East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center is sustained not only by its exhibitions, theater and music performances, workshops, and beloved Youth Art Series programs, but also by the people who deeply believe in its purpose. This month, we extend a heartfelt mahalo to Mike Shewmaker, a longtime supporter whose connection to EHCC stretches back more than four decades.

 

 

Mike first encountered EHCC shortly after moving to Hilo in the mid-1980s. As an artist himself, he was drawn to the Center as a place to experience art, share his own work, and connect with the local creative community. Over the years, that early relationship evolved into something much deeper: a lasting commitment to the future of EHCC and to the role it plays in Hilo’s cultural life.

 

For Mike, supporting EHCC has always been about more than simply keeping the doors open. He believes art is essential to human life and that communities need places where people can encounter it, make it, and be transformed by it. He has long seen EHCC as one of those rare and vital places.

That belief inspired Mike to contribute not only financially, but practically and generously. Over the years, he has invested significant time, labor, and resources in strengthening EHCC’s facilities—especially the ceramics studio, which he helped transform into the space we have today. His vision has always been rooted in possibility: if the community has the space and the tools, people will come.

 

Mike also speaks with deep affection for downtown Hilo and sees EHCC as part of what makes it unique. In his view, the Center is not a luxury, but a necessary part of a larger arts ecosystem that includes other organizations across East Hawaiʻi. To lose EHCC, he says, would be a tremendous blow to the community.

 

At the same time, Mike’s support has always come from a place of honesty. He cares deeply about EHCC’s long-term sustainability and wants to see it not merely survive from year to year, but truly endure. That commitment to longevity — to ensuring that EHCC remains here for future generations — is at the heart of his generosity.

 

Mike also shared how meaningful EHCC’s youth arts programming is to him and his wife, Keiko, and expressed appreciation for the staff and teaching artists who help make those programs possible. His reflections remind us that support for EHCC is also support for the young people, artists, and audiences whose lives are shaped here.

 

We are profoundly grateful for Mike’s many years of friendship, care, candor, and belief in EHCC. His story is a reminder that institutions like ours are built over time by people who continue to show up, imagine more, and invest in what matters.