Sen. Will Espero is throwing his support behind youth arts education at an evening event Wednesday aimed at celebrating local artists and raising money for arts programs at a local school.

The event, “An Evening of Art,” is part of the first-ever August “Start-up Arts Month Hawaii,” which features activities ranging from fashion shows and live music to galleries and expert panel discussions.

Sen. Espero — who serves as a vice-chair of Hawaii Fashion Month, has worked closely with the Hawaii Fashion Incubator and sponsored the recent Pacific Ink and Art Expo — will discuss issues surrounding arts education for Hawaii’s youth. 

But there’ll be a range of other events at “An Evening of Art,” too, including live music performances, speeches by popular local artists and an art presentation by students at Aha Punana Leo Hawaiian Immersion School. Proceeds from “An Evening of Art” and other Start-up Arts Month Hawaii events are helping the school, which promotes the revival of the Native Hawaiian language and values, bolster its arts program. 

Read Civil Beat’s coverage of arts education in Hawaii at Lost Art: Are Hawaii’s Kids Being Shortchanged in Arts Education?

Event details:

“An Evening of Art”
6 pm (early arrival is suggested)
Aug. 7, 2013
Thirtyninehotel, 39 N. Hotel St.

Photo: Experts say the arts, such as painting, should have a stronger role in kids’ educations. (Courtesy of Lee Fenner via Flickr.)

— Alia Wong