As a nonprofit, our volunteer needs are always in flux. And somehow, as if by magic, we always seem to have just what we need arrive at the right moment, sometimes literally on our doorstep!
In similar fashion, several months ago we received a phone call from a young woman with an impressive and diverse background.
In our favor, she and her husband had just moved back to the islands and she was seeking opportunities to learn more about preservation in Hawaii. Trina Evensen began volunteering with us on a regular basis and has been a tremendous asset to HHF bringing with her myriad skills and talents, and a willing spirit to help where needed. Trina is now poised to continue her preservation journey as a new employee at Mason Architects and a student in Dr. Bill Chapman’s Historic Preservation Program, Department of American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
We featured an abridged version of this interview in our January, 2016 newsletter and promised the full version online. Here it is!
Historic Hawai‘i Foundation: Tell us a little about yourself—where are you from, what are your interests and hobbies?
Trina Evensen: I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, which by the turn of the century had an extensive immigrant population. My mother’s family emigrated from Naples, Italy early in the 20th century and lived downtown in an Italian-American neighborhood. After moving to the suburbs in the 1960’s the family always shared photographs and stories from the now historic neighborhood. Without a doubt this strong focus on family heritage and exposure to various historical and cultural sites at an early age had a profound effect on my interests and the desire to discover our collective past.
As a child, my aunties would take me to sites that are now on the National Historical Register and many others that continue to be significant but endangered. From Cincinnati Music Hall, to the Art Deco marvel Union Terminal, disappearing historical theaters, civil war battlegrounds, and ancient Hopewell Native American ceremonial earthworks like Fort Ancient and Serpent Mound, I was taught to seek out history and the fascination for learning people’s stories has always stuck with me.
I started coming to Hawai’i as a child to visit family. My aunty and uncle took me to places like Iolani Palace and Bishop Museum, while also introducing me to ancient Hawaiian sites and material culture along with Hawaii’s natural history. Through the years, I have been inspired to read further into Hawaii’s history and have always been most drawn to places that tell the story of everyday people in this multi-cultural landscape. Exposure to these stories is the foundation for how we perceive places of significance and the value of protecting them for future generations.
My interests have always stemmed from history, materials and nature. Primarily my core interests and activities focus on natural materials, vernacular architecture, wood science & engineering, preservation technology, adaptive reuse & design, material culture (cultivation, preparation, uses & preservation), textiles and fiber arts, ethnology, natural history, travel and photography. My volunteer and community work has focused on the built environment and human rights, historical and cultural preservation, land stewardship, sustainability, and ecosystem services.
HHF: You’ve followed an interesting educational and career path. Briefly note some of the work you’ve done and a few of the most important things you’ve learned along the way.
TE: Although previously my background was focused on interior design, I’ve always had a deep interest in cultural materials and historical sites, along with their long-term preservation. As a teenager, I began working with vintage textiles and costumes, then eventually as a restoration glass technician for Kaleidoscope Stained Glass where I received my first hands-on experience in working with historical building materials. The extensive research required for structural reports and documentation allowed me to gain an appreciation for the care and expertise required for handling these materials.
After completing a degree in interior design, I began my professional career working for the firm dwp in SE Asia. While working as an FF&E designer and eventually as a design director in this region, I was exposed to materials with a rich artistic heritage that possessed cultural clues and inspired deeper research. As a design director, I lead the development of regional local material libraries that focused heavily on heritage materials, handcraft, and their increased presence in the company’s projects. Our team made it a priority to procure our custom design work with local artisans and fabricators like the Thai furniture company Yothaka. They have organized an initiative for local villagers to turn the highly invasive weed, water hyacinth into a commodity. Since the material has excellent strength and pliability, they developed a way to weave the material to fabricate contemporary furniture and interior surface materials. In the process, they also revived culturally significant styles of weaving that had previously fallen out of favor and were in danger of being lost. In order to preserve regional heritage, many contemporary design companies in Thailand make efforts to incorporate endangered handcraft into their work.
These types of projects have inspired my personal work and originally influenced my decision to return to school in 2012 to further my technical knowledge and training in construction materials science at Oregon State University. I am now looking to expand my education and training to meld design, architecture, science, and technology to ensure the best possible care for cultural and historic properties. I have recently returned to O’ahu with my husband to pursue the Graduate Certificate in Historical Preservation and Doctorate in Architecture at UH Mānoa. I will begin working for Mason Architects as an intern this January. I am particularly interested in building science, materials conservation, and the unique environmental factors and physical phenomena affecting each specific project site. As a result of my professional work in Southeast Asia and my personal connection to Hawai’i, I plan to focus my area of study on heritage and preservation efforts within the Asia-Pacific region.
HHF: What inspired you to volunteer with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation? Has your time volunteering at HHF enhanced your understanding of preservation and its significance in Hawai‘i? If so, how?
TE: I began researching the preservation efforts of HHF before my recent arrival in Hawai’i as a student Oregon State University. The HHF website and extensive Preservation Resource Center (PRC) became my portal through which I was able to begin to understand not only how the local preservation community operates, but also how historical preservation plays out through governmental departments and other national preservation organizations. Essentially, HHF provided the direct resources that made the field of preservation initially accessible to me. It became apparent that not only did HHF provide connectivity through their strong partnerships, but also that the organization is a critical catalyst sustaining the energy and resources needed to preserve Hawaii’s unique heritage. What continues to inspire me the most is how proactive and tenacious the organization is through important programs like Hawaii’s Most Endangered Sites, community recognition through the Preservation Awards, and countless events and workshops that bring together preservation professionals, policy makers, educators, and community members to protect the Islands’ irreplaceable historic and cultural legacy. I immediately knew that I wanted to get involved with HHF and personally felt that was best done in service as a volunteer. Volunteer work has always been an integral part of my continuing education, especially in understanding what a community values and how people are organized and supported in their advocacy. Volunteering at HHF has definitely enhanced my understanding of preservation and its significance in Hawai’i. Through HHF I have been able to participate in the Hawai‘i and National Register of Historic Places Nomination Workshop, which greatly increased my understanding of the benefits of designating significant places and the nomination process. I am most grateful for the opportunity to connect with the local preservation community and to continue to experience the rich and diverse living history of Hawai’i through being involved with HHF.
HHF: What does the term “preservation” mean to you and why is it important?
TE: Future generations should not be deprived of knowing and understanding our collective past or their own personal histories because we allowed significant cultural and historical places to disappear. Preservation means embracing the challenges associated with protecting these places with passion, commitment, and dedication. Preservation means providing leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to empower communities to ensure their legacies endure. I personally believe in a more people-centric approach to preservation. It is important to remember that the power of preservation resides in the people. In the face of ever-increasing extensions of urban centers, highways, and developments, governmental programs and activities are often not enough to protect our cherished places. This is why organizations like Historic Hawai’i Foundation are so important in providing their extensive knowledge, resources, and advocacy to encourage the successful planning and execution of preservation to the people of Hawai’i.
HHF: You’ve lived and worked in Thailand. Please share any insights you gleaned from your time there related to preservation, history and/or heritage. Are there parallels/lessons for Hawai‘i to reap?
TE: Similar to Hawai’i, the tourism sector in Thailand has been recognized as one the major sources of foreign and domestic revenue. Thailand has made a concerted effort to diversify its tourism industry by focusing on cultural and heritage tourism in addition to its known reputation as a leisure destination. Visiting World Heritage sites like the historic city of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai are some of the best known examples of heritage tourism promoted for both Thai and foreign visitors. Of course, heritage is more than ancient temples and ruins. Thailand’s culture and heritage has remained at the forefront of the country’s policies regarding preservation and tourism. It is a significant lesson that despite the present emphasis on cultural tourism, heritage remains as a marginal significance for foreign visitors in Thailand. However, the country’s focus on heritage tourism has greatly expanded the domestic tourism sector, which could provide an interesting case study for increasing heritage tourism for Hawai’i from domestic mainland visitors. Especially, with strategic national partnerships and additional exposure provided through the National Trust for Historic Preservation and supporting tourism and marketing agencies. Thailand continues to face many of the same preservation threats that Hawai’i does concerning foreign investment and expanding new development. Important Hawai’i forums like the inaugural “Hawai’i Heritage & Hospitality Forum” held in 2014 are an integral part of promoting the islands’ history and culture to visitors. Bringing the tourism and heritage industries together with community stakeholders is the key to providing a high quality visitor experience that facilitates the preservation of heritage as well.
HHF: What are a couple of possible future scenarios you might envision for your professional life 10 years down the line?
TE: Ultimately, it is my long-term professional goal to be a licensed project architect with an expertise in historic architecture and materials conservation. I also look forward to not only learning, but also researching and writing historic structure reports, historical register nomination forms, and HABS/HAER documentation. I plan to continue professional training and field work with organizations like ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) and APTI (The Association for Preservation Technology International) to focus on issues like conservation of built heritage, emerging technologies, and protecting cultural heritage and historic structures from disasters. Most importantly I strive to someday be considered a key resource myself with the ability to share my own knowledge and experiences to provide case studies, discussions, and resources to anyone with an interest in preservation. I am also very excited about the potential to be a part of bringing a Preservation Green Lab to Hawai’i in connection with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Preservation Green Lab integrates sustainability with historic preservation by developing research, demonstration projects and policies that decrease demolition and promote building reuse.
HHF: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our preservation ‘ohana?
TE: To expand on the previous question, I would also like to mention that during the time I was living in Thailand, the Thai government had focused on expanding and strengthening cultural heritage through its design-driven programs for economic revitalization. The nation-wide initiatives were centered on transforming the country into a creative economy in which knowledge, skills, local traditions, and technology were used to develop cultural assets into new products and services. Many of these industries not only focused on implementation of innovative technologies, but also on preserving Thai culture in a modern economy. As an expatriate, a significant amount of my exposure and gained appreciation for traditional Thai culture and heritage was due to the increased support for the development of creative Thai industries and the arts. I am looking forward to seeing more policy and community driven initiatives to expand, strengthen, and support traditional material culture, creativity and arts here in Hawai’i as another aspect of preservation.