Caption: ASCC Art professor Regina Meredith (center) calls the work of student artists AJ Afano (left) and Henry Utoaluga "intriguing and impressive". AJ and Henry's work will be on display in the Feleti Barstow Public Library from this Thursday evening through February 27th. (Photo: J. Kneubuhl)

The exhibition will remain on display through February 27th, after which AJ and Henry will offer their work for sale to raise funds for a proposed two-week trip to New York City this coming July. Meredith would like to expose the young artists to the cultural attractions of New York, such as the major museums, The New School of Design, a Broadway show, and especially the city’s art galleries.

New York residents Tony Meredith (Regina’s brother) and his partner Melanie LePatin have volunteered to house the students and their teacher during their visit. “Tony and Melanie co-own a dance studio called Dance Times Square in the heart of New York City, and also have their homes on the premises,” explained Regina. “We would stay at this location, which would enable us to get around the city in a snap. Although we’ll have a free place to stay in New York, to go all the way from American Samoa to the East Coast we’ll need to raise funds to cover the travel expenses, so we hope the sale of AJ and Henry’s paintings will enable us to make this trip a reality.”  
           
           

When asked how he got started painting on a serious basis, AJ quickly credits Meredith. “I had taken other painting classes before, but never learned anything,” he reflected, “but Reg’s classes really got me going. I started to paint still life in watercolor, and then slowly worked my way up to oil paint. It got to a point where every day I couldn’t wait to start painting on canvas or anything else lying around, from cardboard boxes to wood.” AJ, a Fine Arts major, says he finds inspiration in stories, myths and legends, but mostly music.  “Music has a big role in my life, and it plays a role in some of my paintings.” Besides doing art, AJ has also earned a reputation as a talented dancer through his participation in a number of the recent stage shows on campus.

            Henry traces his interest in art all the way back to his childhood. “At the age of 10, I saw a drawing of an aiga bus by my uncle. It amazed me so much that I had to pick up a pencil and start to add to it. From that day on, I could not stop doing art. Sometimes my Dad would tell me to stop because my drawing had progressed from inside my schoolbooks on to the walls of our house.” Henry says he bases his paintings on his feelings about his culture, his church, and his family. “I arrange some of my paintings with story elements,” he explained, “so that people can come up with a story of their own based on what they see.” An interest in storytelling also informs Henry’s other great interest, filmmaking. “I want to use film to give life to my art work,” he said, “and to show more than I can on a canvas. In the future, I hope to produce films that not only entertain, but will also show what I see going on in these islands as a Samoan.”

            Given the diverse interests of these two young artists, Meredith feels a trip to New York would give them a clear picture of how far they can take their talents in art, music and storytelling. “I think that exposure to art in a much wider social context would give them a better idea of how they can apply their talents within their own cultural context,” she said. Meredith, herself a veteran of the mainland arts scene, has an abiding faith in the talents of these two young men, both of whom, in her estimation, “have the potential to make it big in the art world.”

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