May 31, 2013 As Simple As Art
As you might recall, I was lucky enough to attend the inspiring and visually arresting POW WOW Hawaii art summit in the Kaka’ako neighborhood of Honolulu earlier this year. Indeed, it generated a couple of blog posts and 8Qs interviews with Hisham Dahud and Ian Kuali’i, both participants in the 2013 events. That this impressive project, founded by Hawaii-based artist Jasper Wong, makes the streets of Kaka’ako more appealing, and more beautiful, is undeniable. That this event has made a splash around the world and lead to multiple projects and collaborations with great brands like Knockaround and Flexfit, is equally true. You can check out the new POW WOW Online Shop for more products from this project. But perhaps the best feedback of all comes from the local Kaka’ako business community, who, according to this local TV report, have said that foot traffic in the neighborhood is up by 60-75%. The art is attracting lots of new visitors and is the backdrop for lots of photoshoots too. That’s an impressive stat, which helps explain how POW WOW might end up going global and coming to a town near you. Let’s hope LB is in on the action at some point…