Honolulu Star-Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 70

SUNDAY 1211 HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER TRAVEL H3 Former YMCA site houses fine isle art CHERYL CHEE TSUTSUMI Hawaii 's Backyard Visitors can relax at Circular the founding site for Sydney. Quay in Sydney Cove, 't wm- ----n i COURTESY PAUL KODAMA The Individual Artist Fellowship Exhibition is on display in HiSAM's Diamond Head galleries. Works are by Fellowship Award recipients Hanai Uechi Mills, John Koga and Sally French. It's easy for Susan Hogan, museum educator for the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM), to remember all the things that make Hawaii special. Her office is adjacent to HiSAM's three galleries, where 232 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, collages, textiles and sculptures from the state's $28 million Art in Public Places collection (see sidebar) are displayed in an area totaling more than 12,000 square feet.

Exhibitions spotlight creations by Hawaii's earliest internationally known artists, award-winning contemporary artists and emerging artists. "There are wonderful art galleries and museums throughout the state, but only HiSAM focuses on works that belong to the people of Hawaii," said Hogan, who arranges tours for dozens of school, corporate and community groups each year. "It brings the beauty of the Hawaiian environment indoors. My personal connections to the artworks evolve as I interact with visitors and hear their points of view on individual pieces. I have favorites in every gallery." HiSAM opened on Nov.

1, IF YOU In 1917 the YMCA purchased the building, which was used to house 25,000 Army and Navy servicemen during World War I. Nine years later the aging wooden structure was demolished to make way for the five-story concrete and stucco building that currently stands. Dubbed the USO Army and Navy Club, it included 268 sleeping rooms, a swimming pool, billiard hall, cafeteria, barbershop, gymnasium, auditorium and tailor and curio shops. The facility was renamed the Armed Services YMCA in the early 1940s and served as an hub for U.S. military personnel during World War II.

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it was owned by the Hemmeter Corp. and the B1GI Corp. of Japan before the state 6 1 from the city center, providing a unique historic walking trail through gorgeous Australian bush. Riddled with sandstone bluffs, the landscape is still rugged and spectacular, although it can feel a tad like Aussie "Deliverance" country. I crossed the Hawkes-bury River on a lonely ferry, the only option in this quiet rural district, and paused in the silent village of St.

Albans, where the owner of the lone pub handed over tea and scones with a wild-eyed expression, as if I was the first visitor in decades. A modest roadside gate announced the start of the surviving section of the Great North Road, so I started hiking up a steep hill while lizards darted about in the sun. I was alone on the highway, which offered splendid views of the Hawkesbury and pristine bush. It felt as if the convicts had just left yesterday. I spotted original graffiti on some of the rock faces lining the route an arrow, the initials "JB" and superbly engineered stone buttresses and culverts that evoke a Georgian Appian Way.

Odd pieces of iron, which may or may not have been antique nails, were scattered here and there. The highlight of the hike was an unusual rock formation about 30 minutes along, dubbed Hangman's Cave, a slab of sandstone overhanging the road with a circular hole in it. Tradition holds that felons on the gangs stood trial before a magistrate here and, if found guilty, would be strung from a tree and dropped through the hole. Modern historians have found no documentary proof of this although nobody is sure it's a fable, either. Perhaps the blend of fact and legend will always be part of the convict saga.

Back in Sydney, I lugged my family's "heirloom" ball and chain back in to Hyde Park Barracks, to ask if it was authentic. The curators looked it over and decided it wasn't impossible. More likely, however, is that it came from the frontiers of historical tourism. When the last Australian penal colonies were closed in the late 1860s, a Victorian tourist industry began to revel in the Gothic aspects of Australia's history. The "old lags," the last prisoners from penal colonies in Tasmania, created balls and chains as souvenirs.

The possibility of this seemed to excite the curators almost as much as if my relic was original. I had a piece of genuine tourism history. The ball and chain is now in pride of place, as a doorstop, at home in New York. purchased it for $22.5 million in 2000 to house HiSAM and various state offices. "HiSAM is the steward of a wonderful public art collection in a very special place," Hogan said.

"Ka-maaina are proud of the contributions of local artists both in and beyond Hawaii. They can identify with the imagery and messages that are shared. Visitors enjoy glimpsing island life through different artists' eyes. Art makes us think and feel. It connects what is deep, innate and personal in us to our community and the wider world around us." Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won multiple Society of American Travel Writers awards.

It's All Included: An Oceanview Suite, Airfare, Unlimited Shore Excursions, Wine Premium Spirits, Pre-Hotel Stay, Pre Paid Gratuities, Ship Board Credits, Transfers. yelled, "Werre! Werre!" Go away! The Eora had thrived for some 40,000 years here on the land's natural bounty, hunting kangaroo, eating native plants and fishing, while the British arrivals nearly starved as they tried in vain to raise imported crops like potatoes. Some convicts tried to escape into the bush, thinking they might be able to walk to China. They died miserably or returned on the verge of collapse "so squalid and lean," according to David Collins, the legal officer of the First Fleet, that "the very crows would have declined their carcasses." Later, in a famous 1882 case, seven escaped convicts in the outpost of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) turned to cannibalism; only one survived. IN THE busy heart of the city lies a must-see attraction for all convict aficionados: Hyde Park Barracks, whose harmonious design was the work of a reformed felon, Francis Greenway.

(He's the only convicted forger ever to be honored on a bank note, Australia's old $10 bill.) Built in 1819 to house male convicts, the structure later became an orphanage and courthouse, and each phase of its existence left a layer of debris that has been a gold mine for archaeologists. Today, the orange-brick edifice contains a museum with a permanent collection of cat-o'-nine-tails and leg irons, plus (of course) an elegant cafe across the courtyard. When I visited, a curator, Jenny White, retrieved from the archival vault the only mint-condition convict uniform ever found in Sydney. It was a rough calico tunic with thin blue stripes, and one familiar "broad arrow" stenciled at hip level. It had been found beneath the floorboards by a plumber during 1979 renovations when he was installing an air-conditioning duct.

Apparently he was so excited that he put on the uniform and ran around the construction site pretending to be an inmate. BUT THE system left its most impressive remains in the rural area northwest of Sydney the Great North Road. It was built entirely by the so-called Iron Gangs groups of serial offenders, who were forced to sleep in cramped bark huts and survive on starvation rations while digging a 162-mile-long highway. The whole thing took from 1826 to 1836 to complete; it is unknown how many convicts died in the process. Today, a 5-mile stretch is still intact and has been preserved as a park about a 90-minute drive 50 Collection LOW FARES 841-6300 www.roaliiiventuretravel.coiTi LAX 418 Orlando 493 SF0 318 New York.

S28 Seattle 387 Narita 609 Portland M08 Hong Kong 455 Las Vegas '429 Manila. 360 Reno '422 London '800 HTS BWiWs StfKd 2002, as the principal venue to showcase selected pieces from the Art in Public Places program. It is housed on the second floor of No. 1 Capitol District, an elegant Spanish Mission-style structure built in 1928. The state acquired the property in 2000 and preserved its original floor tiles, cast stone detailing, iron grillwork, ornamental light fixtures and Italian scrollwork (which was modeled after the Davanzati Palace in Florence) in an extensive 18-month restoration project.

No. 1 Capitol District stands on the site of the first Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which opened in 1872 during the reign of King Kamehameha V. Located across from Iolani Palace, it was Honolulu's premier hostelry for 45 years, accommodating foreign dignitaries and friends of the royal family. Springtime NYC, Philadelphia, Amish Cnty Colonial Williamsburg, DC Mar. 23 April 4, 201 1 TE Calvin Okinawa Tour Oct 7 -Oct 14, 2011 Call us for Vacations Hawaii Reservation COURTESY SUSAN HOGAN Hands-on activities are among the draws of Second Saturday at the Hawaii State Art Museum.

DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT Downtown serves lunch daily except Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner on First Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Call 536-5900. SHOWCASE HAWAII One-of-a-kind jewelry, handmade soaps and original artwork are among Showcase Hawaii's fine wares.

The gift shopgallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on First Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Call 728-6388. HAWAII STATE ART MUSEUM Address: 250 S.

Hotel second floor, Honolulu Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It's also open from 5 to 9 p.m. on First Friday, the downtown gallery walk held on the first Friday of every month.

Admission: Free (donations are welcome) Phone: 5864900 E-mail: sfcahawaii.gov Website: hawaii.govsfcaartmuseum.php?articleid25 Notes: HiSAM offers one-hour guided tours for groups of between 12 and 20 people by appointment during regular hours. There's no charge, but tours must be arranged at least one month in advance by calling 586-9958. OTHER HISAM HIGHLIGHTS ART LUNCH Notable artists and cultural practitioners present an hourlong lecture at noon on the last Tuesday of every month. Bring your lunch and friends to the Multi-Purpose Room on the first floor. FIRST FRIDAY Enjoy concerts and dance presentations on First Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

on the front lawn. Vocalist Amy Hanaialii and slack-key artists Jeff Peterson and Dennis Kamakahi will perform on Jan. 14 (First Friday will not be held this Friday). SECOND SATURDAY On the second Saturday of every month, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, HiSAM and the Friends of HiSAM sponsor Second Saturday, a program designed to increase appreciation of the arts. There are free hands-on activities from 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m. while supplies last. Art demonstrations, storytelling, poetry readings and music and dance performances also might be featured. Members of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's ethno-musicology program will be on hand Saturday to provide instruction on various percussion instruments and how to create shadow puppets. On Feb.

12 artists from the Hawaii Watercolor Society will share their expertise. Other organizations that will lead Second Saturday activities this year are the Hawaii Potters Guild, Hawaii Craftsmen, Hawaii Handweavers Hui, Hawaii Quilt Guild and Hawaii Stitchery and Fiber Arts Guild. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES In 1967 the state Legislature passed the Art in State Buildings Law, which established the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts' Art in Public Places (APP) program. This law requires 1 percent of the cost of state buildings to be set aside for artwork to beautify the structures. The APP collection includes about 5,000 works by 1,400 artists.

They are displayed in 500 state offices, schools, colleges, libraries, airports, auditoriums, civic centers and other facilities throughout the islands. In this way, APP is fulfilling its mission "to enhance the environmental quality of public buildings and spaces throughout the state; cultivate the public's awareness, understanding and appreciation of visual arts; contribute to the development and recognition of a professional artistic community; and acquire, interpret, preserve and display works of art expressive of the multicultural heritage of Hawaii's people and the creative interests of its artists." mt SEVEN SEAS CRUISES DISCOVER THE MYSTERY AND BEAUTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ASIA, AND GRAND MEDITERRANEAN TRAVEL FREE CRUISE PLANNING PRESENTATION: 1811 Southeast Asia and China OS 11511 Alaska Inside Passage mm AUSTRALIA, CANADANEW ENGLAND Grand Mediterranean Cruising to New Zealand and Australia Canada New England GMnvnert tan! War tan torn nvfivm gacrMcnjr 732-2259 Rockies Rail Jun 13 PRINCESS CRUISES 12211 1 291 251 ')uitOTBnBpmonOnonffluttmtY ESCORTED TOURS www.royaledveiituretraveltours.coni Canadian 1 1 Six Star Luxury, RnhTTTrra Treasuries ot Egypt Feb 12 Alaskal Jul 29 HonshuShikoku Mar 28 Scandinavia Ruwia Aug 6 noKKaiuoionoxu uui is OPEN HOUSE JAN. 8 9 AM -1 PM Meet our Specialists USA Japan Europe Russia Korea Australia-New Zealand Egypt Africa Escorted Cruises RSVP 732-2259 i Spring in Korea Apr 4 Japan AlpsSadoNilgata May 5 Oregon Washington May 19 Grand Europe Jun I.Sep 2 Japan Summer Jun 2 East Coast Jun 4. Oct 1 VellowstoneRushmore Jun 5. Sep 11 Australia HI Oct 19 Kyushu Okinawa Nov 10 a Spring on Danube Mar 17 Alaska Cruise Tour Jul 1 5 Iceland, Greenland Aug 21 cc Canada New England Sep 19 Australia jHl Nov 4.