RAW:natural born artists Honolulu

Disclosure: I was provided complimentary admission.

One night a month from February to October, RAW:natural born artists - an organization that nurtures the creativity of aspiring fashion designers, photographers, hair & makeup artists, visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, models, and performance artists, hosts an event that combines food, fun, and art in various cities throughout the world. 

Locally, RAW:Honolulu, which is run by Showcase Director Cy Carnate, held its first event in June of 2012, and ever since, local artists have been flaunting their talents.

I attended a RAW event which took place at Aloha Beer Company this past Saturday.

It was my very first RAW event, and although there were a lot less artists than I expected to see, I was still very intrigued with the eclectic mix of artists that showcased their photographs, short films, fashion designs, artwork, jewelry, and musical and vocal talents.   

Items on display (and for sale) included art by Cordelia Edison of Cordelia Creatives, amazing ocean photography prints by 14-year old Jeff Bautista, cute and funky fashions from Ancient Design Clothing by Nelli, beautiful jewelry by Shell Eisenberg of Lumyierre Arts, custom grip tape art for skateboards by GrippTide, and so much more.

Throughout the night several musicians performed (they were all fantastic, but the highlight for me was 11-year old Aidan James singing and rocking out on his ukulele), short films were shown, and a fashion show was held which promoted clothing designers and well as hair and make-up artists.

Overall, I personally enjoyed the variety of genres represented, and I discovered so many inspiring artists.

RAW:Honolulu is a great venue that brings together people from all over the island to support the local talent of a diverse group of artists

People of all ages are welcome to attend (yes, children too).  Admission is $10 pre-sale; $15 at the door. Drinks and food (a limited menu) are available for purchase, and I would advise to come early  to get a table (doors open at 7pm).

To find out when the next RAW:Honolulu event is, click here.

To find a RAW event near you, click here.

If you know of an artist to be featured at RAW, or maybe you're an artist yourself, register on the website and the local showcase director will contact you.