Board of Directors Recognition Award
The Board of Directors Recognition Award was established to honor the extraordinary contributions of individuals to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center. This year’s award is presented to George “Keoki” Freeland.
George “Keoki” Freeland’s dedication to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center is rooted in his great appreciation for Maui’s history, culture, and the local arts community. It was back in the 1990s when Keoki was approached by his longtime friend and Hui supporter John Hoxie
to become part of the Hui’s Board of Directors —and as Keoki says, “the rest is history!” Since that time, Keoki has been a vital contributor to the Hui’s Board of Directors as well as to the Business Expansion and Facilities Committees.
Born and raised in Lahaina, Keoki developed an ethic of hard work and respect for local people through his 34-year career in the sugar industry. Keoki then became the Executive Director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation. His deep understanding of business, historic preservation, nonprofits, and our local community make him a most treasured Hui advisor and supporter. He is a regular and committed presence at meetings, a powerful listener and contributor, a kind supporter of the Hui staff—and he even travelled to the State legislature to champion the Hui!
“Although Keoki is a man of few words, his direction, focus, and dedication to the Hui have been invaluable. He manifests a passion for the Hui that all directors envy and wish to emulate,” says Board Member Bob Rowland.
In the community as well as in his family, Keoki is a strong supporter of the visual arts. Both his wife Betty Hay and his daughter Denby are professional artists who have been involved at the Hui for decades. “My dad is the tall, quiet, attentive person that was always there supporting all of our activities,” says Denby. “When he and my mom married, she was not an artist. His support of her artistic journey over the years is evident by his attendance at every art opening, the countless stretcher bars he has pounded together, and the numerous paintings he still helps to deliver.”
Keoki is a man of strength, vision, and integrity with a passion for helping people. “My grandmother referred to him as our Rock of Gibraltar,” Denby explains. “He’s a man of few words. Yet when he talks each word has great value. A true Maui boy born and raised on island, he has contributed to our community for decades. He has served as a board member at several nonprofits. He encourages organizations to stay true to their mission. At the same time, his strong business mind provides sustainable methods.”
When asked about the Hui and receiving this award, Keoki said, “It is an honor for me to be given the Hui No‘eau 2020 Board of Directors Recognition Award. Hui No‘eau is a special cultural place that has much to offer. Art classes, art shows, historical grounds and buildings are excellent items that people can see and experience. We need to continue to expand the work that is being done for future generations to experience and enjoy. Mahalo nui ka kou.”
It is with great honor and our deepest gratitude that we present the 2020 Board of Directors Recognition Award to Keoki Freeland in honor of his dedication and commitment to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center. He has guided the Hui in the past, supports us in the present, and believes in our future. Mahalo nui loa, Keoki!
George “Keoki” Freeland’s dedication to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center is rooted in his great appreciation for Maui’s history, culture, and the local arts community. It was back in the 1990s when Keoki was approached by his longtime friend and Hui supporter John Hoxie
to become part of the Hui’s Board of Directors —and as Keoki says, “the rest is history!” Since that time, Keoki has been a vital contributor to the Hui’s Board of Directors as well as to the Business Expansion and Facilities Committees.
Born and raised in Lahaina, Keoki developed an ethic of hard work and respect for local people through his 34-year career in the sugar industry. Keoki then became the Executive Director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation. His deep understanding of business, historic preservation, nonprofits, and our local community make him a most treasured Hui advisor and supporter. He is a regular and committed presence at meetings, a powerful listener and contributor, a kind supporter of the Hui staff—and he even travelled to the State legislature to champion the Hui!
“Although Keoki is a man of few words, his direction, focus, and dedication to the Hui have been invaluable. He manifests a passion for the Hui that all directors envy and wish to emulate,” says Board Member Bob Rowland.
In the community as well as in his family, Keoki is a strong supporter of the visual arts. Both his wife Betty Hay and his daughter Denby are professional artists who have been involved at the Hui for decades. “My dad is the tall, quiet, attentive person that was always there supporting all of our activities,” says Denby. “When he and my mom married, she was not an artist. His support of her artistic journey over the years is evident by his attendance at every art opening, the countless stretcher bars he has pounded together, and the numerous paintings he still helps to deliver.”
Keoki is a man of strength, vision, and integrity with a passion for helping people. “My grandmother referred to him as our Rock of Gibraltar,” Denby explains. “He’s a man of few words. Yet when he talks each word has great value. A true Maui boy born and raised on island, he has contributed to our community for decades. He has served as a board member at several nonprofits. He encourages organizations to stay true to their mission. At the same time, his strong business mind provides sustainable methods.”
When asked about the Hui and receiving this award, Keoki said, “It is an honor for me to be given the Hui No‘eau 2020 Board of Directors Recognition Award. Hui No‘eau is a special cultural place that has much to offer. Art classes, art shows, historical grounds and buildings are excellent items that people can see and experience. We need to continue to expand the work that is being done for future generations to experience and enjoy. Mahalo nui ka kou.”
It is with great honor and our deepest gratitude that we present the 2020 Board of Directors Recognition Award to Keoki Freeland in honor of his dedication and commitment to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center. He has guided the Hui in the past, supports us in the present, and believes in our future. Mahalo nui loa, Keoki!
Hui No‘eau Angel Award
Hui No‘eau’s Angel Award was established to recognize outstanding talent and exceptional leadership contributing to the advancement of the arts in our Maui community.
Hui No‘eau was thrilled to present the 2020 award to Deb Zaleski!
Deb Zaleski says that Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center can be summed up for her in one word: community. When she first came to the Hui in 1980 to work in the ceramics studio, she immediately felt a strong connection to the place and the people working there. By the end of that year, she became the head of the ceramics department, started the first youth ceramics program, and forged lifelong friendships with other artists.
Deb’s dedication to the arts community continued to grow as she went on to co-found the Maui Crafts Guild, work in a commercial gallery in Lahaina, and run her own regional gallery in Makawao for almost 12 years. During this same time, she also started a family with husband Robert. Together, they raised three amazing children who are her greatest love and joy.
“In a very real sense, I owe my existence to the art community in which my mom is such an amazing permanent figure,” says son David Zaleski. “She met my father at an art exhibit on Maui, and our family has been embedded in the arts for decades. I am constantly in awe of her process, love, care, and humility toward the art she creates. It very much reflects how my brother, my sister, and myself were raised. It reflects the wayshe teaches others and interacts with the world—deep knowledge, steady hands, patience, skill, and originality. She follows her heart, never marching to the beat of any other drum. It’s an inspiring way I’ve seen her create and teach over the years. She has a genuine, deep rooted sense of self, which is reflective of her creations—our family included. She creates boldly, lives passionately, teaches respectfully, and loves unconditionally her family and artistic craft.”
When Deb returned to the Hui in 2006 after raising a family and focusing on the business side of art, she was ready to get back to supporting visual arts education. She became the Ceramics Studio Manager and every day since then, Deb has diligently worked to create a space where ceramics students and artists of all levels can learn, create, and share their enthusiasm for art. Whether she is loading a kiln, teaching a student a new technique, or carefully checking for proper glazing on a youth sculpture, Deb’s passion and love for ceramics is tangible in every small detail of the Hui’s ceramics studio.
“Besides being a ceramic artist and a great teacher, Deb is the matrix of the ceramic program,” says Teaching Artist Bob Flint. “She is hardworking, dedicated and conscientious. These attributes have contributed to the growth of the ceramic program, which benefits the many, many students who have taken classes over the years.”
Executive Director Anne-Marie Forsythe says, “Deb is a wonderful teacher, artist, and friend. She has been a huge help to me since the very beginning and over the last 13 years of working together, we have developed a great appreciation and caring for one another. I greatly admire the love she has for ceramics and the Hui. I can’t imagine the Hui without her.”
In addition to her role as studio manager, Deb is an exceptional teacher. Her passion for ceramics radiates to all her students. She puts in extra time to help advance their skills and to get to know her students as individuals—with the goal of helping them to succeed and feel confident in themselves both as artists and as people. “As a teacher, it’s especially rewarding to see the ‘light bulb’ go on when people conquer an obstacle and progress to another level. It’s empowering for them to overcome their fear of failure—and it serves as a metaphoric lesson in life,” Deb explains.
Deb’s work ethic and values have guided the Hui’s ceramics studio into becoming a thriving space for students and artists. And Deb does it all with great humility and a pure and simple appreciation for the arts community. “And now, once again, I’ve forged new friendships with people here, beyond the scope of our shared love of clay work and the arts,” Deb shares. “So while I am very grateful for receiving this award in recognition of a job well done, it is all the people here, my friends and coworkers at the Hui who helped me through one of the toughest times of my life with their kindness and love—they’re the real angels—my angels.”
It is with great joy that we present the 2020 Angel Award to Deb Zaleski in honor of her passion, hard work, leadership, and dedication to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center. We thank you, Deb, for sharing your love of art and ceramics with the community and for being such an incredible and vital part of our Hui ‘ohana!
Hui No‘eau was thrilled to present the 2020 award to Deb Zaleski!
Deb Zaleski says that Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center can be summed up for her in one word: community. When she first came to the Hui in 1980 to work in the ceramics studio, she immediately felt a strong connection to the place and the people working there. By the end of that year, she became the head of the ceramics department, started the first youth ceramics program, and forged lifelong friendships with other artists.
Deb’s dedication to the arts community continued to grow as she went on to co-found the Maui Crafts Guild, work in a commercial gallery in Lahaina, and run her own regional gallery in Makawao for almost 12 years. During this same time, she also started a family with husband Robert. Together, they raised three amazing children who are her greatest love and joy.
“In a very real sense, I owe my existence to the art community in which my mom is such an amazing permanent figure,” says son David Zaleski. “She met my father at an art exhibit on Maui, and our family has been embedded in the arts for decades. I am constantly in awe of her process, love, care, and humility toward the art she creates. It very much reflects how my brother, my sister, and myself were raised. It reflects the wayshe teaches others and interacts with the world—deep knowledge, steady hands, patience, skill, and originality. She follows her heart, never marching to the beat of any other drum. It’s an inspiring way I’ve seen her create and teach over the years. She has a genuine, deep rooted sense of self, which is reflective of her creations—our family included. She creates boldly, lives passionately, teaches respectfully, and loves unconditionally her family and artistic craft.”
When Deb returned to the Hui in 2006 after raising a family and focusing on the business side of art, she was ready to get back to supporting visual arts education. She became the Ceramics Studio Manager and every day since then, Deb has diligently worked to create a space where ceramics students and artists of all levels can learn, create, and share their enthusiasm for art. Whether she is loading a kiln, teaching a student a new technique, or carefully checking for proper glazing on a youth sculpture, Deb’s passion and love for ceramics is tangible in every small detail of the Hui’s ceramics studio.
“Besides being a ceramic artist and a great teacher, Deb is the matrix of the ceramic program,” says Teaching Artist Bob Flint. “She is hardworking, dedicated and conscientious. These attributes have contributed to the growth of the ceramic program, which benefits the many, many students who have taken classes over the years.”
Executive Director Anne-Marie Forsythe says, “Deb is a wonderful teacher, artist, and friend. She has been a huge help to me since the very beginning and over the last 13 years of working together, we have developed a great appreciation and caring for one another. I greatly admire the love she has for ceramics and the Hui. I can’t imagine the Hui without her.”
In addition to her role as studio manager, Deb is an exceptional teacher. Her passion for ceramics radiates to all her students. She puts in extra time to help advance their skills and to get to know her students as individuals—with the goal of helping them to succeed and feel confident in themselves both as artists and as people. “As a teacher, it’s especially rewarding to see the ‘light bulb’ go on when people conquer an obstacle and progress to another level. It’s empowering for them to overcome their fear of failure—and it serves as a metaphoric lesson in life,” Deb explains.
Deb’s work ethic and values have guided the Hui’s ceramics studio into becoming a thriving space for students and artists. And Deb does it all with great humility and a pure and simple appreciation for the arts community. “And now, once again, I’ve forged new friendships with people here, beyond the scope of our shared love of clay work and the arts,” Deb shares. “So while I am very grateful for receiving this award in recognition of a job well done, it is all the people here, my friends and coworkers at the Hui who helped me through one of the toughest times of my life with their kindness and love—they’re the real angels—my angels.”
It is with great joy that we present the 2020 Angel Award to Deb Zaleski in honor of her passion, hard work, leadership, and dedication to Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center. We thank you, Deb, for sharing your love of art and ceramics with the community and for being such an incredible and vital part of our Hui ‘ohana!
