{"id":159732,"date":"2022-05-24T13:33:16","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T23:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=159732"},"modified":"2024-03-14T23:09:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T09:09:11","slug":"baker-kennedy-center-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/24\/baker-kennedy-center-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Kennedy Center honor awarded to M\u0101noa kumu"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"Tammy<\/p>\n

The founder of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa\u2019s inaugural Hawaiian Theatre program<\/a> has earned one of the greatest honors in theatre education. The Kennedy Center<\/a>, a world-renowned performing arts facility in Washington, D.C. which serves the nation as a leader in arts education, awarded Tammy Hailiʻōpua<\/span> Baker<\/strong> a Medallion of Excellence for her trailblazing vision in Indigenous arts.<\/p>\n

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival<\/a> honored Baker during its virtual awards ceremony on May 21, calling her an incredible force and identifying her theatre program as a guide to demonstrate how to restore language and reclaim the stories of generations of Indigenous populations. <\/p>\n

“I\u2019m deeply humbled to receive this prestigious award and grateful for the John F. Kennedy Center’s recognition of Kanaka Maoli artistry in storytelling and performing arts,” said Baker.<\/p>\n

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Scene from Hawaiian theatre comedy, Hoʻoilina<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Baker, who is also a respected Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> playwright, launched the Hawaiian Theatre, or hana keaka program, within the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Department of Theatre and Dance<\/a> in 2014 centered around Hawaiian language revitalization, and the empowerment of cultural identity through stage performance. The program made history at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa after its inaugural production, Lāʻieikawai,<\/span><\/em><\/a> became the first ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian language) play performed on the mainstage at the campus\u2019 Kennedy Theatre<\/a>. In 2019, sold out crowds reveled after the production, ʻAuʻa<\/span> ʻIa:<\/span> Holding On<\/em><\/a>, a play Baker both authored and directed. The 52-member cast topped headlines after receiving an invitation to perform off-Broadway in New York City.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m reminded of ka wai hālau o Wailua (the expansive waters of Wailua, Kauaʻi),<\/span> Kanaka Maoli knowledge and artistry is wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, we have much to offer,” Baker said. “The national recognition that the Hawaiian Theatre Program has received is more than acknowledgment of our hana noʻeau<\/span> (artistic practices), it also recognizes our moʻolelo<\/span> (stories), our ʻōlelo<\/span> (language), our ʻāina<\/span> (land), and our kūpuna (elders). That is our wai hālau, these waters offer a holistic appreciation and understanding of who we are and where we come from. This is ea (life).”<\/p>\n

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From left, Kaʻula<\/span> Krug and Kaneikoliakawahineikaʻiukapuomua<\/span> Baker were recognized for their individual performances in He Leo Aloha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The decision of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. to award the Medallion of Excellence to professor Tammy Hailiʻōpua<\/span> Baker, is a major acknowledgment of her tireless work as a teacher, mentor, scholar, playwright, director, community member, and colleague,” said Markus Wessendorf<\/strong>, UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Theatre and Dance chair. “Our MFA<\/abbr> in Hawaiian Theatre was only established in 2014\u2026however, in just a few years Dr. Baker managed to turn this Indigenous theatre program into a core component of our department and to lead it to such a level of excellence that it is now recognized at the national level.”<\/p>\n

You could say theatre is a way of life for Baker and you would be right. Her kāne (husband), Kaliko Baker<\/strong>, who is a kumu ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language<\/a>, is also an accomplished scholar and storyteller. The power couple co-founded Ka Hālau Hanakeaka, a Hawaiian medium theatre troupe whose productions have toured internationally and throughout the Hawaiian archipelago.<\/p>\n

That passion for the arts naturally caught on within their Koʻolaupoko<\/span> hale (home) in Windward Oʻahu.<\/span> Their keiki, Kaipulaumakaniolono<\/strong> (24) and Kaneikoliakawahineikaʻiukapuomua<\/span><\/strong> (19) both earned Kennedy Center awards at the same virtual ceremony on May 21. Kaipu\u2019s production of He Leo Aloha<\/em><\/a> earned eight awards, outshining dozens of top-ranked productions from across the country. His sister who took on one of the play\u2019s lead roles, netted an award for her individual performance.<\/p>\n

And celebrations are certainly in abundance for the Bakers in 2022. Their award winning keiki both graduated from UH<\/abbr> Mānoa this spring, Kaipulaumakaniolono (MFA<\/abbr>, playwriting) and Kaneikoliakawahineikaʻiukapuomua<\/span> (bachelor\u2019s, Hawaiian language).<\/p>\n

Related UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories:<\/p>\n