Artists of Hawaiʻi Biennial 2026
Exhibition on view: November 6 - December 19, 2026
in the DAC Main Gallery
First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, November 6 from 5-8 p.m.
Award Ceremony & Artist’s Reception: Saturday, November 7 from 5-8 p.m.
Public Juror Walkthrough: Sunday, November 8 at 12 p.m.
Downtown Art Center is proud to present the Artists of Hawai'i Biennial 2026, an exhibition dedicated to showcasing the best of Hawai'i’s contemporary art. Works will be juried by Trisha Lagaso Goldberg, Director of Programming & Engagement for Anderson Collection at Stanford University and former public art project manager for the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Artists of all ages and experience levels, working in any medium, who reside in the state of Hawai'i are encouraged to apply. Submission guidelines, deadlines, and more are provided below.
The Artists of Hawaiʻi exhibition is Hawaiʻi’s longest-running, all-media juried exhibition of contemporary art by Hawaiʻi-based artists, established in 1951 to recognize and document the evolving visual arts of the islands. Originally hosted by the Honolulu Academy of Arts (now the Honolulu Museum of Art), it became one of the most significant platforms for local artists, helping to define and elevate Hawaiʻi’s modern and contemporary art scene. In 2023, Sharon Twigg-Smith, a HoMA trustee and longtime supporter of Hawaiʻi’s art scene, led the exhibition’s move to Downtown Art Center, along with a return to its format of an inclusive, all-media, all-island juried exhibition.
With Juror Trisha Lagaso Goldberg
Director of Programming & Engagement for Anderson Collection at Stanford University and former public art project manager for the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts
Trisha Lagaso Goldberg is an educator, public art consultant, and independent curator based between the San Francisco Bay Area and O'ahu, Hawai'i. Her curatorial practice centers on amplifying artists historically excluded from dominant narratives, including Indigenous peoples, people of color, and queer and trans communities, with a deep expertise in Asian and Pacific Islander diasporas.
A leader in both public and institutional art spaces, she was a dedicated member of the commissioned works branch of the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (2006–2018), was the founding gallery director at thirtyninehotel in Honolulu’s Chinatown, is a member of Ninth Planet, a transdisciplinary contemporary art collective that recently organized the Lagrange Point exhibition for /(Slash) in San Francisco, and has produced major exhibitions including the touring retrospective Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision (2022) at the Newark Museum of Art and Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. She currently serves as Director of Programming & Engagement at the Anderson Collection at Stanford University.
Lagaso Goldberg is currently developing two significant projects: the traveling exhibition Remittance (2026), commissioned by Independent Curators International, and Noguchi + Hawai'i (2027) for the Honolulu Museum of Art. She is also dedicated to mentorship, co-teaching museum studies at Stanford and lecturing at institutions including RISD and San Francisco State University.
2026 JUROR’S STATEMENT
“For more than twenty years, I have followed Artists of Hawai‘i, experiencing the exhibition at Linekona, the Honolulu Museum of Art’s main campus and at Downtown Art Center. To be invited to serve as its juror is an extraordinary honor, and one that I approached with pride and a deep sense of responsibility. Born and raised on Oʻahu, I have spent my adult life moving between Hawaiʻi and the San Francisco Bay Area, and now work internationally, in ever-widening circles. Yet Hawaiʻi remains central to who I am, how I see, and how I understand the world.
Hawaiʻi is a place too often imagined through the familiar imagery of picture postcards, a paradise packaged and sold to the world. But those of us who know this place understand that its histories, cultures, communities, and lived experiences are far more complex. I approached the submissions with an expanded gaze, looking for work that challenged expectations, offered unexpected perspectives, and reflected the range of artistic practices across the islands. Art made in Hawaiʻi need not depict the islands or explicitly take up place as its subject to be deeply rooted in and shaped by Hawaiʻi. It is a distinction that can be difficult to recognize from the outside.
The depth of talent represented in the submissions was remarkable, and the task of selecting a limited number of works was not an easy one. I held the work to a high standard, considering artistic vision, originality, material intelligence, and the strength of each artist’s voice, while remaining attentive to representation across the archipelago and across media.
I am deeply grateful to every artist who submitted work and to Downtown Art Center for inviting me to serve as juror and for its meaningful investment in the artists of Hawaiʻi. I hope the resulting exhibition reflects something of the breadth, complexity, and creative ambition of the islands. Above all, I hope I have done Hawaiʻi proud.”
2026 Accepted Artists: FINAL JURYING
Congratulations to the 111 artists below, whose 111 works have passed the FINAL JURYING! This year's competition was especially strong, with a record 643 artists from across Hawaiʻi applying with 1,347 pieces of artwork.
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ALMA - “Madam Pele’s Tear” Fire clay, cone # 6 glaze, Oʻahu
AMBER AGUIRRE - “Required by Law” Porcelain, stains, glazes, Hawaiʻi Island
ANDREW BINKLEY - “Ash Cloud” Archival pigment print photograph, Oʻahu
ANIKA KUNTZE - “Greetings from the Lighthouse” Acrylic ink and oil on canvas, Oʻahu
ARABELLA ARK - “TEMPLE” Clay, Molokai
AYUMI DATE - “Stewardship: Full Circle at Honolulu Museum of Art” Silk screen, acrylic, Oʻahu
BRANDON NG - “Hawaiian Blood Quantum” Salted paper prints with inkjet print wallpaper (installation of six framed images with wallpaper), Oʻahu
BRUDA LYST - “Look before it’s gone (windows are like geckos)” Reclaimed jalousies window parts, steel tent poles, polycord lashing, palm, Oʻahu
BRYSON TABANIAG - “Hua Weleweka” Mgambo and red eye susan seeds, Oʻahu
BRYZANE LAGMAY - “The Father, the Son, the Espiritū” Mixed media on wood panels, Oʻahu
CALEN JAMES ADAMS - “Waiehu Beach House” Watercolor, Maui
CAMERON GOYA LYNDE - “Line” Archival print, Oʻahu
CAROL BENNETT - “Flopsen Field” Shellac, acrylic,india ink, cente crayon, graphite, china marker, oil, Kauaʻi
CAROL HYRNE - “You talking to me?” Ceramic raku, Oʻahu
CARRIE YAKURA - “Nana” Oil and graphite on linen, Hawaiʻi Island
CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS - “ʻOpihi (2026)” Raku-fired ceramic, Oʻahu
CYAN GARMA - “Hide and Seek” Acrylic on wood, Oʻahu
DANE NAKAMA - "グランマ" Acrylic paint on wood panel, Oʻahu
DANIEL SHEINFELD RODRIGUEZ - “Fuerza-Bruta / Brute-Force” Pressure treated Douglas fir, Hawaiʻi Island
DANIELLE BURNSIDE - “Pillar of Perspective” Oil on canvas, Hawaiʻi Island
DANIELLE GRISHAM - “Links” Quilt, Hawaiʻi Island
DAWN USTACH - “It’s Mynah” Recycled house paint, acrylic and pen on canvas, Oʻahu
DEA SEGATTO - “The Last Reef” Porcelain, glaze, beads, wax, Oʻahu
DEBORAH G. NEHMAD - “THE Operative Document” Digital UV print on waxed kozo, Oʻahu
DEBRA CASEY - “Sheepside” Archival pigment print, Oʻahu
DEREK BENCOMO - “Into the Void” Sculptured wood, Maui
DIANE KIM - “Poverty Amidst Abundance.” Mixed media on canvas, Oʻahu
DWAYNE ADAMS - “Just Fade Away” Watercolor on paper, Oʻahu
ERIK NOORDHOFF - “Morphogenesis” Oil paint on panel, Oʻahu
ETHAN FRONEY - “KUA” Ceramic, Hawaiʻi Island
EVAN JENKINS - “Kīlauea Iki at Dawn” Blown glass, Maui
EWA MOSC - “Anthuriums” Ink and watercolor, Oʻahu
FAISAL WARSANI - “Let there be light” Oil on panel, Oʻahu
FLOYD TAKEUCHI - “Time and Gravity” Digital print using archival pigment inks on archival fine arts photo paper, Oʻahu
FRANCISCO CLEMENTE - “Volcano Vibes II” Plumeria wood and epoxy resin, Oʻahu
GARY HENRICKSON - “Zildjian” Ceramic, Oʻahu
GEORGE EVAN DAVIS - “Neutral Spine Dance With Shades Of Yellow” Mixed media on canvas, Oʻahu
GHISLAINE CHOCK - “Unusual Variations” Woven cotton, Oʻahu
GIL DELGADO - “Harbor Keeper” Black-and-white archival pigment print, Oʻahu
GWEN ARKIN - “Homecoming” Archival pigment print, Maui
HEIDI FICKINGER - “Zen Wrapped” Archival pigment print on cotton rag & sugarcane paper - limited edition, Hawaiʻi Island
HIROKO SAKURAI - “Kokuhaku (confession)” Paper, wheat starch paste, sumi-ink, dye, mineral pigment, color pencil and reused silver leaf paper on re-purposed folding screen panel, Oʻahu
JACOB JACKSON - “Mango Mornings” Ceramic, Oʻahu
JAMES KNUDSEN - “Palolo Valley Swimming Pool (from the series “Public Pools in Hawaii”)” Digital print on archival paper, Oʻahu
JEFFREY LIM - “The Standard-Bearer” Intaglio-soft ground, aquatint, spit bite, Oʻahu
JOHN DRISCOLL - “You Still Surprise Me” Ceramic, Oʻahu
JON HAMBLIN - “Recharging Area” Acrylic and oil enamel on canvas, Oʻahu
JUVANA SOLIVEN - “of the soft parts” Glass beads, steel, leather, embroidery floss, thread, paint, bronze, Oʻahu
K. ARMSTRONG - “Higher Education II” Mixed media, Oʻahu
KA-NING FONG - “Music for Reading” Oil on canvas, Oʻahu
KAIMI - “Precious in the Garden” Acrylic and oil paint on glass, Oʻahu
KAPULANI LANDGRAF - “Refuse” Archival fine art pigment print, Oʻahu
KAREN LUCAS - “Guardians” Ceramic and bambo, Oʻahu
KATE LYNCH - “Microphytoplankton Patchwork Quilt” Hand pieced, hand embroidered and hand quilted linocut relief print on cotton, Maui
KEITH TALLETT - “White Flag” Archival pigment print, Hawaiʻi Island
KLOE KANG - “Blue City #2” Oil on canvas, Oʻahu
KŪĀKEA YASAK - “Ulua” Acrylic on canvas, Maui
LAURENS MILLER - “Flow State With Translucent Drapes” Acrylic, sumi ink on archival paper, custom frame, Oʻahu
LAWRENCE SEWARD - “Iʻd rather...” Niu, pod, concrete, aluminum, resin, coral, glass, bone, paint, sticker, Oʻahu
LEIGHTON LAM - “Evolution” Acrylic on styrofoam, Oʻahu
LEILA DIAMOND - “Natureʻs Timeless Wisdom” Sogetsu Ikebana sculpture, Oʻahu
LINA - “Put on a Show” Cardboard, clue, paint, Oʻahu
LINDA KĀNE - “Kiaʻi” Feathers, mixed media, Oʻahu
LUKE HENDERSON - “Hihimanu” Handmade watermarked paper, handmade wuake/gampi, reeds, string, Oʻahu
MADELEINE MAZZOLA - “In My Case I Never Got Over It” Watercolor on paper, Oʻahu
MARI MATSUDA AND BRANDY NĀLANI MCDOUGALL - “There Was A Place On Kahoʻolawe” Woodcut relief print with polyplate lithograph chine colle, Oʻahu
MARK CHAI - “Ho‘oponopono (Reconciliation): Embracing Our Flaws” Kamani wood, Oʻahu
MARK KUSHIMI - “Ala Moana Bowls” Archival pigment print, Oʻahu
MARK WHITE - “Purple Cantilevered Basket” High fired stoneware, Oʻahu
MARY BABCOCK - “Mauna” Plywood, tracing paper, gold leaf, net, toy trucks, Hawaiʻi Island
MARY CHING - “Lei Po’o Niho Kepa” Banana fiber, feathers, kapa and mulberry paper woven wili style, Oʻahu
MATTAN GAPPELL - “We Brought Peace Upon You” Sound + mixed media, Hawaiʻi Island
MIKE WILLIAMS - “Harding Service 76” Transparency in lightbox, Oʻahu
MING LI JIANG - “Echoes of the Valley” Acrylic on plastic film, Oʻahu
MORGAN SNYDER - “Botanical Collage III” Tattoo ink, marker, coffee on paper, Oʻahu
NICOLE SEU - “Mana’olana-study 2” Fine art archival print, Oʻahu
NORIKO WAKAYAMA - “Kalalau Valley” Oil on canvas, Oʻahu
NORYNE HIROMOTO - “Gravity of the Anthropocene” Sterling silver, glass, rubber, paper, Maui
PETER OSBORNE - “State Building N.1” Archival pigment print, Oʻahu
PF BENTLEY - “The Spirit of Halawa” Archival pigment print, Molokaʻi
PŪLAMA LONG - “Mālama Pūhala” Lauhala, Oʻahu
RACHEL MELANDER - “Red Hill” Oil on canvas, Oʻahu
RAYMOND ENRIQUEZ - “Aurora Lei” Photography, Oʻahu
RICHARD LANAKILA HEIRAKUJI - “Kohemālamalama” Archival fine art pigment print, Oʻahu
RYOTARO OBANA - “Untitled” Clay, Oʻahu
SALLY FRENCH - “Fight or Flight” Wax pencil, ink, acrylic on birch panel, Kauaʻi
SALLY LUNDBURG - “Transect I” Acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, and graphite on paper, Hawaiʻi Island
SALLY LUNDBURG & KEITH TALLETT - “Fair Warning” Archival inkjet print on rice paper, resin and enamel on wood panel, Hawaiʻi Island
SARA COOKE LITTLE - “No Trespassing (I’iwi)” Acrylic, oil, and graphite on canvas, Oʻahu
SCOTT YOELL - “Monopoly land-grab, “awapuhi keʻokeʻo” Hawai’i series #3” Sculpture; cast polymer resin, gesso, masonite panel, Hawaiʻi Island
SHANE SAKATA - “Utility Box Surfer” Photography (archival inkjet print), Oʻahu
SHELDON WONG - “Chair (Sing me your forgotten song)” Image transfers of artist’s family photos on porcelain, grout, found monobloc chair, Oʻahu
SNOWDEN HODGES - “Absence” Oil on canvas, Oʻahu
SOLOMON FIRTH - “Relief (Yellow)” Oil, birch, bondo, Oʻahu
STEPHANIE SACHS - “Sexy Carnival 18” Watercolor and ink on 300lb watercolor paper, Maui
SUSAN M. SCHULTZ - “Après le déluge (Lowell)” Photography, Oʻahu
SUSAN POLANCO DE COUET - “Pause” Digital image archival print, Oʻahu
TAIJI TERASAKI - “Kupukupu: New Life” Volcanic rock and mineral compounds, Oʻahu
TIANA NANAYO KUʻULEIALOHA HONDA - “Kīpuka amongst the tallgrass” Photolithography, watercolor screenprint monoprint, Hawaiʻi Island
TONK - “Aloha Takeout” Reclaimed local chopstick wrappers, glue, buttons, Oʻahu
TREVOR KODAMA - “Untitled Green Destruct” Ceramic, Oʻahu
UKULOLO - “Cook’D” Printed skateboard decks, hardware, Oʻahu
VINNY BEGG - “Exit to Happiness” Digital photography, Oʻahu
WAKANA KOIKE - “Floating Thread Vase” Stoneware, glaze, 18K gold accents, cone 10 gas-fired, Oʻahu
WARREN R. LOOS - “mOFC 10 (2026)” Archival inkjet print on museum-grade fine art paper, Oʻahu
WAYNE LEVIN - “Diptych 3” Archival pigment print, Hawaiʻi Island
WENDY ROMANCHAK - “Another to Echo” Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper, Maui
YANA - “Immersion” Metal print, Oʻahu
YOUNG HEE SWEET - “Lily in Flow I” 925 sterling silver, iron, synthetic fiber, quartz, pure gold sheet and bronze sheet, Oʻahu
YUHUAN ZHANG - “Returning” Oil on canvas, Oʻahu
ZACH ANGELES - “Kamut: To be fed by hand” Acrylic, ink, aerosol, plaster on polylactic acid, Oʻahu
Downtown Art Center and the Artists of Hawaiʻi committee would like to extend a warm MAHALO to this year’s Artists of Hawaiʻi sponsors and donors: Cedar Street Galleries, Elizabeth Rice Grossman, The Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA), The John Young Foundation, Marcy and Robert Katz, Marcia Morse, Noreen and David Mulliken, Sandra Pohl, Judith Pyle & Wayne Pitluck, Ruedi Thoeni & David Franklin, Joyce Tomonari, Sharon Twigg-Smith, and Anonymous.
PROSPECTUS
This prospectus contains more details about works eligible for entry into Artists of Hawai'ʻi Biennial 2026, and important dates to know. The contents of this Prospectus may change, so please ensure that you have downloaded the most current version below (Updated 10/26/26).
Prep Talk with Tom Klobe
On Sunday, August 9, 2026, former Artists of Hawaiʻi juror and longtime arts industry professional Tom Klobe hosted a practical workshop designed to help artists prepare for the Artists of Hawaiʻi Biennial 2026 at Downtown Art Center. The session covered key topics, including how to prepare and present your artwork, what to expect from the jurying process, and business essentials such as pricing your work and writing effective artist statements.
Past Artists of Hawaiʻi Exhibitions at DAC
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Artists of Hawaiʻi Biennial 2024
Juried by Tom Klobe
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Artists of Hawaiʻi 2023
Juried by Tyler Cann