Focus Hawaii Sculpture by Viliami Tolutau

Authors

• Lance Chase
• Viliami Tolutau

Files

Description

Hosted by Lance Chase, this episode of Focus Hawaii features Viliami Tolutau, associate professor of art at Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i and an accomplished Tongan‑born sculptor, who offers an in‑depth look at the creative, technical, and spiritual dimensions of large‑scale bronze sculpture. Tolutau recounts his journey from growing up in Tonga to studying art at BYU–Hawai‘i and completing graduate work at BYU–Provo before returning to teach and create in the Pacific. The episode centers on his commission to design and produce a monumental sculpture depicting George Q. Cannon and Ionatana Napela, honoring early LDS missionaries in the Pacific and unveiled during the 1997 Pioneers in the Pacific conference. Through detailed discussion of the lost‑wax bronze casting process, viewers gain rare insight into the labor‑intensive stages of sculpting, mold making, and foundry casting, as well as Tolutau’s philosophy of celebration, proclamation, and cultural legacy embodied in public art.

Length of Video

00:28:29

File Size

294MB

Archives Call Number

22.FH

Air Date

10-28-1997

Keywords

Lance Chase, Focus Hawaii, Viliami Tolutau, BYU–Hawai‘i art faculty, Pacific Island sculptor, Tongan artist, bronze sculpture, lost‑wax casting, George Q. Cannon sculpture, Ionatana Napela, Pioneers in the Pacific, LDS missionary history Hawaii, public art Hawai‘i, monument sculpture, cultural heritage art.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Recommended Citation

Chase, Lance and Tolutau, Viliami, "Focus Hawaii Sculpture by Viliami Tolutau" (1997). Focus Hawaii. 44.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/44