Inspiration comes in many forms: It could be a piece of artwork that changes your vision of the world, or it could be a phone call from a friend that spawns an international art phenomenon.
In 2010, artist Jasper Wong was running a small art gallery in Hong Kong and decided to curate a show that highlighted the process of creating art and collaborations between artists. He asked five friends to live and paint together for a week, and invited guests to not only view their finished work but also watch them as they created it.
Meanwhile, back on Wong's native island of Oahu in Hawaii, fellow artist Kamea Hadar was busy finishing a family-founded creative space called Utopium, which was designed to house artists and promote creativity. He received a phone call from Wong, a former high school classmate, and heard that Wong wanted to bring to Hawaii the same kind of art program that he had created in Hong Kong. Hadar, of course, had just the place.