“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.

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

Learning Curves: Watercolor Artwork Created by DAC Art Students in Dwayne Adams’ Class
On View in the Classroom January 5 - February 24, 2024

First Friday Opening Reception on Friday, January 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

This exhibition showcases the work of DAC art students in watercolor classes under the direction of teaching artist Dwayne Adams. Find out what art classes DAC offers!

 Pacific New Media Presents: Contemporary Photography in Hawaiʻi 2024
On View in the Main Gallery February 1-10, 2024

First Friday Opening Reception: February 2  from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Exhibition available for viewing online February 15 at pnmlab.com.

This juried exhibition of individual and themed portfolio photographic images by photographers who are residents of Hawaiʻi is the Fifteenth Annual Survey Exhibition sponsored by Pacific New Media Foundation. All artists using photographic processes were encouraged to apply: analog or digital, color or B&W, alternative processes and mixed media explorations. Contemporary Photography in Hawaii 2024 offers artists a venue for showing their work and provides a snapshot of the “state of the art” of photography in Hawaiʻi. Find out more and see the full digital exhibition at pnmlab.com. 

Dreams of Waking: Mind-Bending Collage Art by Jeff Gere
On View in the Courtyard Gallery January 5- February 3, 2024

First Friday Opening Reception on Friday, January 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

*Show Extended! Join us for the First Friday Closing Reception Friday, February 2 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Humans spend a third of our lives sleeping. What goes on inside our minds while we dream, and what does it look like? Jeff Gere, widely known as a master storyteller, has been hand-making collage art privately for decades. In “Dreams of Waking,” he reveals 50 collage images, most of which will be on view for the first time ever, based around this theme.

The public is invited to a series of FREE Artist Talks with master storyteller and collage artist Jeff Gere on Saturdays, January 6, 13, 20 and 27, and February 3 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Architects as Artists 2024
On View January 5-27, 2024

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

The third annual Architects as Artists exhibition explores the sources of architects' inspiration in their work and art, and attempts to stimulate and deepen the public's interest and understanding for architecture and architects in Hawaiʻi and Downtown Honolulu. Architects, architectural engineers and architecture students, as well as those who work in architecture firms or architecture-related fields in Hawaiʻi, have been invited to show their work in all media in this exhibition. Learn more at downtownarthi.org/architectsasartists.

DAC Holiday Invitational 2023
On View in the Main Gallery, December 1-23, 2023

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

The DAC Holiday Invitational returns, curated by Gina Bacon Kerr with co-curator Johnny Macas-Freire of Manini Gallery. The exhibition, a curated selection of renowned artists from around Hawaiʻi, will be on view during regular gallery hours from December 1-23, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The public is invited to attend two Art Pau Hana Parties, on Friday, December 8 and Friday December 15, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and the Closing Reception on Saturday, December 23, from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

On Sunday, December 3, 10 and 17, families, friends and art aficionados are invited to attend a series of casual afternoon artist meet & greets with featured artists in the exhibition. Chinatown has free street parking on Sundays, and the on-site Chinatown Gateway Plaza building offers $3 parking in the lot all day Sunday.

All events are free and open to the public.

Featured artists who will be displaying original artwork this year include Colleen Kimura, Esther Shimazu, Linda Spadaro, Noreen Naughton, Jo Rowley, Laura Smith, Lynn Liverton, Paula Nokes, Russell Sunabe, Wayne Takazono, Suzanne Wolfe and others, with a special appearance by exhibition project Manini Gallery and several of its artists.

DAC The Halls Art & Craft Faire!
On Sale November 24 - December 23, 2023 in the Courtyard Gallery

Drop in to our Courtyard Gallery between Black Friday and Christmas during regular gallery hours, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., to find the perfect gift, with artwork, crafts, ceramics, and collectibles handmade by respected local artisans!

All proceeds from this sale go to benefit the nonprofit Downtown Art Center.

 DAC Volunteer Art Show
On View October 6 - November 25, 2023

Opening Reception: First Friday, October 6, from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

From painters, printmakers and textile artists to photographers and ceramicists, Downtown Art Center has some of the most talented, creative volunteers around. This show is to celebrate them, not only for their contributions to the gallery (DAC literally couldn’t run without our volunteers) but as artists too!

Artists of Hawaiʻi 2023
On View November 3 - 25, 2023

Soft Opening and First Friday Reception: Friday, November 3 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Award Ceremony and Opening Reception: Saturday, November 4 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Juror Talk: Wednesday, November 15 at 3 p.m.

Downtown Art Center presents ARTISTS OF HAWAIʻI 2023, an updated version of the state's largest, longest-running all-media juried exhibition, designed to showcase the best of Hawaiʻi's contemporary art. The exhibition includes art in a variety of media created by artists living in the state of Hawaiʻi, and is juried in 2023 by guest juror Tyler Cann, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at HoMA. Artists of all ages living in the state of Hawaiʻi, working in all media are eligible to apply.

JUROR: Tyler Cann
Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA)
Tyler Cann joins HoMA from the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) in Ohio, where he served most recently as acting chief curator, director of exhibitions and Pizzuti family curator of contemporary art. Prior to that, he served as curator of Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, England and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in Aotearoa (the Māori name for New Zealand). Originally from Los Angeles, he holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s degree from Harvard University’s Department of History of Art and Architecture, where he is also a doctoral candidate.

For a complete list of exhibiting artists, prizes, and more information about Artists of Hawaiʻi 2023, visit downtownarthi.org/artistsofhawaii.

Comic Jam Hawaiʻi: Draw Story, Talk Story!
On View in the Courtyard Gallery November 3 - 17, 2023

Opening Reception: First Friday, November 3, from 5:30-8 p.m.

Drink & Draw LIVE! Tuesday, November 14 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Downtown Art Center is excited to present the first gallery exhibition of works by members of Comic Jam Hawaiʻi, a group of local artists that was established in 2011. The exhibition “Comic Jam Hawaiʻi: Talk Story, Draw Story” will feature art from 22 members of Comic Jam Hawaiʻi, with a mix of comic book style, cartoon, manga, fantasy, and sci-fi art. 

This exhibition features the art of: Jon J. Murakami, Napua Ahina, Darin Trinidad, Devin Oishi, Jeff Pagay, Drew Gutierrez, Kanila Tripp, Jeff Langcaon, Conny Jolitz, Chantell Bulac, Reece (Nobu) Yasuda, Kris Lohman, Shanlee Konanui Yeung and her daughter Mia (Whimsy Abound!), PraiseJesus Artis, Rich Rodriguez, Robert Jacob, Brett Okamura,  Comic Hawaiʻi (formerly Lime Media Hawaiʻi), Reid Kishimoto, Michael H. Cannon, Dennis Imoto, and Mark Gould.

Comic Jam Hawaiʻi is a community of local artists, ranging from professionals to hobbyists. Since 2011, they have come together to create collaborative cartoons, illustrations, and sketches while talking story. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their skill level, and participants are encouraged to have fun and join in wherever they feel comfortable.

The group’s gatherings, known as "Jams," are casual and informal, similar to a musical jam session. They initially met at Coffee Talk in Kaimuki, then later relocated to Kahala Mall, before settling at Pearlridge Center. The group will also meet at local public libraries and other welcoming locations where they can draw and chat. Additionally, members of the group volunteer at local events, hosting art workshops and presenting art-related panels for both keiki and adults.

Through community outreach and public drawing events, Comic Jam Hawaiʻi hopes to counter any resistance to the idea of comic art or cartooning as a legitimate art form. This exhibit is an extension of their outreach efforts, and they hope that visitors will enjoy the art on display and be inspired to create some of their own.

Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2023
On View September 30 - October 28, 2023 in the Main Gallery

Opening Reception & Award Ceremony: Saturday, September 30 from 6-8 p.m.

Hawaii’s premier statewide exhibition – held annually since 1967 – the Hawai‘i Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition features traditional and contemporary craft from across the state of Hawaii. This year, juror Beth C. McLaughlin, Artistic Director and Chief Curator at Fuller Craft Museum, has visited each island to make public presentations and selected the very best work to be included in the exhibition. Visit hawaiicraftsmen.org for a full list of exhibiting artists and more information!

Stranger Together: The Art of Kathy Chang & Anika Kuntze
On View in the Courtyard Gallery September 19 - October 14, 2023

Opening Reception: Tuesday, September 19 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
First Friday Reception: Friday, October 6, from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Downtown Art Center is proud to present ‘Stranger Together,’ a duo exhibition featuring Hawaii artists Kathy Chang and Anika Kuntze.  

Although many of their pieces are collaborations, this exhibition will feature solo works by each of the two artists as well. 

Anika Kuntze is a Honolulu-based artist who immigrated here from Berlin, Germany in 2017. Her unique art can best be described as surreal visionary art. Her main focus is on discovering the rich and interesting worlds inside and outside of oneself. She uses various mediums to represent the elements and materials Mother Earth has to offer. Experimenting and playing is a crucial part in her creative process.

With contrasting tools and colors she creates "in-between spaces“ and leaves emotional and associative responses fully up to the viewer. By focusing in and out of microstructures and the disorientation it leaves one with, not knowing what’s up and what’s down, she hopes to evoke the question: "Where and essentially who am I?"
To see more of her work, visit the artist on Instagram at instagram.com/snikker73.

Kathy Chang is a painter born and raised in Hawaii, known for a distinctive body of work featuring her iconic “rainbow kids.” When she is drawn to paint certain images, she tries not to question why, but follows the nudge. For Kathy, there is a message that is revealed and she hopes that the viewer also takes away something that resonates with their own personal story.

Just as with children, who live in a world of stories, symbols and metaphors before grasping literal language, Kathy uses this form of communication. She fills her paintings with this visual language. To see more of her work, visit the artist on Instagram at instagram.com/k.stanette. 

To find out more about both of these artists, and to see samples of their work, please visit their shared website, art.snikker.de.

Abstract Impressions: DAC Student Art Show
On View in the Classroom, August 4 - September 30, 2023

This exhibition showcases the work of DAC art students under the direction of teaching artist Marina Borovok. Paintings include both original pieces and interpretations of famous paintings and styles throughout the history of art. Find out what art classes DAC offers!

 Collectors’ Art Sale & Exhibition Fundraiser
Benefitting Downtown Art Center, the Jean Charlot Foundation, and Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund
On View September 16-22, 2023

VIP Preview Reception: Friday, September 15, from 5:30-8 p.m. $150 per person, available on Eventbrite.
Be the FIRST to see and buy works at this Preview Reception, featuring artworks by some of Hawaii’s most well-known artists, donated from private collectors!

Public Opening Reception: Saturday, September 16 from 5-8 p.m. Free and open to the public. Refreshments available.

In this exhibition, curated by Allison Wong, fine art from Hawaii collectors will be made available to new and veteran collectors to benefit the nonprofit Downtown Art Center (DAC) and the Jean Charlot Foundation (JCF). The event will encourage collectors to donate works of art from their collections to encourage others to purchase and support the mission of DAC and JCF. In addition to the Collectors’ Art Sale, there will be an Exhibition of Selected Works by Hawaii contemporary artists. With over 600 works by more than 150 artists collected so far, there will be something for everyone to collect!

*Please note: In light of recent events on Maui, Downtown Art Center and the Jean Charlot Foundation have decided to donate a percentage of net proceeds from our upcoming Collectors Art Sale & Exhibition Fundraiser to the #Mauistrong Hawaii Community Foundation fund.

For a full list of featured artists and more information, click HERE.

Photographers for Maui Silent Auction: Our Best to do Our Best
On View in the DAC Lobby September 16-23, 2023

A special silent auction with 17 of Hawaii's leading photographers, curated by veteran photojournalist Floyd K. Takeuchi, takes over the DAC second floor lobby for one week only.

Photographers donating work to this project include underwater photo legend Wayne Levin, master photojournalist PF Bentley, architectural and journalistic photographer Olivier Koning, Hana Hou! Magazine Photo Editor Matt Mallams, surf photographer Zak Noyle and his father Ric Noyle, and more. Proceeds from the silent auction go to Hawaii Community Foundation's Maui Strong Fund. 

  Roots.hnl Pop-Up Launch
On view in the Courtyard Gallery, August 26-September 9

Opening Launch Party event Saturday, August 26 from 4-8 p.m.

Downtown Art Center is proud to help launch a unique arts and curios pop-up that includes intriguing objects and original art and prints from around the world. Roots.hnl, the project of DAC volunteer and collector Felipe Jarrin, aims to inspire art enthusiasts, collectors, and connoisseurs as it holds its first public event.

Art On The Zoo Fence Celebrates 70 Years!
On View August 24 - September 9, 2023

Opening Reception: Friday, August 25 from 4-7 p.m.

Art On The Zoo Fence was  founded as a nonprofit organization in 1953 to support and foster the growth of the vibrant art community in Hawaii. Best known for its weekend art market, located at  2760 Monsarrat Ave., along the Honolulu Zoo fence, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday, the group exclusively features two-dimensional artwork. The organization serves as a platform for artists to showcase their talents, offering a diverse range of art pieces, including paintings, photography, resin art, and alcoholic ink art. Art On The Zoo Fence provides an opportunity for artists to gain exposure, sell their work, receive feedback, and engage with art lovers and collectors in the bustling heart of Waikiki. Help them celebrate 70 years with an exhibition that includes both current and alumni artists! To find out more about Art On The Zoo Fence, visit artonthezoofencehi.com.

 Hawaii Handweavers' Hui & The Glass Fusion Collective presents: Surrounded by Water
On View in the Main Gallery August 2 - 19, 2023

Opening Reception: First Friday, August 4 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

We live surrounded by water. How does this affect individuals and communities in our islands, on other islands, or even the world at large? How does water inspire us?

This biennial joint exhibition between Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui and The Glass Fusion Collective will be held at Downtown Art Center in Honolulu from August 2 to 19, and the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea on Hawaii Island, from August 24 to October 29. Stacie Robinson, Research Ecologist with NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program and a ceramicist, is the juror for this show.

 KCDA Presents: Korean Artist Solo International Exhibitions
On View in the Courtyard Gallery August 16-19, 2023

DAC is honored to welcome two traveling solo exhibitions from Korean artists, invited by the Korea Craft Designers Association. See them in the Courtyard Gallery during regular gallery hours, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for three days only.

"Flower & Artificial" is a solo exhibition by Chung Hyun Kyung that features beautiful, delicate AI-generated digital art that comments on the natural world.

"Travel Back in Time" is a solo exhibition by Kim Hyung Joo, which showcases her images of designer bags which incorporate architectural concepts from the late Joseon Dynasty in the 1900s and 1930s through digital textile printing.

100 Years in Hawaii: The Art of John & Kate Kelly
On View August 1-13, 2023

Opening Reception: First Friday, August 4 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

An historic centennial exhibition, ‘100 Years in Hawaiʻi,’ presented by the John and Kate Kelly Estate at Downtown Art Center celebrates the legacy of renowned artist John Melville Kelly (1878-1962), a master printmaker, and his wife Kate Harland Kelly (1882-1964), an accomplished sculptor and important cultural photographer of the Native Hawaiian people from the 1930s to 1950s. 

The exhibition of over 40 images and sculptures will feature the premiere of several of John Kelly’s original etchings and a few rare paintings, including an oil piece and a watercolor that have never been displayed, as well as Kate Kelly’s photographs, which are being displayed for the first time. Offset prints from a 1943 collection, giclée prints, and all photographs by Kate Kelly are for sale. For more information on the exhibition, or about the John and Kate Kelly Estate, visit kellyarthi.com.

 7 Degrees North: The Arts of Micronesia
On view in the Main Gallery July 5-27

“7 Degrees North – The Arts of Micronesia” features contemporary artwork by artists of Micronesian ancestry who live in Hawaiʻi; traditional handicraft that is part of a larger collection held by Hawaiʻi Pacific University; and photographs of the islands and people of Micronesia in the Northwest Pacific. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Main Gallery at Downtown Art Center, located at 1041 Nuʻuanu Ave, on the second floor of Chinatown Gateway Plaza, from July 5 through 27. 

There will be an Opening Reception for the show on First Friday, July 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

 The exhibit is believed to be the first one in Honolulu in three decades to focus on the arts and cultures of the Micronesian region. It is the first to highlight the work of contemporary artists of Micronesian ancestry who live in Hawaiʻi and were selected by a juror.  Among those artists who will be featured are Lissette Yamase (also a juror) of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a portrait artist who uses charcoal; Anthony Watson, a carver of Palauan ancestry; Eric Cano of Chuuk in the FSM, a graphic artist who designs Micronesian and Pacific Island-inspired clothing; and Carolann Carl, a poet and storyteller from Pohnpei in the FSM. The exhibition will also include a video, courtesy of Kumu Kahua Theatre, of the play "x Other: A Microstory" by Hawaiʻi playwright Daniel A. Kelin II, who spent many years in the Marshall Islands. 

“The Micronesian community in Hawaiʻi, like earlier immigrants, faces economic and social challenges. And, unfortunately, prejudice and discrimination. We believe by sharing their rich cultures and showcasing the work of local artists of Micronesian ancestry, Downtown Art Center can help to make this community feel welcomed and better appreciated,” said Sandra Pohl, executive director of DAC.

In addition to the displays, the show will feature two live presentations. On Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m., Dr. Jerome Feldman, an art historian and professor emeritus at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, will give a lecture on the arts of Micronesia. Two weeks later, on Saturday July 22 at 2 p.m., there will be a fashion show featuring traditional attire from the region. Both events will be held in DAC’s second-floor Main Gallery.

“Micronesia” is a cultural and geographic term referring to independent island nations and two U.S. territories in the northwestern Pacific. The countries include the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (which encompasses four states–Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae–and about 607 islands), Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, the U.S.  territory of Guam, and the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Work in the DAC exhibit comes primarily from the Marshall Islands, FSM, and Palau.

This exhibit is curated by Floyd K. Takeuchi and Margo Vitarelli. Takeuchi is a writer-photographer who was born and raised in the Marshall Islands. Vitarelli, also one of two jurors who selected the featured artists in the show, grew up primarily on Palau. The other juror was Lissette Yamase. Takeuchi and Vitarelli also took the photographs that illustrate the show. 

“7 Degrees North” also marks the start of a year’s worth of special arts programming for DAC and the Micronesian community in Hawaiʻi. Much of the special events will be held in partnership with Rotary Clubs of Hawaiʻi.

Tuesday Portrait Group Show
On View in the Inner Gallery, May 5 - July 18, 2023

See a new display of portrait paintings and drawings from members of DAC's Tuesday Portrait Sessions group, held every Tuesday from 1-3:30 p.m. under the direction of artist Alla Parsons. Find out more about Tuesday Portrait Sessions HERE!

 Documentary Photography 2023 Juried Exhibition
On View in the Main Gallery June 2 - July 1, 2023

The Documentary Photography 2023 Juried Exhibition features stand-alone photos, along with series compilations of up to five photographs on a theme or story. Photographs were selected by juror PF Bentley, a former TIME Magazine photojournalist and one of the best-known American photojournalists of his generation.

The exhibition is free to the public, and will be on view from June 2 through July 1 during regular gallery hours, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. There will be a special First Friday Opening Reception on Friday, June 2 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Bentley will host a special session on Saturday, June 3 from 2 to 3 p.m. on his approach to selecting submissions for the show. He will also share examples of his recent documentary photography for Hana Hou!, the in-flight magazine of Hawaiian Airlines.

Photographer interest in the show was strong, based on the number of submissions for both categories. Entry was open to both professional and enthusiast photographers who live in the state of Hawaiʻi.

In addition to the photographs chosen for this exhibition, three veteran photographers will have special exhibits within the juried show.

Olivier Koning will have a display titled “The First Hawaiians,” color photographs of indigenous Hawaiian plants. Koning, best known for his architectural photography, has been working on this project for about a decade.

Leslie Gleim’s show-within-a-show is called “In the Beginning …”. She will display her stunning aerial photography of volcanic eruptions on the Big Island. These dramatic images will be paired with Gleim’s equally evocative black and white closeup photography of native Hawaiian plants.

Matt Mallams, a photographer who is the long-time photo editor of the award-winning Hana Hou!, Hawaiian Airlines’ in-flight magazine, has organized “Hana Hou Stories from Hawaiian Airlines.” The exhibit will feature photography from every issue of the magazine for the past year. June will mark the one-year anniversary of NMG Network being named the magazine’s publisher by Hawaiian Airlines.

In addition to their special exhibits, Koning, Gleim and Mallams will talk about their work during special presentations at DAC. Mallams, along with some of the photographers whose work has appeared in Hana Hou!, will speak on Thursday, June 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. Gleim will discuss her work on Saturday, June 10 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. And Koning will talk about his exhibit on Saturday, June 17 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Congratulations to the following photographers whose series and single photography work have been accepted into the show!

SERIES PHOTOGRAPHY:

• Mengshin Lin

• Lisa K Cho

• Kelli Bullock Hervert

• Susan Kidder

• J. Matt

• Scot Allen

PARTIAL SERIES/SINGLE PHOTO FROM SERIES:

• James Mosher

• Shane Sakata

• James Knudsen

• Scot Allen

• Jeff DePonte

• Mengshin Lin

• David Butterfield

STAND-ALONE IMAGES:

• Scot Allen

• David Butterfield

• Josiah Crutchfield

• Edward Freeman

• Sladjana Grujic Medic

• John Guerin

• Jeremiah Johnson

• Cliff Kimura

• Sandra Meyer

• Brandon Miyagi

• Gary Rotter

• Shane Sakata

• Jenny Sathngam

 Honolulu Printmakers 95th Annual Juried Exhibition
On View in the Courtyard Gallery June 2 - 30, 2023

Since 1928, Honolulu Printmakers has been promoting the art and culture of printmaking and the appreciation of prints as a unique art form. This show is part of a joint exhibition at the Honolulu Printmakers studio (1142 Bethel St.) and DAC. See the full exhibition of 76 works by 71 artists, juried by Hiroki Morinoue, at both venues, and find out more at honoluluprintmakers.org.

Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony on First Friday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Windward Artists Guild Presents: "Emergence"
On View in the Main Gallery May 18-27

From May 18 to 27, the Windward Artists Guild (WAG) is pleased to announce ‘Emergence,’  a special 9-day exhibition at Downtown Art Center’s second floor Main Gallery, located at 1041 Nuʻuanu Ave. The exhibition, which features over 50 artists and over 150 artworks, will be on view to  the public during regular gallery hours, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a special Opening Reception on Friday, May 19 from 5 - 8 p.m. 

“The theme of Emergence was selected to allow artists to interpret it very broadly – literally or figuratively in space, time, or the imagination,” says exhibition co-chair Liz Corbin. “We're looking forward to an exciting variety of artwork.”

 In addition to WAG members, artists who are members of the Association of Hawaiʻi Artists (AHA) have been invited to submit entries. The exhibition also will posthumously honor former members of WAG and the AHA by featuring selected artwork by Candace Fenander, Joan Fleming, and Barbara Sumida.

The Windward Artists Guild is a nonprofit, volunteer, member guild, organized in 1960 by a group of windward Oʻahu artists. Through education, collaboration, encouragement and exhibitions, WAG supports and promotes the production and appreciation of the visual arts. WAG is open to artists and supporters of the arts on the entire island of Oʻahu. To find out more, visit windwardartistsguild.org.

 Nā Makana Pau ʻOle Donor Quilt Show
On View in the second floor DAC Lobby, May 3 - 31, 2023

Honoring the lives of Hawaii organ and tissue donors and the memories of their families, this small exhibition, supported by the Hawaii Donor Family Council, the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, Legacy of Life Hawaii, and the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, is a display of love, built memory by memory and square by square to share the stories of those who have given the ultimate gift of themselves.

Opening reception: Saturday, May 6 from 1-3 p.m.

Paul Nagano Retrospective Show
On View in the Courtyard Gallery May 5-28, 2023

Join us for a special birthday retrospective show by veteran Hawaii artist Paul Nagano! At 85 years young this May, the painter, photographer and writer is still making art and living the dream.

Paul Tatsumi Nagano is a painter (he is primarily known for watercolors, but has worked with other media, including acrylics, oils, charcoal and ink drawings), nature photographer and writer. He was born in Honolulu in 1938 and attended Punahou School, then Columbia College in New York, graduating with a BA in English Literature in 1960, before serving in the United States Navy aboard the USS Paul Revere for three years. His time in the military gave him the opportunity to explore ports throughout the Pacific, including Japan, and influenced his decision to become an artist. He studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in the 1960s, winning the Packard Prize for Drawing and the Ware Travelling Fellowship. From 1967 to 1989, Nagano was Art Director of the Pucker/Safrai Gallery on Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. In the early 1970s, he began to take annual international summer trips to places like Japan, Italy and Greece.  Some of his most notable work is inspired by his annual trips to the Indonesian island of Bali, and its lush, tropical landscapes and the islanders who live there, including his later, more surreal works, which he has dubbed symBALIsm.

Paul has shown in Boston, Hawaii and Indonesia, and his works can be found in the permanent collections of the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Neka Museum in Bali.

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

 Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild Annual Show
”Quilting Down Memory Lane”
On View in the Main Gallery, May 2 -14, 2023

From May 2 - 14, the gallery will be hung with colorful, creative, handmade quilts by members of the Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild. “Quilting Down Memory Lane” is on view to the public during regular gallery hours, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a special First Friday reception on Friday, May 5 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. 

The Annual Quilt Show is the Guild’s gift to the community; everyone is invited to visit the show free of charge. The show has proven to be a great educational experience for all who visit, and is truly a beautiful celebration of a distinct type of art. The annual show is always planned around Mothers’ Day, an added attraction for many mothers who, along with their children, enjoy a special visit–plus a free gift this year–on Mothers’ Day, May 14. 

About the 2023 Featured Artist: Donna Kanealiʻi: 

This year's featured artist, Donna Kanealiʻi, has been quilting since she first put her first "scrappy quilt" together in the early 1970s. She became fascinated with stitching in the third and fourth grade at a Catholic school, but didn't start quilting as a serious hobby until 2006, when her sister-in-law enrolled her in a quilting class in Louisiana while she was visiting. Inspired by the Quilt Guild members she met there, she returned home to Hawaiʻi, where she found a welcoming quilting community, and entered her first Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild Challenge in 2007. In 2008, her piece, "Through a Hawaiian Window" won one of the challenges. From 2019-2022, Kanealiʻi co-chaired the annual Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild shows with Donna Eng. Kanealiʻi, who belongs to two quilt guilds, enjoys traveling to quilt shows and retreats, rising to the quarterly Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild Challenges, and meeting new friends through quilting.
 

Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild quilters featured in the show: 

Donna Kanealiʻi (Featured Artist)

Thelma Chun (posthumous tribute & Opportunity Quilt)

Arlene Adams

Kay Anguay

Pamela Bechtel

Tahmi Brodhead

Terri Brown

Barbara Cannan

Linda Chang

Rose Craven

Phyllis Cullen

Ruth Davis

Charlene El-Swaify

Nancy Francis

Melede Gerwig

Tracy Greenlee

Lynn Hiyakumoto

Ellen Huntley

Kris Huntsman

Annette Ichiki

Estelle Inn

Maryann Jones

Lily Kamikihara

Lynn Lundquist

Christine Lutz

Margaret Manangan

Joan Masaki

Donna Masaniai

Tracy Montgomery

Sharon Nakasone

Joni Nowatzki

Ellen Owens

Terersa Sakurada

Irene Sasaki

Carla Simao

Marion Speers

Ric Stark

Betty Steljes

Eleanor Sterling

Shirfeir Sunada

Charlotte Szarmes

Margaret Teruya

Ann Tom

Aloma Wang

Sandra Weatherwax

To find out more about the Hawaiʻi Quilt Guild, visit hawaiiquiltguild.com. 

Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society 2023 Members' Show
On View in the Main Gallery, April 4 - 29, 2023

Opening reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on First Friday, April 7 from 5 - 7 p.m., with refreshments and live music by Matt Felch of Yes and No Band. 

Honolulu (March 2023) – Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society is proud to display 67 paintings by 40 artists, selected from 170 submittals by nationally-recognized juror Anne Hightower-Patterson, in its 2023 Members’ Show.  The paintings represent some of the finest works by water-media artists who are members of the Hawai’i Watercolor Society.

The Best in Show Golden Callus Award, presented by the Hon Chew Hee Scholarship Fund at the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, has been awarded by the juror to Darold Ramelb for “Red Regalia.”  Other pieces recognized for awards include Lesley Baptista’s “Fish Face – Who Wore It Best,” Dion Aguilar’s “Dreams of Noemi,” Linda Umstead’s “Merging,” Diane Tunnell’s “Angel’s Harp,” and Alexandra Eyer’s “Bougainvillea Beauty.”  Award sponsors include Peter Drewliner, Alexander & Baldwin, M. Graham & Co., Kenny Fenander, Hawaiian Graphics, Art Source & Design, Sun Eden Artist Gear, and Sunshine Gallery.

The paintings will be on display from April 4 through April 29, during regular gallery hours, Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Ceramics pieces by noted ceramicists Ken Kang, Kenny Kicklighter, Yukio Ozaki and Mark White will also be on display.

Find out more, and see & buy paintings in the show at hawaiiwatercolorsociety.org.

Hawaiʻi Craftsmen present Raku Hoʻolauleʻa 2023
Pastel Artists of Hawaiʻi present Beauty of Pastels
On View in the 1st Floor Chinatown Gateway Plaza Suite C, April 7-29, 2023

This temporary exhibition, utilizing a vacant space in Chinatown Gateway Plaza, is a one-month collaborative art show between Pastel Artists of Hawaii and Hawaii Craftsmen, sponsored by our partner organization, Creative Arts Experience. From April 7 - 29, drop in to see the work of these two talented groups!

DAC Creative Arts & Wellness Symposium
In the Main Gallery, March 19-31, 2023

Downtown Art Center presents the Creative Arts & Wellness Symposium, a two-week series of special events taking place inside DAC’s Main Gallery and Inner Gallery, including art, self-care, confidence and wellness workshops, live local music, comedy by Improv Hawaii, life drawing sessions – even a Loco Kine Tea Party in partnership with our neighbors, Tea at 1024 — all with a focus on how art promotes good health and wellness.