CALL TO ARTISTS OPEN NOW!

Central Honolulu, from River Street in the west to Richards Street in the east and between Vineyard Boulevard and Aloha Tower, has been at the center of dramatic urban and cultural change, decade after tumultuous decade, since the early 1800s.

The area is home to the original port of Honolulu and has witnessed the arrival of foreign whaling ships, European explorers, and American missionaries. Asian and Iberian laborers destined for the sugarcane and pineapple plantations followed. Before the advent of air travel, Boat Days welcomed thousands of tourists each year as they disembarked from steamships and luxury ocean liners. Businesses in the area catered to residents and visitors alike, and it was a bustling commercial district, until large swaths were turned to ash in the Great Chinatown Fire of 1900.

The war years saw the rebuilt area boom with sailors, soldiers, and Marines jamming cafes, tattoo parlors, and bordellos. Statehood brought an internationally focused financial district and high-rises that replaced cramped apartments above ground-floor stores. Today, the urbanization trend is gathering momentum once again as downtown Honolulu adjusts to a decade without an anchor department store and high vacancy rates in commercial buildings, due in part to pandemic-related work-from-home policies.

River to Richards is a juried documentary photography exhibition seeking imagery that explores how the past informs the present—and how both offer glimpses into the future of how we might live, work, and play in this dynamic and resilient district.

Juror PF Bentley, an award-winning American photojournalist whose distinguished career includes 20 years as a photojournalist and Special Correspondent for TIME Magazine, will select the images for the exhibition. PF has also been a Contributing Photographer to Hana Hou!, Hawaiian Airlines’ magazine, for the past 10 years.

Writer and photographer Floyd Takeuchi conceived this exhibition, and photographer Shane Sakata is the Exhibition Coordinator.

Downtown Art Center is pleased to present the second Documentary Photography in Hawai‘i exhibition, this November 2025. Featuring a juried selection of documentary images from Hawai‘i photographers displayed alongside a selection of vintage photos focusing on the geographic area from River Street to Richards Street, the exhibition celebrates the past and the present of Honolulu’s urban core. This vibrant area is DAC’s home, and this juried exhibition supports our efforts to create a thriving and vibrant Downtown/Chinatown through the power of creativity and the arts.

Hawaii Statewide Open Call Period: August 4 - September 5, 2025

Accepted Artist Notification: September 23, 2025

Exhibition Dates: Thursday, November 6 through Saturday, November 29, 2025

Location of Show: Downtown Art Center Main Exhibition Gallery, 1041 Nuʻuanu Ave., Second Floor, Honolulu HI 96817

Participation Fee: $15 for each single photograph entry (limit 10 entries); $45 for each series of photos (no more than 5 pieces total per series, limit one series per artist)

Eligibility: Only professional and amateur photographers living in the State of Hawaiʻi are eligible. There is no time restriction for images, however, only work NOT previously exhibited on Oʻahu will be accepted. Photographs are geographically restricted to Honolulu’s Chinatown/Downtown districts, between River Street and Richards street.

Works Eligible for Submission: Color or black & white photographs taken with film or digital cameras or high-quality mobile devices will be accepted. Photographs submitted must correspond directly with the art that is dropped off at the time of the exhibition. Organizer reserves the right to reject works for any reason at any time. DAC is a community art center. If DAC judges that the content of your expression is not appropriate for the community, you may not be allowed to exhibit. NO watermarks, please.

Before submitting your work, please READ the Exhibition Participation Guidelines & Instructions here.

What is documentary photography?

Documentary photography describes any photos that attempt to record the world from the photographer's viewpoint. It is used to chronicle events, people, and places that are significant and relevant to history, as well as everyday life in the moment it is recorded. It can focus on an ongoing issue or story seen through a photograph or series of photographs.

Mahalo to Pacific New Media for its support of this exhibition.
Cover and Call to Artists flyer image: “Primary Colors” by Anthony Consillio, from PNM’s “Contemporary Photography in Hawaiʻi 2024” exhibition.
For any questions, please contact documentaryphotography@downtownarthi.org.