marla momi musick

My designs are inspired by my good fortune of growing up in Hawai`i in a family that taught, valued, and encouraged pride in culture and in being creative – and working in the arts in New York City.  

I was greatly influenced by the experimental and constantly changing market for design in NYC. While studying wax carving I realized that my own personal source of creative inspiration was/is Hawaiian culture, so I began thinking about Hawaiian Values and how to pair them with shapes. Having this emerge in my own creative work while in NYC, was one of the many “clues” to me that I was missing home.  I now live and work on Oahu.

After graduating from the Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Estate, I went on to receive a BFA in design from the University of Hawai`i. I moved to New York City on a Smithsonian Internship in Exhibition Design and finished my MA in Visual Arts Administration at NYU. I worked in fundraising, marketing and design management at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and The New York Public Library, and studied wax carving and silversmithing at the Craft Students League.

I am the Communications Director with Hawai`i Arts Alliance and in that role, serve as state captain for arts advocacy for the state of Hawai`i with our national partner – Americans for the Arts.