Artwork will be inspired by
Hawai'i's Pledge To Our Keiki
HONOLULU, March 9,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of more than 15
years of service in the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska Airlines is
partnering with Hawaiʻi-based illustrator, Shar Tuiʻasoa of Punky
Aloha Studio to design our second special-edition painted aircraft
in honor of the Aloha State. The artwork for the new aircraft will
reflect Hawaiʻi's Pledge To Our Keiki and will be revealed later
this year.
Tuiʻasoa is an acclaimed illustrator and author known for her
bold, colorful, and strikingly modern graphic style that showcases
Polynesian heritage. Punky Aloha Studio is Tui'asoa's illustration
studio where she creates illustrations for murals, books,
magazines, and product packaging. The Hawai'i-born artist has
worked with Amazon, Disney, Target, AT&T, Sephora, The
New York Times and many other
recognized companies.
"I'm excited to partner with Alaska Airlines to design a
powerful message in a unique way to a global audience," said
Tui'asoa. "I'm honored to draw inspiration from our keiki
(children) who have pledged their commitment to mālama 'āina
(care for the land) and hope that the end result will motivate
others to do the same."
The desire to work with Tuiʻasoa has been on the minds of
employees for a while now, with Alaska's employee-led Pacific Islander
Alliance (one of the company's 12 Business Resource Groups) having
passionately advocated for her work as a skilled artist proudly
representing Hawaiʻi and Pacific Islander culture.
"With the recent retirement of our first Hawaiʻi-themed livery,
we are thrilled to work with another local artist to honor our
connection to the Islands," said Daniel
Chun, Alaska Airlines' Hawaiʻi director of sales, community,
and public relations. "We love Shar's work, and we share many of
the same values and commitment to Hawaiʻi. It's our goal to not
just paint an airplane, but to carry the message about being a
mindful traveler and invite our guests to join us in caring for
Hawai'i and the many places we live and fly."
Last year, Alaska partnered
with Hawaiʻi non-profit, Kanu Hawaiʻi and signed the Pledge To Our
Keiki – an invitation for residents and visitors to give back
during their time in the Islands. Students from schools across the
state created the Pledge as a commitment to respect and care for
the island places they call home so that future generations can
continue to enjoy all that Hawai'i has to offer. This week,
Alaska joined Kanu Hawai'i,
Hawai'i Governor Josh Green,
Superintendent of Education Keith
Hayashi and other partners in a conference to support the
launch of the Pledge To Our Keiki throughout Hawaiʻi's public
schools.
In 2013, Alaska painted our
first Hawaiʻi-themed airplane after hosting a statewide
"Paint-the-Plane" contest for local students, in partnership with
the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and Hawaiʻi Association
of Independent Schools. Dubbed the "Spirit of the Islands," the
unique paint theme depicted Hawaiʻi's cultural diversity and was
designed by a local artist and Honolulu high school junior Aaron Nee. Nee's design was selected from among
more than 2,700 submissions by students across the Hawaiian
Islands. After nearly a decade of flying throughout Alaska's route network, the Spirit of the
Islands was ready for a repaint and the livery was recently
retired.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional
partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa
Rica and Mexico. We strive
to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service
and an industry-leading loyalty program. Alaska is a member of the oneworld
global alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline
partners, our guests can travel to more than 900 destinations on
more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights
to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and
follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska
Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air
Group.
About Punky Aloha Studio / Shar
Tuiʻasoa
Shar Tuiʻasoa is an illustrator and
business owner based in Kailua,
Hawaiʻi, where she was born and has lived for most of her life.
After studying fine art for six years at Windward Community College on the island of Oʻahu,
she ventured off to California and
earned her BFA in illustration from Laguna
College of Art and Design. She started Punky Aloha Studio in
2018, and has worked with clients including Guess, The New York Times, AT&T, Hawai'i Business
Magazine, Hawai'i Magazine, Foodland, Honolulu Museum of Art and
more. To learn more about Shar, follow her on Instagram at
@punkyaloha or visit her website at punkyaloha.com.
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines