Jan 05, 2016 Book Arts Outreach Coordinator Wins Best of Show in Juried Exhibition

Congratulations to Allison Leialoha Milham, Book Arts Outreach Coordinator, who won a Best of Show Award in the Blood Quantum exhibition (Portland, Oregon), which is focused on Book Arts dealing with the subject of ancestry and identity. Her work Uluhaimalama: Legacies of Lili’uokalani is a project that explores the occupied state of Hawai’i, and includes both music and album artwork/ packaging.

Allison received her BA in Studio Art from San Francisco State University, CA (2006); and her MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (2012). She’s taught book arts and printmaking at the college level for the past five years and is currently serving as the Community Outreach Coordinator in the Book Arts Program at the library. Her work is held in multiple public collections including Yale University Arts Library and The Library of Congress.

Allison has a varied and rich background in Book Arts. She has experience as a manager of Small Craft Advisory Press at Florida State University, has taught numerous classes and workshops in letterpress, book binding, and printing, and has received several awards for her work. And, as the proprietor of Morning Hour Studio, Allison not only creates visual art, but composes and plays music as well.

Allison came to the library’s Book Arts Program in September of 2015 from Florida State University where she had been serving as Adjunct Professor in Book Arts and Printmaking. In addition to her immersion in book arts academia, Allison has been highly involved in community organizations. In 2014-15 she served as the Chapter Chair of the Southeast Guild of Book Workers and she co-founded The Alabama Art Kitchen Collective in 2010. She is also active in environmental causes.

“Art-making allows me to explore and bridge gaps in my understanding of myself and the world. I aim to illuminate aspects of our humanity with which we’re unaware of or have lost touch with; giving voice to unsung heroes and untold histories. Art becomes simply a vehicle for putting forth information, raising awareness and encouraging positive action.  

 My current work focuses on social/political/environmental issues surrounding the illegal and prolonged occupation of Hawai’i, drawing inspiration from the growing Hawaiian Independence Movement, culminating most recently in the Protect Mauna Kea and Aloha Aina Movements.”

Allison’s work, Uluhaimalama: Legacies of Lili’uokalani, can be viewed on her Morning Hour Studio website. Works in the Blood Quantum online catalog can be viewed here. And a copy of the book project can be viewed in the Glimpse exhibition that is currently on display in the Special Collections Gallery, Level 4 through January.