The big changes and improvements at the Visitor Center at Hunting Island State Park are nearly completed. A total renovation of the inside of the building has been underway since May 2019 and includes interactive exhibits, models, and walls covered in art.
It’s not your typical facelift, and it’s quite a stunning transformation.
The interior underwent a dramatic transformation, with its walls and ceiling all joined together in a mural painted by local artist Aki Kato.
Kato, who has spent his whole life working as an artist, has been painting a complete surround mural depicting the various ecologies of the island.
Nature meets art
Included in the murals painted by Kato are a salt marsh, the maritime forest, the dunes, the beach, and the ocean. The skies and landscapes include many of the plants and animals that live on the island.
The murals took several months to complete and visitors have been welcomed to watch the transformation and Kato has welcomed visitors into the main room once a week to see the progress of his work and to answer questions.
“It is almost completed and the scale model of the Harbor Island bridge created by local talented craftsman Merlin Redfern was displayed in front of my mural,” Kato said in a Facebook post.
“We are very proud of the free-standing turtle rescue exhibit,” he added. “It is mainly for young visitors to learn how our environment affects the survival of sea turtles and make kids think about how to prevent manmade pollutions.”
Larger birds of prey including ospreys, wood storks, bald eagles, pelicans and laughing gulls created by Hilton Head sculptor Kelly Richard have been hung from ceiling, and Hunting Island State Park Rangers cut parts of one of the beach’s signature ‘boneyard trees’, which will be placed next to Kato’s mural.
Other additions
Additional work to the Visitor Center includes new walls, paint and lighting fixtures and the carpeting was replaced with hardwood flooring. The Center will also house a theater for longer films, and a touch screen display presenting five short videos about important features of the island: The Lighthouse, The Turtles of Hunting Island, The History of Hunting Island, Barrier Island Ecology, and the Civilian Conservation Corps Builds the Harbor River Swing Bridge.
“Next year, additional displays will be added to the room, including a virtual lighthouse so those who cannot climb to the top can see the 360-degree view,” said Carol Corbin, Vice President of Friends of Hunting Island State Park, the organization overseeing the work.
Also, to commemorate the Harbor River swing bridge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps that connected Hunting Island with Saint Helena Island, Merlin Redfern, a former Friends of Hunting Island board member, architect, and builder, constructed a scale model of the bridge.
The bridge model will open and close using the actual lever and lights from the bridge’s wheelhouse after the bridge replacement project is completed.
The brand new Visitor Center expects to be reopened soon, but the front desk and restrooms have remained open throughout the renovations to accommodate all visitors.
Look for a grand opening announcement to come sometime soon.
Follow Kato’s work on his Facebook page, Studio Aki, and also visit Friends of Hunting Island.
Photos courtesy Aki Kato.
