Will Ryan, an artist who divides his time between Lazy Point and Maui, has focused less on art for the past six weeks than on raising money through two benefits for Lahaina, the community on Maui that was devasted by wildfires in August.
A music program at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett will happen on Sunday at 7 p.m., and an art auction at AB NY Gallery in East Hampton is set for Friday, Oct. 20, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Mr. Ryan first went to Hawaii for a short visit in 2005. Smitten, he returned regularly, for three to six months at a time, until he finally landed a small house and studio on Maui.
He usually spends six months a year there, but during Covid he holed up for a year and a half. "It's such a lovely place, there's a gentleness there. Then I come back here and get my dukes up," he joked.
Soon after the fire, he had the idea of doing a music fund-raiser. "I called everybody, and pretty much everybody said okay." The line-up for the Talkhouse event includes Winston Irie, Inda Eaton, Mama Lee, Joe Delia, Klyph Black, Dalton Portella, Jim Lawler, Max Louis, "and a surprise guest or two."
Mr. Louis is a musician from Maui who started Lahaina Living Circle on the island. The organization brought huge containers of water to Lahaina, and also provided artists and kids with art supplies. High-end sweatshirts featuring the kids' paintings will be for sale at the Talkhouse, as will T-shirts.
The evening will also include a raffle, which so far includes lunch for four at The American Hotel and dinner for two at Fresno. All proceeds from the evening will go to Lahaina Living Circle, which Mr. Ryan determined was the agency that would get the funds to the island most efficiently.
Tickets are $50 via the Talkhouse website, or cash at the door. Hawaiian attire has been suggested; every guest will be draped with a lei.
The benefit at AB NY, "Small Works for a Big Cause," will feature a silent auction of works by 30 artists, all with the same low-price starting bid. Participants include Paton Miller, Eric Ernst, William Quigley, Jane Martin, Barbara Thomas, Kirsten Benfield, Dalton Portella, Dan Welden, Scott Bluedorn, and Mr. Ryan.
The proceeds from the auction will be earmarked for a project called Maui Art Bags, which Mr. Ryan is working on with Colleen McGowan, a former teacher at the Springs School who now lives on Maui. During Covid, Ms. McGowan created art bags for Springs children so they would have something to play with while at home.
After the fire, she started doing the same thing on the island. The proceeds from the event will be funneled to Maui Art Bags through the Anna Mirabai Lytton Foundation in Amagansett.
"Art can be effective therapy to cope with trauma and stress," says Ms. McGowan. "Providing art materials in the Maui Art Bags will help these children access and heal their traumatic memories and emotions."
Mr. Ryan and Ms. McGowan will be on Maui distributing the art bags and working with the children. They plan to bring some of the artworks back to East Hampton in the spring to show what the kids have made.
