Art of the Aloha Shirt: Keoni of Hawaii

By Kerry M. Azzarello

John “Keoni” Meigs, Island Feast, 1946, manufactured by Kamehameha, cotton, 35” x 24”, © Keoni Collection

Movie stars, rock and roll legends, United States Presidents, possibly even you. That is the answer to the hypothetical game show question, “Who are people who have Aloha shirts”? Aloha shirts, often also called Hawaiian shirts, are so common one could make the mistake of overlooking them. However, the latest exhibition at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art (MGMoA) in Shawnee, Oklahoma, brings these garments to the forefront, allowing visitors to take a closer look at a unique artform.

Art of the Aloha Shirt: Keoni of Hawaii, 1938–51 features original textile artwork, production sketches, fabric swatches, print advertisements, and vintage shirts from John “Keoni” Meigs. Keoni (Hawaiian for John and pronounced “Key-O-nee”) was a self-taught artist born in Chicago in 1916. After graduating from UCLA in 1936, he moved to Hawaii the following year. His first designs were created in 1938 and centered around Polynesian tapa patterns inspired by designs he had seen in the Bishop Museum, the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History. During his prolific career, John Meigs produced Hawaiian textiles as “Keoni of Hawaii.”

The concept for Art of the Aloha Shirt was a collaboration between exhibition curator Dale Hope, a Mainland collector of Aloha shirts, and the Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). According to Hope, “There is probably no garment in the world that [better] captures a land’s ‘spirit of place’. For well over a half a century, the Aloha shirt has been Hawaii’s most enduring and visible greeter and ambassador. Like a lei, the Aloha shirt is worn as a statement of one’s love for, and connection to, a most special place.” Given Keoni’s bountiful output of over 300 textile designs, it was difficult for the team to narrow which pieces to include. Ultimately, sixty objects were selected to display and tell the story. The pieces are from the 1930s through the 1950s, a time period often considered the “Golden Age” for Aloha shirts.

MGMoA Curator of Collections, Delaynna Trim, notes the museum typically hosts or develops exhibitions that feature art from various cultures and communities. While the museum does not have any Aloha shirts in their collection, Keoni’s work complements the museum’s Polynesian and Hawaiian native artifacts.

Left: John “Keoni” Meigs, painting for Waikiki Reef, c. late 1940s, gouache on paper, 24” x 30”, © Keoni Collection; Right: John “Keoni” Meigs, preliminary design for Waikiki Reef, c. late 1940s, pencil on vellum, 24” x 30” inches, © Keoni Collection

an entire industry–garment creation. By displaying iterations of the designs, from initial sketches to finished shirts, visitors are able to take a peek behind the curtain and gain a better understanding of the process, the evolution of an idea.

Subject matter for Aloha shirts centers around themes of Hawaiian activities (Hula dancing, surfing, and fishing), agriculture (pineapples and sugarcane), and island life (flowers, beaches, and sunsets). When planning a textile graphic, the artist not only needs to be concerned about the aesthetics of the piece, but also how that image will work harmoniously when repeated across the fabric.

Waikiki Reef depicts a man standing in water using various means to fish. Three vignettes, as he holds a net, spear, and trident, are visually tied together with a large diagonal net. Shells, fish, and bubbles, all in varying scales, fill in the design. Viewers can compare Waikiki Reef as a working pencil drawing on tracing paper as well as a gouache painting of the finished pattern. Keoni sold the final Waikiki Reef design to Tanbro Fabrics Corporation for $125.

Keoni’s designs are well-balanced and carefully crafted to authentically convey a spirit of Hawaii. Hope notes, “Keoni was the master of choosing island themes that resonated the spirit of the Islands in an authentic, serious way, that was refined, not corny. He was very respectful for his subject matter, portraying themes accurately with artistic license that kept it fun.” The result: shirts that make the heart smile.

By focusing on a single designer, this exhibition provides an easily digestible entrée into the world of Aloha shirts. However, by nature, it excludes scores of other talented designers, manufacturers, retailers, and advertisers who contributed to the field. Such notable artists include Ethel Chun Lum, Elsie Das, Nobuji Yoshida, Jerry Chong, Vera Stone Cook, Tony Walker, Dick Lucier, Eugene Savage, and Kingfisher-born poet and artist, Don Blanding.

For a broader picture, one can delve into the book The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands. Authored by Dale Hope with Gregory Tozian, the 211-page book is filled with colorful photos and an in-depth look at Aloha shirts far beyond the museum walls.

After you visit the exhibition, odds are you will pull your aloha shirt out of the closet or want to purchase one. If you fall in the latter category, know that Western Aloha has a licensed collection of Keoni’s shirts, including a navy-blue variation of Waikiki Reef. An earlier iteration of this exhibition, titled Keoni of Hawaii: Aloha Shirt Designs 1938-1951 was developed in 1997 and displayed at the Graphics Arts Gallery of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. While this show undoubtedly makes an impact any time, one cannot help but appreciate it more at this moment in time, when so much of life has been disrupted, including travel. Although there may be trepidation in making the trek to Hawaii, one could relatively easily take some time to visit Shawnee and enjoy this unique collection of Aloha shirt artifacts.

Art of the Aloha Shirt: Keoni of Hawaii, 1938–51 is on view September 11 – October 17, 2021, at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art located at 1900 West MacArthur in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-4pm. Admission is $5 for adults. Visit mgmoa.com or call 405-878-5300 to learn more. For more information about Dale Hope and his book, The Aloha Shirt, visit thealohashirt.com. n

Kerry M. Azzarello is an artist, writer, and marketer living and working in Oklahoma City. She currently owns two Aloha shirts and can be reached at kerryazzarello@gmail.com.