KAPAA, Hawaii (AP) — A new group has been formed on Kauai to raise money for refurbishing modern art masterpieces at three churches on the Garden Island. Ann Loquercio, a retired art teacher and chairwoman of a group called Art
KAPAA, Hawaii (AP) — A new group has been formed on Kauai to raise money for
refurbishing modern art masterpieces at three churches on the Garden
Island.
Ann Loquercio, a retired art teacher and chairwoman of a group
called Art Angels, said the group hopes to attract private donations and
foundation grants. The group began its fund-raising effort with the sale of
Christmas cards featuring a reproduction of one of the art works — “Hawaiian
Madonna — Hookupu” by Juliette Mae Fraser.
Sections of her fresco are
fading away after more than 40 years of tropical weather.
Loquercio
estimated the cost of restoration at $75,000.
The art works — including
frescoes and a statue — were created in the late 1950s in conjunction with the
construction of St. Catherine’s in Kapaa, St. Sylvester’s in Kilauea and St.
Williams’s in Hanalei.
Other works are by artists Jean Charlot and Tseng
YuHo.
In 1993, the collection was appraised at more than $700,000. The
“Hawaiian Madonna” alone was valued at $100,000 and appraisers said its price
would double if it is restored.
