We are excited to announce the two esteemed jurors who will play a pivotal role in evaluating the exceptional artworks submitted by talented artists. As the show celebrates the beauty and significance of Maui Nui native species, jurors are selected to represent expertise in both art and science.
Kirk Kurokawa – Artist
Kirk Kurokawa is a painter, muralist and artist based in Maui, Hawaii. He received a BFA with distinction in Illustration from the California College of the Arts. Kurokawa’s paintings focus predominantly on the “simple, everyday life moments”. Although he often paints native birds, flowers and locals of Hawaii, he is best known for his portraiture. He has been in every installment of the Schaefer Portrait Challenge, and was awarded the Juror’s Choice Award in 2006 and the People’s Choice Award in 2015. He is also the first and only native Hawaiian to paint the official Portrait of the Governor of the State of Hawaii.
Scott Fisher, PHD – Director of ʻĀina Stewardship at Hawaiian Islands Land Trust
Scott grew up in Kula, and at age 17 enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After his discharge, he studied at Colorado State University. Scott’s graduate work includes an M.A. in Peace Studies with a concentration in Native Hawaiian Strategies of Peacemaking and Reconciliation. His PhD. explored the dynamics of post-conflict recovery in a civil war on the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, with a particular emphasis on how communities make wise decisions about conflicts over natural resources. Scott also has a graduate degree in ecological restoration, and is currently working on a graduate certificate in sustainable agriculture. Between 2017 and 2019 Scott worked for three summers at the University of Leicester, UK in a research fellowship in Paleoecology.
Since 2003 Scott has worked for the Maui Coastal Land Trust, first as a project manager at the land trust’s 277-acre Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge and is now the Director of ʻĀina Stewardship for Hawai’i Land Trust. In this capacity he has led all aspects of the ecological restoration work conducted by the Land Trust. Scott serves on the Maui/Lana‘i Island Burial Council and works at his 4-acre ‘ulu farm in Waikapū on the weekends.