Focus Hawaii Mataumu Alisa
Files
Download TRANSCRIPT_1998021_FocusHawaii_MataumuAlisa_199810.pdf (71 KB)
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Description
Hosted by Lance Chase, this episode of Focus Hawaii features Mataumu (Matt) Alisa, a faculty member at Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i and an acclaimed Samoan‑born artist whose work is deeply rooted in Hawaiian and Polynesian culture. Alisa shares his personal journey from growing up in Samoa and La‘ie to becoming a professional muralist before returning to formal education and earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. He discusses his career creating large‑scale murals across Hawai‘i, including his award‑winning ceramic tile mural at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, selected through a highly competitive statewide process. Through reflections on artistic process, cultural memory, and the symbolic meaning behind his work—particularly his recurring theme of the imu and the spirit of selfless giving—Alisa offers insight into how tradition, place, and personal history inform his art and teaching. The conversation also explores the balance between technology and hand‑rendered artistry, as well as his philosophy as an educator encouraging students to “listen to the wall” and observe life deeply as the foundation of creative expression.
Length of Video
00:30:13
File Size
258.5MB
Archives Call Number
22.FH
Air Date
10-1998
Keywords
Lance Chase, Focus Hawaii, Mataumu Alisa, Matt Alisa, BYU–Hawai‘i faculty, Hawaiian mural artist, Samoan artist, Hawai‘i Convention Center mural, ceramic tile mural, Polynesian art, Hawaiian sense of place, imu tradition, fine arts education, Pacific Island artists, cultural symbolism in art.
Disciplines
Art and Design
Recommended Citation
Chase, Lance and Alisa, Mataumu (Matt), "Focus Hawaii Mataumu Alisa" (1998). Focus Hawaii. 53.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/53