraising and not forany decision-making. Once the Commission determines the process, the submission process will
be made public.
APPROVAL OF MARCH 8, 2021 MEETING MINUTES
The minutes were distributed and reviewed by Commissioners. A motion was made to adopt theminutes unamended by Mr. McComber and seconded by Ms. de Silva.
A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners approving the motion toapprove the minutes: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Bento, Rep. Onishi, Ms. Lum, Mr.
McComber, Ms. Salā.
Motion was unanimously approved.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 3 of 10

LEGISLATION
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā provided an update on Senate Bill 696 which will be heard in the House ofRepresentatives on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. He confirmed that the Commission submitted
testimony in support of the measure. He believes that the Commission is transparent by having
meetings accessible by Zoom and Facebook Live and allows public testimony at the beginning of
the agenda and also at the closing of the meeting. The Commission will need to revisit thesematters as 2024 approaches.
Ms. Ahn asked whether the testimony included the amendment that the Office of Information
Practices (OIP) made previously, but was not adopted by the Senate Committee before crossing
over to the House. Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā expressed that, at the moment, the Commission needs a billto continue to proceed with early-stage planning and he did not include suggestions by OIP in his
testimony.
Ms. Bento asked for clarification regarding meetings involving sub-committees. Chair
Ka‘anā‘anā stated that the sub-committees can meet freely with members of the community;
however, if a Commissioner is in attendance at a meeting, the discussion will be need be sharedwith Commissioners at Commission meetings.
RECAP FESTIVAL PLANNING EFFORTS TO DATE
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā shared that he originally envisioned quarterly meetings be scheduled to update
leadership (Commissioners’ bosses) if needed. He received advice that it would not be necessary
at this time. If any Commissioner is seeking a slide deck or other support in order to report backto their respective leaders, that can be arranged.

Mr. McComber commented that the last update was during November 2020 when the program,description and dates were presented although even at that time, it was noted as tentative. He
thinks it is important to keep leadership informed and updated.
Ms. Lum stated, on DBEDT’s behalf, that the Director is kept up to date regarding FestPAC so aslide deck would not be necessary. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā expressed that he has been doing the samewith Mr. De Fries and HTA’s leadership.
Ms. Salā indicated that she would appreciate receiving a write-up about FestPAC since she andthe City Administration are new. The materials would be helpful in briefing the Mayor and his
Cabinet.
Mr. Aki asked a question about whether a presentation should be made to Mayor Blangiardi and
his Cabinet similar to what was done for former Mayor Caldwell. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā agreed with
Mr. Aki’s suggestion. Mr. Aki indicated that he would be willing to assist in developing acommunication piece for Commissioners to use for this purpose.
WORKING SESSION TO FINALIZE AND UPDATE FESTIVAL PROGRAM MATRIXAND DESCRIPTIONS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā stated that he would like to complete this item on the agenda so that planning
can move on.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 4 of 10

Chair Ka‘anā‘anā requested Mr. Gionson to share the program that has been developed to date.
Chair reminded all that during the last meeting Commissioners decided to include hulu
(featherwork) and pūpū (shell arts) to the matrix that Ms. Bento developed. Ms. Bento expressedthat she read through the last meeting minutes and the venue sheets, but did not want to get into
the semantics of the write-up. She did have some questions and suggested that the Commission
begin by stating changes which she could update on her document as the meeting discussion
continues.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā suggested that the discussion begin at the top from Performing Arts, i.e. “bigumbrella sections”. The Commissioners discussed traditional versus contemporary performing
arts. Ms. Bento reminded members that the original intent of the Festival was to focus on
traditional forms of art; however, a decision needed to be made to determine whether there
would be delineations between traditional and contemporary or, for example, offering both in allareas.
At this point of the discussion Chair Ka‘anā‘anā requested that Mr. McComber continue
facilitating the discussion.
Ms. de Silva indicated that under Oral Traditions, Drama and Theater are contemporary. She is
not sure if Jam Sessions should be included and that the Commission needed to decide what a
Jam Session would look like. There would need to be a description of the session or kept as an“open mic.”
Ms. Bento commented that she understood Ms. de Silva’s feelings. Many contemporary groups
like Sudden Rush, as an example, are only able to succeed because they started with ʻŌlelo.
Hawaiian music, Jawaiian and reggae, etc. all have roots in ʻŌlelo. She would like
contemporary to be tied with traditional presentations in some way.
Ms. de Silva expressed that she would love to include a stage performance but not an open mic
session. She is fearful that these sessions will turn into parties where other issues such as
alcohol, etc. will need to be dealt with. She believes that because of the environment in Hawaii,
there is potential for these sessions to get out of hand. Once the Jam Session is included as partof the program, it cannot be eliminated. She would prefer having a stage for Contemporary
Music. This type of music needs to have a place since it was grown out of Hawaiian and ʻŌlelo
and influenced by Bob Marley, etc.
Ms. Bento agreed with Ms. de Silva’s comments. She would not be opposed to cutting the Jam
Session and identify a way/place for people to share music perhaps in a kanikapila way. It will
happen naturally and organically.
Mr. McComber also agreed with the comments made. Everyone will be gathered, andperformances will be done extemporaneously and naturally. In addition, there will be othergroups that will be planning events that might be held concurrently during the Festival dates.
Some of these presentations could possibly be incorporated with other groups focusing on genre
as well.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 5 of 10

Ms. Salā mentioned that she and her staff discussed art as social justice and resistance as a
missing category. They believed that art was a place to practice social justice and not just within
the performing arts.
Ms. de Silva acknowledged the above comments and felt that it will happen especially within thecontemporary arts; however, the discussion underway is to consider overall highlighted
categories. Within contemporary visual arts, social justice, theatre, drama, etc. will definitely be
included and also will happen on its own. Ms. Salā agreed and asked whether the Commission
would be leaving it up to the delegations to decide what is contemporary and what is traditionalarts for their presentations. Ms. de Silva stated that the descriptions Hawai‘i provides will allow
the delegations to make those determinations.
The Commissioners discussed hōʻikeike (cultural sharing) versus choir. It was mentioned thatpeople in the Pacific sing and not necessarily because they are in a choir. A question was madeas to whether there would be a need or space for choirs. Ms. Bento used the example of a kapa
haka group from Aotearoa who could possibly sing in a fashion show although that group is notconsidered a choir.
Ms. de Silva shared that she has some ideas and agreed with Ms. Bento. Choral singing has notbeen a part of the last five Festivals and felt it did not need to be in a separate category. Choral
singing will be included in the ecumenical service. Because of COVID-19, the Commission
should assist countries in bringing the most important people to participate in the Festival
without challenging them to bring large numbers of individuals based upon the categories.
Ms. de Silva offered comments that Hawai‘i is different because we do not sing in the same way
as a choir unless it is in church, however, other countries do. There could still be opportunities
for them to sing but creating a new category is not necessary. The Commission could decide thatit be included in the contemporary music category and allow choral singing to be presented there.
We will not be asking countries to bring a choir to the Festival. One suggestion was to allow
every country to be able to sing during the ecumenical service. Choral groups from Hawaiʻi
could be a part of it without putting it into categories like we are with the delegations.
Ms. Bento does not mind if choirs are eliminated. There are Samoan, Tongan and other PacificIslanders living in Hawai‘i who need to be reached out to. They do not need to be in thedelegation count for housing and transportation; however, they could be included in other ways
so as not to leave these local groups out.
Ms. de Silva stated that a good way for the Hawai‘i groups to be involved is to allow them timeon stage. However, careful consideration needs to be made to give country delegations the honorof representing their countries. In that sense, perhaps we could allow only country delegations toperform on the main stage. We would not want to put Pacific Islanders who live here against
those who will be part of official delegations from their respective countries.
Ms. Bento suggested that instead of cutting choral singing or any other categories during today’s
meeting, the subcommittee should meet and discuss these details and present recommendations

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 6 of 10

to the Commission for official voting. Although there is time to go through that process, theChair expressed that his original goal was to finalize the program today.

Mr. McComber noted that originally, choirs were added for a choral festival at KawaiahaʻoChurch. However, he agreed that to remove it from discussion for now in an effort to move
forward is understandable.
Ms. de Silva indicated that choral singing should be removed from the main matrix and that thesubcommittee can determine which category it could fit into. Ms. Bento feels that choral singing
is ingrained in cultural aspects whether it is considered traditional or not. She agreed that it canbe further discussed in order to be inclusive in allowing groups to sing in that way. Ms. de Silva
suggested placing choral singing into hōʻikeʻike where delegations can perform; however, it
would not be necessary to create a separate category. Ms. Bento agreed. She also expressed that
she would like to create a space to invite groups to perform in a subcategory.
Ms. de Silva stated that she does not want social justice resistance in a category. She does notbelieve this Festival is where it is to be featured. If it emerges, that is fine; however, we do notneed to invite this as a category of the Festival. Ms. Bento suggested that it be included in apanel discussion or symposium, etc. and that it does not need to be called out. Someone shouldmake a list of these side conversations that we would like to include for appropriate follow-up.
Mr. McComber commented that regarding dance, some groups will say that it is bothcontemporary and traditional. Ms. de Silva shared that there is hula kahiko (ancient hula),contemporary kahiko and more contemporary hula which would be ʻauana (modern hula). She
further stated that we would want groups to perform their pre-1900’s mele (songs) under
traditional and post 1900’s mele as contemporary expression. Hula from pre-contact from the1800’s would be considered traditional hula. Mr. McComber asked whether those details should
be included in the description and Ms. de Silva replied that it would be good to include in orderfor countries to determine where their dance methods fit in.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā thanked Mr. McComber for temporarily facilitating the discussion. Chair
commented that we would not want to give delegations a Merrie Monarch book of rules but need
to be as descriptive as possible in order for delegations to have an understanding about
categories. It would not be practical to set timelines and dates because it will be interpreted
differently by the delegations. Ms. de Silva agreed. There needs to be more explanation
included in the contemporary description because of more western influences. Ms. de Silva
recalled that during the past five Festivals, definitions used were traditional and contemporary.
She mentioned that in American Samoa, the Hawai‘i dancers went on stage to dance hula kahiko;
however, the group before them performed Bob Marley. Because it was not within the same
category, Hawai‘i did not participate. We need to prevent this type of situation from happening
during the Hawai‘i FestPAC.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā stressed that the Commission continue with these discussions and emphasizedthat constant communication with heads of delegation must be made. There should be frequentmeetings held ahead of the Festival. He appreciates the discussion and comments being made at
this meeting.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 7 of 10

No suggested changes for Media Arts, Mixed Media, Published and Academic Works, Film,
Photography, Visual Arts.
For Living Arts, Carving, Kapa (bark cloth making), Hulu, Pūpū (Ms. Bento indicated that she
would work on definitions), Tattooing and body ornamentation, Weaving, and Voyaging, noother comments were made.
Regarding Food Traditions, Chair Ka‘anā‘anā stated that the subcommittees can get into moredetailed descriptions. For the Commission’s purposes, he wanted to give it a structure/umbrella
for this discussion.
Food Security and Food Sovereignty. Chair suggested including this as a seminar. These will
be subsections of Food Traditions.
Ms. Bento expressed that she appreciates ceremonial things and would be interested in seeing
how this could be incorporated. Ms. de Silva asked if it is in the preparation and whether it
would be considered okay without a ceremony – looking at food source such as lāʻau lapaʻau(medicine and healing) as an example.
For Healing Arts, Wellness, Hoʻoponopono (conflict resolution), Lāʻau lapaʻau, Lomi (massage),no other comments were made.
Mr. Aki commented that Lua (hand to hand combat) is a traditional art and suggested that it begiven a bigger category.
ForʻOhana (family relationships), ʻŌpio (children/juvenille), Makua (parental), Kūpuna (elders),
Māhū (LGBTIQA+), no other comments were mentioned.
Opening – Ms. de Silva asked about a waʻa (canoe) ceremony. Ms. Bento commented that asstated previously, the Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia voyaging canoes will likely be on a voyage
through 2025. She mentioned that it would be the 50th anniversary of Hōkūleʻa launching out ofMaui. It was previously mentioned that we have an opportunity to engage ʻohana waʻa (former
and present voyagers) to be a part of the waʻa arrival ceremony.
Ms. de Silva commented that for waʻa ceremonies at most Festivals, it would be a six-man waʻaand not the double haul or voyaging canoes. It would be the Outrigger type of canoe that arrived
with heads of delegation or heads of state. It represented the official arrival of delegations. We
could use canoe clubs – it could be 20, 200, etc. or smaller voyaging canoes. It would be
important to consider the financial aspects and feel of the event during decision-making. Chair
Ka‘anā‘anā stated that he feels that a waʻa ceremony should be held.
Closing – No comments made.
Fashion/Wearable Arts Show (Ms. de Silva indicated that this event were usually part of visualarts in past Festivals.)Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 8 of 10

Chair Ka‘anā‘anā expressed that he would like to extend trust to Commissioners andpractitioners. He suggested that members adopt the matrix so that we can move forward in
identifying subcommittees.
A motion to approve was made by Mr. McComber and seconded by Ms. Bento.
A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners approving the motion to adopt
the Program Matrix: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Bento, Rep. Onishi, Ms. Lum, Mr.
McComber. With one kānalua (abstained) as Ms. Salā was temporarily off-screen andunavailable to verbally state her vote.
Motion was approved by a majority of the commissioners.
Chair assured Commissioners that the dialogue will continue and that he was excited aboutbuilding out subcommittees. Commissioners will have more opportunity to comment further as
subcommittees meet and decide on descriptions and other program details.
WORKING SESSION TO FINALIZE FESTIVAL VENUE TEMPLATEThe Venue Template was shared with Commissioners. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā noted that he madesome edits that were incorporated and distributed to Commissioners prior to the meeting. For
example, he used “ADA Compliant” which is a standard term used if the Commission considers
seeking federal funding support.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā asked staff to distribute the template to Commissioners. He commented thatvenues will be asked to complete the form which will assist the Commission in decision-making.
WORKING SESSION TO FINALIZE THE KULEANA (COMMISSIONERS’RESPONSIBILITIES) MATRIXChair Ka‘anā‘anā asked if any updates were needed. Ms. de Silva requested that thematrix be distributed to Commissioners.
DISCUSSION OF SPONSORSHIP STRATEGY
Related to fundraising for the Festival, Chair Ka‘anā‘anā would like the Commission to develop
a recommendation for the process. It was previously difficult to formalize, however, since thereis time to engage in this process, he suggested that a RFP be issued for sponsorship development
services. The idea would be to solicit an individual to seek donations on the Commission’sbehalf, including writing grant proposals.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā requested feedback from Commissioners. Mr. McComber commented that it
would be worth issuing an RFP for this purpose where the vendor selected would obtain apercentage of the donations secured. He also mentioned that the Chambers of Commerce in eachcounty should be contacted so that business organizations within the community will be prepared
for the Festival in order to create a nice experience for visitors/attendees. Chair explained that
there are currently no funds available, so this is a way to secure funds by authorizing the vendor
to accept a percentage of donations secured.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 9 of 10

Rep. Onishi expressed his concerns. When raising funds, there needs to be transparency in
informing donors that a percentage of funds would be given as fees to the individual/businesssoliciting funds for FestPAC. Some donors may feel uncomfortable with this process. It wassuggested that it could be a fixed fee and part of the overall budget.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā stated that because of those considerations, this discussion is important. The
Commission is limited, at the moment, because there are no funds allocated to the Festival. He is
open to considering many creative options to address this need.
Mr. McComber offered to provide some assistance with writing. Rep. Onishi suggested that theCommission consider partnering with the Hawaii Community Foundation and utilize theirresources, expertise and willingness to consider donating to this cause.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā suggested that the Commission create a portfolio including grant opportunities,
assignments, and a process to track these efforts. Rep. Onishi expressed that the Commission
needs to be clear in what it is asking this individual/business to do and what expectations areincluding how the individual would be compensated.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā suggested that rather than issuing a RFP, the Commission could consider
issuing a RFI. With this option, the Commission would request for informational proposals
which would be evaluated by Commissioners. The RFI would be a good process in that it would
educate the Commission about the fundraising process. Following the RFI, the Commission
could then issue a RFQ and award the contract to a business. The process of a RFP is not
feasible since there are no funds available at the moment.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā indicated that he will have a discussion with DBEDT to determine how a RFI
could be developed and will report back to the Commission.
DISCUSSION OF INTER-GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT FOR THE FESTIVAL
PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION
Regarding inter-governmental support Chair Ka‘anā‘anā reminded the Commission that in othercountries, the Festival is a national effort. This Hawaiʻi Festival, thus far, has become theresponsibility of the Commission as being the one that is shouldering the planning andimplementation of the Festival. Chair asked whether the Commission could seek assistance fromother departments such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) and the Office of EnterpriseTechnology Services (ETS) to assist with the project. ETS could assist on technical matters suchas by developing a platform to collect information digitally, create digital forms for the heads ofdelegation to use and consider developing an intranet site. He believes that the Festival is a great
opportunity to engage people with culture and the role of government.
Mr. McComber suggested that in addition to State departments, the Commission should also
consider involving the UH system. UH could assist as an ambassador and develop volunteer
programs, etc. There are some universities such as HPU that offer degrees in event planning. It
was also mentioned that leveraging personnel from county Mayors’ offices would be helpful,too.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 22, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 10 of 10

Rep. Onishi explained the difference between inter- and intra-governmental support. Intragovernmental support is within State government. Inter-governmental support would include
counties and congressional support, too. He believes that the Festival should be a U.S.sponsored event and offered assistance, together with Sen. Keohokālole, to reach out to
Hawaiʻi’s Congressional Delegation for funding support through the National Endowment of theArts or as a direct appropriation.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā thanked Rep. Onishi for his assistance and requested the he and Sen.
Keohokālole take the lead on reaching out to the Congressional Delegation regarding this matter.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā continued on with a suggestion that a needs list should be developed so thatthe counties and Congressional Delegation have an understanding of what the Commission
requires. Ms. Salā indicated that a list, as the Chair is suggested, would be helpful during
briefings with the Mayor as well help to determine how others can get involved and provide
assistance. Chair requested Commissioners to identify areas of support that are needed.
Ms. Bento asked if there are any grant opportunities currently available since the Festival isrelated to culture, the arts and education.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā asked if the Commission should request for a presentation from Kaʻānaniʻauregarding the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) and funds availability. If anyone sees
other opportunities that are available, the application process can be reviewed at that time.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited the public to offer comments. Hearing none, he continued with theAgenda.
NEXT MEETING
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā confirmed that the next meeting will be held on April 5, 2021, at 2:30 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā adjourned meeting at 4:25 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,

Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā
Chair

Date

April 5, 2021