Catching up with Mānoa resident Allison Wong is easier said than done, especially when the art world beckons. Recently, Wong had been hopping from one art fair to the next on the mainland but is now back on island gearing up for her latest art endeavor. As of late, Wong has been busy curating a selected exhibit for a fundraiser benefiting Downtown Art Center and The Jean Charlot Foundation happening in September. So, what exactly have her days been like?  Wong gives us a snapshot … 

When at home, there’s nothing like a homegrown papaya with cottage cheese. (It tastes even better when served on ceramics from Wolf Ceramics from Hood River, Ore.) However, the eggs benedict at Jams restaurant inside 1 Hotel Central Park is also one of my favorites when I’m in NYC. (I recently returned from New York to attend Frieze. Also managed to see the Lauren Halsey rooftop installation at the Met!)

After working at home for a few hours, it’s off to meet Malia Van Heukelem — art archivist librarian for the Jean Charlot Collection at UH Mānoa — to do research on some Charlot prints that were donated to the upcoming art sale. Head to Downtown Art Center (DAC) to look at the space with DAC Executive Director Sandy Pohl. The Collectors’ Art Sale & Exhibition Fundraiser is scheduled to run from Sept. 16-22. (find more info at downtownarthi.org/collectorssale).

Drive over to Leeward Community College to see the new Hō‘ikeākea Gallery for the ‘Ai Pōhaku, Stone Eaters exhibition. I’m always curious to see what’s on view in our community art scene. Inspect a few prints that will be part of the sale by Satoru Abe, Yvonne Cheng and Shingo Honda. Then, I pay the home of collector/ donor Priscilla Growney a visit to take a closer look at one of the works for the fundraiser, specifically a piece created by renowned artist Lori Uyehara. Back home. It’s dinner-prep time. I pop back to our garden to see “what’s in season” (laughs). Apparently, aside from grilled lamb, carrots will also be part of the menu this evening. And now for the wine …