Name: Jonathan Heraux
Age: Thirtyish…
Past/Other Jobs: Biologist, Served in Military, Drummer Quadraphonix, Builder/contractor,
Ethnicity: Latin American

Once upon a time John was a student at UH studying the Haleakala Silversword (an endangered plant that grows only in Maui), he had just received a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Foundation, and another grant from NASA when he decided to give it all up and pursue Music fulltime. He started putting together shows combining his live band with, fashion shows and visual art. The he started to kick it with Rachael Kaiser, an incredible underground artist. She brought her amazing art and all her artist friends, and he brought the music and the dancers. Then came the problems, the people who owned the venues were not in agreement with some of the art. They didn’t like the live Rooster that made an appearence at one show. And eventually everyone was kicked out. This experiance made Johnathan realize the importance of a space that was open to underground art and music. In 2004 he opened “On the River Gallery” a beautiful street level space on River St., covered in Italian tile, and gorgeous art. Six months after opening he was kicked out, for the same reason as before the landlord did not agree with music and art together. He was deflated of drive and resigned to the belief that all art should be burned i.e. Oliver Cromwell. Fast forward one year, six months and every penny of savings…”Ong King” opened. The name…It came from the saturation of chinatown by places with there address as their name,
“I though it would be funny to name my gallery after a sound, so I did. Ong: the sound a Gong makes, King: the sound a triangle makes. It just so happened that the new spot was on King St. (HaHa).Ong felt more Chinese, hence the logo.”

Name/Nicknames: Shain or Maryn (Party if you’re from the Nasty)

Past/Other Jobs: Americorps graduate, Preschool Teacher, Relief worker, Teen coordinator, Special Education Specialist, overall Social Activist!

Age: I’m older than I look

Race: Depends on who you talk to

 

                       There once was a girl named Shain, who went to college to change the world.  While in college she was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to serve twice in Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina, also as a camp coordinator in Appalachia, Kentucky, as well as a first grade after school specialist in an inner city school in Dayton, OH.  After all her service work, the University of Dayton decided to send her as an exchange student to the Hawai’i and it was love at first site. While in Hawai’i she frequently visited a small underground art gallery called Ong King. The gallery was a vibrant breath of life and much needed space of creativity and diversity.  Though her time in Hawai’i was limited she promised to return. After graduating with a degree in International Studies and Human Rights she decided to devote the next year of her life serving the in domestic form of the peace corps, also known as AmeriCorp.  Shain was placed with a wonderful organization in Cincinnati called Starfire that worked to enrich the lives of adults with disabilities. After her year was up she decided to continue working in the evenings with Starfire and took a job during the day as a preschool teacher in an underprivileged neighborhood, working for a nonprofit called Peaslee. Though the she loved her jobs and the people she worked with, the bitter cold of the Midwest weather began to take its hold. Fed up with gray skies, the even grayer attitudes of the Midwesterners, and after spending the last winter with no heat what so ever- she decided it was time to make good on her promise to return to Hawai’i. She did just that.

                      Shain arrived on Hawaiian soil near the end of October and was greeted with the news that her beloved art space Ong King was closing. Determined to find out the truth she arrived at the supposed final Sunday open mic. The place was just as she had left it: great music, beautiful people, and spirit that was like no other.  After speaking with a friend she decided that to let this place close would be a tragedy of tremendous proportion to community it had fostered and shaped. The next day she received a call from See, the previous manager, asking for help to pack and close down the space for good. Shain arrived at Ong King just as the keys were about to be turned in and informed See that she was not going to let it close and from there everything fell into place.  Shain was introduced to Dana Beatty who was also looking to save the space and thus new life was breathed into Ong King. 

                      What the future holds for Ong King is unknown but Shain hopes to begin a variety of program partnering with the surrounding community that will give all people a chance to enjoy and experience the arts. She would also like to begin art and sustainability programs geared towards children and people with disabilities. “I feel like everything I’ve done in the past seven years has prepared me for this. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”