Students from Leeward Community College are showcasing their work in the Honolulu Printmakers¡¯ 98th Annual Exhibition at the (DAC) in Honolulu.
A highlight of the exhibition is “Approximation”—a large-scale collaborative installation created by students in Assistant Professor Erika Molyneux¡¯s digital printmaking class.
The piece draws visitors into the gallery with its dynamic arrangement of 60 individual prints and recently earned a $300 award sponsored by Hawaiian Graphics and Art Source & Designs Custom Framing and Gallery.
In the course, students design imagery digitally before translating their work into physical matrices for hand printing.
For this project, students explored letterforms as visual art, inspired by movements such as Futurism and Dada. They then assembled the individual works into a unified composition resembling a tilde (~), a symbol often used to indicate approximation and the inspiration behind the project¡¯s title.
“I wanted students to think about typography in a more experimental way—how letterforms can move, interact and create meaning beyond language,” Molyneux said. “The final installation reflects their creativity and willingness to take risks.”
Student artists included Eric Blazek, Julian Calzo, Ronald Carnate, Meagan Dean, Karlie Godfrey, Rashad Maynard, Mia Park, Dominika Pope, Hayley Teehera and Mia Yonashiro.
Printmaking on campus
Leeward CC¡¯s presence in the exhibition also highlights growing opportunities in printmaking on campus.
In addition to the installation, students Spencer Miller and Lis Perola Pivotto contributed collagraph prints that demonstrate experimentation with materials and process.
A newly renovated printmaking studio—made possible through the efforts of multiple faculty and staff—supports this work. Helena Noordhoff, who is a printmaking instructor, manages the studio and helps expand hands-on learning opportunities for students.
“The studio is really about giving students space to explore, experiment and learn through making,” Noordhoff said. “It¡¯s exciting to see that energy reflected in the work being shown here.”
The exhibition is on view at the DAC on Nuuanu Avenue through April 25. Additional details and gallery hours are available on the .
