Visual Arts

Co-Curator

C. Makanani Salā, PhD

Dr. C. Makanani Salā is the Chief Operations Officer of Gravitas Pasifika, LLC, based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a doctoral degree in History from the Universtiy of California, Irvine. Salā also holds the traditional Hula practitioner titles of Hoʻopaʻa ʻŪniki ʻAilolo and Kumu Hula ʻŪniki ʻAilolo.

Prior to joining Gravitas Pasifika full-time, Salā was Executive Director of the Mayorʻs Office of Culture and the Arts for the City of County of Honolulu. In her capacity at the City, she oversaw the Sister City program and International Relations fro the Mayorʻs office; Hawaiian cultural and language initiatives across City departments; and special events. In addition to working as a cultural consultant on numerous local, national, and international creative and research projects, Salā has spent more than a decade in higher education working in the fields of Hawaiian Studies, History, Music, and Medical Humanities. Makanani resides in Honolulu with her husband, Aaron, and their three children.