Punahou Carnival may be most famous for its malasadas, but that’s not what draws the biggest bucks. That distinction belongs to the art gallery—Hawai‘i’s largest pop-up art event, which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for the school’s financial aid program. Half of the proceeds of every art sale goes to Punahou; the other half to the respective artist.
“We don’t want to take glory away from Carnival, because it’s such a huge community event, but in terms of fundraising, the art gallery is a real powerhouse,” says Gianna Marsella, one of the art gallery’s parent chairs.
For this year’s event, set for Feb. 7 to 8 and themed “Pā‘ina Paniolo,” 250 Hawai’i artists, many connected to the school (alumni, parents of current students, art faculty) will display and sell about 1,200 pieces. Along with such veteran local artists as Yvonne Cheng, Mark Brown, Kelly Sueda and Leighton Lam, 36 new artists will participate…