Dr. Terence (Terry) Liu is Associate Director for Eyes Wide Open, a Kaua’i-based state-of-the-art media facility with a local and international mission to document and assist others in telling their story through video, music, art & multimedia dimensions.
Terry is also a free lance (volunteer) consultant on Kaua’i island engaged with Kaua’i County Office of Economic Development, Rice Street Business Association, and Garden Island Arts Council in a creative community projects for the historic Lihue town center in coordination with the renovation of a Kress department store building into an arts center and an ongoing US DOE TIGER grant to support reconstruction of Rice Street.
In January 2017, Terry Liu was hired to serve as Hawai’i Arts Alliance consultant and served as Interim CEO from August 1, 2017 to September 30, 2019. As Interim CEO, he developed a conceptual framework and strategy to strengthen education, community, and advocacy missions. Dr. Liu brought to Hawai’i Arts Alliance decades of first hand observation of evolution in grant making and philanthropy. He hired Dr. Sara Mizban, psychologists, to develop a mental health and creative wellness program, Dr. Teri Skillman, public sector ethnomusicologist to serve as Associate Director, and turned over the CEO helm to Aaron Salā, the astoundingly qualified Hawaiian musician, ethnomusicologist, and networker on October 1, 2019.
Liu worked at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Folk & Traditional Arts (1990-1996) and Arts Education (2000-2016) programs. He consulted hundreds of applicants annually, managed panel reviews, and processed grants. He gained communication skills as a federal employee assisting non-profit organizations seeking grants. He was also the agency’s collateral duty EEO counselor and helped found the NEA employees union to improve communication between management and staff.
When he was temporarily laid off from the NEA (1996-1999) due to national politics and downsizing Terry Liu served as Folk and Traditional Arts Manager for Arts Council for Long Beach California where he managed budget, contracted field workers, produced events, raised funds, and gave technical assistance to community-based traditional arts organizations throughout Southern California. During that time, Terry Liu, Amy Kitchener, and David Roche founded the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. ACTA has assets today are over $1.5 million.
He has degree in violin performance from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music (1979), a MA Ethnomusicology from University of Hawai’i at Manoa
(1982), and a PhD Ethnomusicology from Kent State University (1988). Dr. Liu plays violin in mariachis, electric bass and electric violin in rock bands, and is Usui Reiki Shinpiden (master) Level teacher and practitioner.
