Allison Milham ~ California

Allison Leialoha Milham is an educator, artist and songwriter of Native Hawaiian descent. She holds a BFA in Studio Art from San Francisco State University and an MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama.

Allison Milham: “Art-making allows me to explore and bridge gaps in my understanding of myself and the world. I aim to illuminate aspects of our humanity with which we're unaware of or have lost touch with; giving voice to unsung heroes and untold histories. Art becomes simply a vehicle for putting forth information, raising awareness and encouraging positive action. I value community-engaged creative practices, and focus on raising awareness around social and environmental issues I see as critical. My work is increasingly influenced by Indigenous social movements and relationship with place.”

Mauna Kea Calling
By Allison Milham
Atascadero, California: Allison Milham, 2021. Edition of 38.

6 x 6”; 20 pages. Soft-cover pamphlet binding. Letterpress printing and sumi ink on Reeves Heavyweight paper, abaca from the Morgan Conservatory. Handmade cotton paper covers. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Colophon: “’Mauna Kea Calling’ was designed, hand-printed and bound by Allison Leialoha Milham (Morning Hour Press) in the winter of 2021. The type was digitally set in Edita Book and printed letterpress from photopolymer plates on Rives Heavyweight mould made paper. Bound in handmade cotton-rag paper covers. Endsheets are abaca from the Morgan Conservatory, patterned with sumi ink and silver letterpress text featuring my mother's favorite chant, Nā ‘Aumākua.

“Translations included in the book are from the online Hawaiian Language dictionary, wehewehe.org. Transcriptions from the thousands of K?naka Maoli who spoke out for their sovereignty at the DOI hearings can be read at doi.gov/Hawaiian/reorg and videos of testimony as well as additional information about the 'Aha can be found on the Facebook page, A'ole DOI Final Rule Testimonials. Keep up with the movement to protect Mauna Kea and Hawaiian rights by following @protectmaunakea and @ainamomona.

“This book was published in a limited edition of 38 copies. The first eight are included as part of the artists' book project ‘Pilina Everlasting’.”

Allison Milham, Project Statement: “’Mauna Kea Calling’ is a short pamphlet containing an essay written by my mother, Mary Alice Ka'iulani Milham shortly after her move home to Hawai'i in 2015 when she became involved in the struggle to protect Mauna Kea. In this short piece, she speaks to several issues affecting Native Hawaiians as the result of U.S. colonization and militarism in our islands and the devastating effects their presence continues to have on our land and waters. Also included is a brief forward that introduces my mother and her work, as well as a transcription of her testimony given at the Department of Interior hearing, which she references in her essay.

“My mother was a fierce aloha ‘ āina warrior who devoted much of her life to flighting for Hawaiian rights and the protection of our earth. I dedicate this project to her, in honor of our eternal bond and our shared commitment to protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and sacred relationships with āina”

• ‘āina = land
• aloha ‘āina = patriot
• Nā ‘Aumākua = Elders
• Mauna Kea = White Mountain

$300 (Last Copy)

Pilina Everlasting
By Allison Milham
Atascadero, California: Allison Leialoha Milham, 2022. Edition of 8.

7.5 x 7.5 x 1.75 “(closed) / 25 x 7.5 x 1.75 ” (open). Composed, designed, printed and bound by Allison Leialoha Milham. Text and images printed letterpress from photopolymer plates with added layers of sumi ink washes on Rives Heavyweight and handmade papers. Other papers include abaca from the Morgan Conservatory and cover sheets from Cave Paper. Boxed set: “On the slopes of Kilauna; Mauna Kea Calling ; acrylic record. Signed and numbered by Milham.

The 7-inch record was cut into clear acrylic by LatheCuts in Tucson. In an effort to better integrate the music into the viewing experience, a built-in sound piece containing a sample from the record is triggered when the box is opened. Music was composed at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and recorded at home.

WorldCat: “All components of the project are contained in a hand-made portfolio-style box, black cloth over boards, with a central tray, flanked on each side by two covers attached by hinges that fold over the internal tray to close; the outer front cover has the illustration from "Mauna Kea calling" pastedown at center; the inner front cover has printed label with titles; decorated endsheets patterned using sumi ink and text from the oli, 'N? ?Aum?kua'; central tray is divided into two sections by a cut paper design resembling a volcanic landscape mounted over a clear acrylic board; the upper level of the tray includes two small books: (1) an untitled, illustrated 8-page accordion-fold volume with continuous text beginning: "on the slopes of Ki¯lauea..." and (2) copy of "Mauna Kea calling," which includes a paper pull tab attached to the back cover to facilitate removing items from the tray; the lower level of the tray contains a printed copy of the artist's statement about the project in decorated wrappers and a record sleeve with a paper pull tab attached, also patterned with the text from 'N? ?Aum?kua,' intended to house a seven-inch lathe-cut recording made by the artist; the box also includes a battery-operated sound element; a clear strip of acrylic in the hinge triggers the sound piece to play when the box is opened; the tray that holds the books and record sleeve is magnetic to the base of the case, so the tray can be lifted off when the battery needs changing”

Allison Milham: "DRAWING ON INDIGENOUS WAYS OF KNOWING and the ever-shifting volcanic landscapes of Hawai‘i Island, Pilina Everlasting is a meditation on loss and love that honors my experience of grief and the ways I’ve found healing through forging new intimacies with ‘aina (the land) and na kupuna (my ancestors). The sounds and sequences of text & image offer moments of connection and belonging within an ever-changing environment, cycling through life and death. Themes of pilina (connection, relationship), loss and transformation are explored through music and print.

"The project began during a monthlong songwriting residency in September of 2018 at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, shortly after losing my mom to pancreatic cancer. Being on Hawai‘i Island—the place where my ancestors come from and where my mom and I had spent time together—was a deep comfort during my early stages of grief. When I arrived, the massive eruptions occurring that spring and summer along the Lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea had just subsided. The recent devastation of forests and homes resonated. At the same time, a sense of hope was felt with the creation of new ‘aina—Pele’s work, and with the slow but sure succession of plant growth—lichens and mosses followed by ferns, shrubs and ‘ohi‘a—the gifts of Hi‘iaka, Pele’s sister.

"While there, I learned the mo‘olelo (stories) associated with the places I visited. I practiced ‘ o lelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), learned my first oli (chant) and cultivated my skills of kilo (observation). I was beginning the journey of reforging connections and finding myself in the wake of losing the closest person in my life. There were endless ways I felt my inner experience mirrored in the landscape surrounding me and I was blessed with an abiding sense of feeling seen and loved.

"As part of this project, I’ve included a short pamphlet featuring an essay by mom. She wrote Mauna Kea Calling shortly after her move home to Hawai‘i in 2015 when she became involved in the struggle to protect Mauna Kea. In this short piece, she speaks to several issues affecting Native Hawaiians as the result of ongoing US occupation and militarism in our islands. I dedicate this project to her, in honor of our eternal bond and our shared commitment to protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and sacred relationships with ‘aina.

“Following my time in Hawai‘i I worked on the text, images and structure in fits and starts at various artist residencies including Paper Machine, In Cahoots and The Press at Colorado College. The printing of Mauna Kea Calling was done during my time as visiting faculty at UA’s Book Arts Program in the winter of 2021. The rest of the printing and binding was completed at home in my tiny studio in the redwoods in early 2022. I couldn’t have done it without the loving support and encouragement from my family and many sweet friends as I processed through grief and prolonged creative paralysis.”
( SOLD/Out of print)

Uluhaimalama Legacies of Lili'uokalani
By Allison Milham
Tallahassee, Florida: Great Basin Press, 2012. Edition of 50.

12.25 x 12.25" custom sectioned clamshell box containing pamphlet, postcards, lei-making kit, lyrics sheet, record in sleeve, stencil-cut portrait. Letterpress printed. Images and text printed from photopolymer plates and laser engraved wood blocks on handmade cotton/abaca, chipboard, and French Papers. Edition of 50: 10 deluxe, 40 standard. Both versions bound in illustrated printed papers. Standard copies are quarter-cloth bound; deluxe copies are quarter-leather. Title blind embossed on spine.

Contents: Pamphlet, "Uncovering Hawai'i's Past - Beyond Textbooks & Travel Guides": 5.5 x 8.5", 28 pages (handbound, illustrated wraps, project colophon printed on bottom of this section in the box); Postcards, "Let the Story Be Told": 3.5 x 4.5"; 4 cards (laid in chipboard wraps with printed band closure; lei making kit: 2 x 3.75" black envelope containing 49 paper flowers, thread provided, instructions included on bottom of custom section for envelope); Music by Queen Lili'uokalani: 33 1/3 rpm record of music selections (slightly less than 40 minutes play time) in printed 12 x 12" sleeve, lyrics printed on 24 x 12" sheet, folded once forming 4 pages; Portrait of Queen Lili'uokalani: 12 x 12" one stencil-cut sheet.

Allison Milham: "This project explores the occupied state of Hawai'i; it's political past and history of organized resistance. Milham combines music composed by Queen Lili'uokalani, (played and recorded by the artist), with a detailed portrayal of Hawai'i's story contained within the accompanying album, artwork, and packaging. The content plays out in an interactive uncovering; an intense discovery of successive layers to be sifted through, understood and felt. Postcards, 12" laser-cut stencil, booklet and other items of ephemera become tools, allowing the viewer to turn their newly acquired knowledge into action.

"Being one quarter Native Hawaiian, this project is very personal, honoring my family and heritage, but it also speaks to my interests in activism, sharing history and my efforts for social change."
(SOLD/Out of Print)