One of the themes that has come forward for us, that the pandemic depths remind, is that the economic transformation we collectively seek for Hawaiʻi – just, place-based, and abundant – requires our sustained investment in advancing the “technology of community.” (McKibben, 2009) We have seen anew our shared critical mandate to see the humanity in one another, create together, and transgress our individual limits to uplift a greater vision of hope. A greater aspiration.
In 2022, HIR is developing its first-ever impact residency as it expands and deepens community-building in its core work. Residencies have been successfully used by companies, organizations and agencies around the globe for catalyzing creativity, co-learning and co-creation, and accessing a greater multiplicity of perspectives, approaches, and tools. Miwa Tamanaha serves as HIR’s first “artist-in-residence,” where she will provide mentorship and co-create community-building practices with the HIR team.
Together, we will strive to grow community-building as both an art and a praxis in HIR’s vision, strategy, and actions for place-based economic transformation in Hawaiʻi, and the world.