Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Carolyn Wendel Local artist Herb Kawainui Kane's painting, "The Discovery of Hawai‘i," is just one of the many unique pieces at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum.

The Hawai‘i State Art Museum (HiSAM) is only five years old, but it contains both traditional native Hawaiian artwork and the work of local artists.

"If you come to Hawai‘i and really want to understand how Hawaiian artists understand this place, you simply have to come here," gallery director Pete Britos said.

Herb Kawainui Kane's painting, titled The Discovery of Hawai‘i, is one of the striking pieces featured in the galleries.

"(His work) stands out head and shoulders above anything else. He made history come alive with aspects of culture, which is better and more important than if his technique is only so good," said local artist Shari Leohone.

The venue started with the Arts in Public Places program, an organization that collects local works of art that were made from 1967 to 2002. Alfred Preis, the former executive director of the State Foundation in Culture in the Arts, founded the program but had no central location to display artwork.

In 2002, the Arts in Public Places program finally established the HiSam in downtown. The location on South Hotel Street seemed ideal for displaying the extensive collection. Today the museum serves as a visible exhibit of local art that is key in preserving the great history of Hawai‘i and understanding the culture.

The building itself is a key piece in Hawai‘i's history. Originally the area near HiSAM and the capital building was a housing project. Then in 1872, it was made the first "Royal Hawaiian Hotel." It was demolished and a new Spanish-style building became a YMCA in 1928. Finally the SFCA opened HiSAM in 2002.

There are other art venues like the Honolulu Academy of the Arts, which is "like a small Metropolitan Museum," University of Hawai‘i art student Teruki Fujioka said. It has a general art collection, from ancient to contemporary.

But at HiSAM, the viewer is surrounded by local art work that is particularly inspired by Hawai‘i's environment, allowing visitors to relate to and understand the culture.

With the many Western influences that were brought to Hawai‘i, it became important to preserve Hawai‘i's unique history.

"It is very important to have a venue that features local artists' works ... I learned about the culture here from going to the Hawai‘i State Art Museum," Fujioka said.

There is also the "Downtown" restaurant on the first level of the museum that accomodates hungry visitors, offering sit-down and take-out gourmet food.

"Here you can experience that you are reading a fabric, giving you so much understanding of this place," Britos said.

250 S. Hotel St. (the corner of Hotel and Richards)
Honolulu, HI 96813
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 586-0900

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