The Waimea Arts Council invites island artists to enter its 28th Annual Helen M. Cassidy Memorial Juried Art Show from Oct. 3 to 27 at the Firehouse Gallery in Kamuela. The entry date is Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The show is named in honor of Helen M. Cassidy, who was instrumental in establishing the Waimea Arts Council over 35 years ago. Born in Hilo, Hawaii, she attended Punahou School in Honolulu. In 1920, she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swim Team and went to Antwerp, Belgium, as Hawaii’s first woman Olympian. She married Charles E. Cassidy in 1930. Cassidy was a well-known football player at Cornell University and later coached teams in Hawaii, where he became an associate justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court.

Helen’s painting career started in the 1940’s, when she tried to interest her daughter in painting and ended up as the one taking lessons. She studied under Lloyd Sexton and other well-known local artists. After the death of her husband she moved to Waimea where she continued to paint and show her works at the Kona Arts Center and in Waimea. Helen passed away in 1985. Her efforts to establish and promote the Waimea Arts Council have culminated in the Firehouse Gallery, located in the old fire station at the main stop-light and crossroads in Waimea.

This year’s judge is Aelbert Aehegma, a multi-media artist, arts administrator and consultant, educator and lecturer from the Hawaii Island. Aehegma has been creating and exhibiting paintings and sculpture in Hawaii for almost 30 years, as well as in over a dozen countries and major art cities including New York, Paris, Geneva and Honolulu. He holds a Master of Arts in Program Renaissance in multi-media art.

This art competition and exhibition is open to all Big Island artists age 18 and older. Artists must be members of the Waimea Arts Council to submit artwork. Membership is open to any individuals and businesses that support the purpose of the organization. All media will be accepted. Entries will be judged using five criteria: originality, visual balance, visual clarity, personal expression and execution of the medium. Cash awards will be announced at the reception on Oct. 6, plus a visit by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Purchasing committee is in the works.

The Firehouse Gallery, a project of the Waimea Arts Council a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts in Hawaii. For more information and a prospectus, contact exhibition coordinator Jay West at 885-7812, [email protected], or go to waimeaartscouncil.org.