Honolulu, Hawaii

Welcome to Downtown Art Center!


Current Main Gallery Exhibition

“Interpreting the Wild” with Hiroki Morinoue, Setsuko Watanabe-Morinoue and Miho Morinoue
On view February 17 - March 29, 2024

Exhibition Events:
 

  • Opening Reception: Saturday, February 17 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. (Free and open to the public - artists in attendance)

  • Artist Talk and Gallery Walkthrough: Sunday, Feb 18 from 2-4 p.m. (Free and open to the public - artists in attendance)

  • First Friday Reception: Friday, March 1 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. (Free and open to the public -artists not in attendance)

Downtown Art Center is thrilled to present two very special exhibitions in our Main Gallery and Courtyard Gallery: “Interpreting the Wild,” a collection of the work of Hawai‛i Island artists Hiroki Morinoue, Setsuko Watanabe-Morinoue and Miho Morinoue in the Main Gallery, and “Mokuhanga: Building on Tradition,” featuring a group of artists that have been studying mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing) under legendary printmaking pioneer Hiroki Morinoue through the Donkey Mill Art Center

About Hiroki Morinoue: 

A native of Holualoa, Hawaiʻi, Hiroki Morinoue received his BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts with high honors in 1973 and studied sumi-e painting and mokuhanga printmaking in the early 1980s. Over the course of his 40+ year career, he has worked in a variety of media and received numerous awards for outstanding work in his field. 

Morinoue is one of the founders and the volunteer Artistic Advisor for Donkey Mill Art Center, the home of the Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture. He was designated a Living Treasure of Hawaiʻi by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission in 1996, and named a Distinguished Artist by Honolulu Printmakers at their 85th Annual Exhibition in 2013. 

His artwork may also be seen in the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum (Capitol Modern) collection, The Honolulu Museum of Art, The National Parks Collection, The de Young Museum print collection in San Francisco, and the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo. His art in public places include the Honolulu State Library, Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Pahoa High School and Library, and First Hawaiian Bank locations in Honolulu and Kona, Hawaiʻi.

About Setsuko Morinoue:

Born in Kanagawa, Japan, Setsuko Watanabe Morinoue’s interest in the arts began with photography and transformed into a love for fiber arts, natural dyes, mixed media painting, printmaking and ceramics. She carries a visionary spirit and is one of the founding members of Hōlualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture which established the Donkey Mill Art Center.

She has participated in numerous group shows in Japan, Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland, and has received several awards for her clay works in both 2D and 3D, paintings, printmaking, and mixed media. Her works in private, public, and corporate collections include Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawai’i State Art Museum (HiSAM),  First Hawaiian Bank locations in Honolulu, Kailua-Kona and Guam, Bank of Hawaii, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Advanced Medical Nutrition in Hayward, California, and Onsen Ryokan “Yamaki” in Tochigi, Japan.

About Miho Morinoue:

Miho Kanani Morinoue is a Hawaii based artist living in Holualoa, Hawaii. Raised by two visual artists, Hiroki and Setsuko Morinoue, she has an extensive background in both art and dance. She has had a 10-year career with Complexions Contemporary Ballet Co. in NYC and has danced with Esse Aficionado, Lar Lubovich, Lee Whitchel and Neo Labos. On separate commissions she has collaborated closely with choreographer Dwight Rhoden as a rehearsal director and costume designer for dance companies throughout the mainland. Her costume designs are represented in companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Met, North Carolina Dance Theater, Pittsburgh Ballet, and many others. Her art can be found in the collections of the Library of Congress, DC and the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY. Currently she serves as Program Director for the Donkey Mill Art Center, home to the Holualoa Foundation for Culture and the Arts.


Current Courtyard Gallery Exhibition

Mokuhanga: Building on Tradition
On View February 17 - March 29, 2024

Exhibition Events:
 

  • Opening Reception: Saturday, February 17 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. (Free and open to the public)

  • Artist Talk and Gallery Walkthrough: Sunday, Feb 18 from 2-4 p.m. (Free and open to the public)

  • First Friday Reception: Friday, March 1 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. (Free and open to the public)

Downtown Art Center is thrilled to present two very special exhibitions in our Main Gallery and Courtyard Gallery: “Interpreting the Wild,” a collection of the work of Hawai‛i Island artists Hiroki Morinoue, Setsuko Watanabe-Morinoue and Miho Morinoue in the Main Gallery, and “Mokuhanga: Building on Tradition,” featuring a group of artists that have been studying mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing) under legendary printmaking pioneer Hiroki Morinoue through the Donkey Mill Art Center

During the pandemic, the Donkey Mill Art Center hosted its very first virtual mokuhanga class designed for beginners, under legendary printmaking pioneer Hiroki Morinoue. This online course brought together a wonderful group of local and mainland artists that celebrates three years of continued practice in mokuhanga. Participants inspire each other by sharing their curiosities, challenges, styles and techniques. Featured artists include:

Meredith Yasui
Faith Stone
Heide Cumes
Cydney Taylor
Bob Danhieux
Paul Byron
Dorothy Remington
Micha Croft
Gerald Walsh
Arlene Widrevitz
Kathleen Hargrave

Photo courtesy Miho Morinoue


Current Classroom Exhibition

Making Art for Art’s Sake
On View March 1-May 31, 2024

First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, March 1 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

This student and teacher show in the DAC Classroom features art and craft projects created during our popular Saturday afternoon workshops, Making Art for Art’s Sake, every Saturday from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Instructed by diverse teaching artists, each class introduces exciting projects to spark your imagination and hone new art-making skills in different mediums, like printmaking, watercolor painting, bookmaking, pyrography, and more. Unleash your inner artist in a welcoming environment, where the emphasis is on playfulness, open-mindedness, and pure fun. Whether you're taking your first steps into creativity or looking to explore new artistic avenues, these classes are designed for everyone. Join us weekly to discover a variety of projects that inspire and encourage self-expression. Sign up for a session at downtownarthi.org/classes today!


Upcoming Events & Exhibitions

  • Spring 2024 DAC Art Classes

    Jump-start your creativity for the new year with our 2024 DAC art classes! Hone your painting skills, take a self-improvement workshop, create fun make & take projects with our weekly Saturday Art for Art’s Sake classes, and more!

  • NEW Sunset Arts Market at Fort Street Mall

    Friday, March 22 from 4 - 7 p.m.
    Free and open to the public!

    Save the date! Sunset Arts Market at Fort Street Mall is a new evening arts market produced by Downtown Art Center, and focused on activating the historic Fort Street Mall at Pauahi Street with a spotlight on local art, live music, fashion, and food.

  • Storytelling Night With Special Guest Roger Jenkins

    Saturday, March 30 from 7-8 p.m.

    Renowned international storyteller and drama teacher Roger Jenkins from SIngapore is the special guest at this fun, FREE special storytelling event, presented by DAC and Honolulu-based master storyteller Jeff Gere.

    No RSVP necessary, just show up!

  • HEART of Honolulu Art Street Festival

    Saturday, April 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Save the date for our next HEART of Honolulu Art Street Festival! We're inviting artists and arts organizations to take to the streets, as we shut down Nuuanu Avenue in Chinatown and open it to pedestrian traffic for everyone to experience and enjoy the HEART of the Chinatown Arts District, including art, free make & take crafts, live music, food, creative local vendors, performances and more.

  • Upcoming Exhibition: 2024 Hawaii Watercolor Society Members' Show

    On View April 2-27 in the Main Gallery

    First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, April 5 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

    With a theme of FLOW: The Liquid World of Watercolor and Glass, this annual HWS exhibition features work by 33 member artists, all working with water media. Subject matter ranges from landscapes and botanicals to figures to abstract. Also featured will be recent works by Hawaii glass artists (not juried).

    The juror for this show is esteemed watercolor artist Dan Marshall, a popular demonstrator and instructor from Denver, Colorado.

    Find out more at hawaiiwatercolorsociety.org.

  • Upcoming Exhibition: Pastel Artists of Hawaii Open Juried Show: Beauty of Pastels

    On View in the Courtyard Gallery April 3-27

    First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, April 5 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

    Pastel Artists of Hawaii presents their annual Open Juried Show, April 3 - 27 at Downtown Art Center. The juror this year is Teresa Saia, an IAPS Master Pastelist and a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society. Recognized by numerous national awards, her paintings embody a passion she feels for all her subject matter - believing it is necessary to continually develop, explore and grow, living a life devoted to art and bringing art to life.


DAC Special Projects & Community Action

  • Vacant to Vibrant

    Downtown Honolulu and its historic Chinatown Arts District are in trouble. Once the vital heart of the Pacific business community, multiple circumstances, including economic downturns and the COVID pandemic, has changed a once-vibrant area into a struggling historic arts, entertainment, and restaurant district with blocks of abandoned real estate and rising crime and vandalism.

    However, with change comes opportunity. The time is right to start the conversation about how Downtown Honolulu and the Chinatown Arts District can be transformed into a vibrant community that attracts both locals and visitors alike. Downtown Art Center’s Vacant to Vibrant project, with several phases planned, aims to prove that these vacant spaces can come alive again, as valuable hubs of art, creativity, and community involvement.

  • Public Art WORKS!

    The objective of DAC’s telephone kiosk painting project was to beautify Chinatown’s Fort Street Mall area by transforming its five obsolete, damaged telephone kiosks into works of art. The selected designs, by local artists Su Shen Atta, Yvonne Manipon, Sergio Garzon, Kahi Ching, and Charles Valoroso, are simple, colorful, fun, photogenic, and uplifting. The painting started on Saturday, October 22 and covered five telephone kiosks stretching the length of Fort Street Mall, from Beretania to Merchant Streets.

    Find out more about this and other DAC initiatives to put art in public places!

  • HEART of Honolulu Street Festivals

    Celebrate the arts, culture, and good food as you walk, shop, and eat your way around the Chinatown Arts District. Downtown Art Center is proud to present the HEART of Honolulu Street Festival, a family-friendly, daytime art festival that closes Nuʻuanu Avenue, from King Street to Chaplain Lane, to showcase local art, live local music, food, crafts, and more. The last festival took place on Saturday, October 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. - stay tuned for the next street festival in April 2023!

    HEART is an acronymn that stands for Heritage, Entertainment, Arts & culture, Restaurants, and Theatre & Performing Arts. Together these elements make up the core of our vibrant creative community.


Visit Us

1041 Nu’uanu Ave., 2nd Floor, Honolulu HI 96817

Exhibition Gallery Hours:
Tues-Sat
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday:
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

First Friday Hours:
5:30 - 8 p.m. every First Friday of the month!

Downstairs DAC Art & Gifts Shop Hours:

Tues-Sat
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Phone
(808) 773-7339

 
 

PARKING INFORMATION

Parking for DAC is located at nearby municipal parking lots (onsite at Chinatown Gateway Plaza, parking entrance off Bethel Street) or at Mark's Garage (entrance at 22 S. Pauahi St.). On-site parking is by credit card only, and costs $0.75/half hour, with no grace period.

DAC is easily accessible by public transit as well; get directions, routes and timetables at www.thebus.org.