HONOLULU — Water Dods, Jr. and Jay Shidler donated a sculpture by the late Bumpei Akaji to the University of Hawaii, installing it outside the new Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center in a ceremony on June 15. 

What You Need To Know

  • Kauai-born artist Bumpei Akaji created the sculpture in 1979 as a gift to the late Masaru “Pundy” Yokouchi, founding chairperson of Hawaii’s State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

  • Water Dods, Jr. and Jay Shidler bought the sculpture from Yokouchi’s estate on Maui

  • The sculpture was installed in front of the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center in a ceremony on June 15

Both men are alumni of UH Manoa, according to a news release.  

Kauai-born artist Akaji created the sculpture in 1979 as a gift to the late Masaru “Pundy” Yokouchi, founding chairperson of Hawaii’s State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. 

Dods and Shidler bought the sculpture from Yokouchi’s estate on Maui. Dods named the sculpture “RISE,” like the building it now sits in front of, with permission from Yokouchi’s family. 

“I thought it’d be cool to name it RISE, and bringing it back to Metcalf Street is just incredible,” Dods said in a statement. 

Dignitaries were on hand for the installation of Bumpei Akaji's sculpture at the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center including, (from left, in front of sculpture, wearing lei) Tim Dolan, UH VP for Advancement and UH Foundation CEO; Jay Shidler, UH Manoa alumnus and philanthropist; Susan Yamada, UH Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship Board Chair; and Walter Dods, UH alumnus and longtime UH donor. (Screenshot courtesy of the University of Hawaii)
Dignitaries were on hand for the installation of Bumpei Akaji's sculpture at the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center including, (from left, in front of sculpture, wearing lei) Tim Dolan, UH VP for Advancement and UH Foundation CEO; Jay Shidler, UH Manoa alumnus and philanthropist; Susan Yamada, UH Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship Board Chair; and Walter Dods, UH alumnus and longtime UH donor. (Screenshot courtesy of the University of Hawaii)

Akaji was one of seven Asian-American artists who attended UH Manoa after World War II and rendezvoused at the “Metcalf Chateau,” a house they rented at 2220 Metcalf Street. The RISE Center is located nearby at the corner of University Avenue and Metcalf Street. 

The late artist was a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during the war. After his military service, he stayed in Italy to study painting and sculpture with a Fulbright Scholarship. In 1950, he returned to Honolulu to attend UH Manoa, becoming the first person to receive a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from the university.

The RISE building, or Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs, opened to students in Aug. 2023. RISE also has meeting, co-working and maker spaces, which are run by the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, located in UH Manoa’s Shidler College of Business.

UH named the RISE building for Dods after he donated $5 million to support the programs operated by the Pacific Asian Center Entrepreneurship. 

Along with donating the sculpture to UH, Dods brought it from Maui to Honolulu with help from Matson, Royal Contracting and Island Movers, who all donated their services.  

Artist and consultant Kelly Sueda oversaw the restoration and installation of the sculpture.