Arts & Culture
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Oʻahu Arts & Culture
Oʻahu is home to many art museums and galleries, and Honolulu is the epicenter of Hawaiʻi’s art scene, both past and present. The Hawaiʻi State Art Museum (HISAM) and the Honolulu Museum of Art both house extensive collections exhibiting and interpreting the art and culture of Hawaiʻi. Alongside works from the 19th and 20th centuries, you’ll find collections of traditional Hawaiian handicrafts, including kapa (cloth made from beaten bark), ʻumeke (wooden bowls), feather capes and quilts, as well as paintings from the Volcano School (depicting nighttime scenes of Hawaiʻi’s volcanoes, most from the late 1800s).
The Bishop Museum boasts millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawaiʻi and other Polynesian cultures, as well as an extensive collection of Hawaiian royal family heirlooms.
Today, the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaʻako is ground zero for Hawaiʻi’s contemporary art explosion, with colorful murals by global artists that have turned the streets a living gallery. Music, dance, theatre and the arts in general are community treasures on Oʻahu. Artists and makers from around the world intersect with locals still perpetuating Hawaiian traditions and customs. And while the people of Oʻahu blend the rich legacy of Hawaiian culture with the world of the 21st century, you’ll find the spirit of aloha remains as timeless as ever in the Heart of Hawaiʻi.
Read More About Items Made in Hawaiʻi To Find the Perfect Souvenir
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The Polynesian Cultural Center is Hawaii’s #1 visitor attraction, has 6 island villages representing [...]
Hawaii’s biggest little art collection awaits, so get ready to activate your imagination. Stroll and [...]
Winner 2006 "Honor Award" from National Trust for Historic Preservation. Winner 2005 "Outstanding [...]
DISCOVERY: In three historic buildings guests can see and feel the dramatic changes the New England [...]
Hawaii's museum of natural and cultural history. Originally built to house the extensive collection of [...]
Loko Ea is indeed an ancestral place of importance, a significant Wahi Pana, or celebrated place, to the [...]
The Mahinalani Gift Shop is part of the Polynesian Cultural Center’s new shopping experience. Come and [...]
The Hawaii Okinawa Center (HOC) is the “home” of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association. The Center [...]
Aloha, E Komo Mai! Welcome to Waikalua Loko Fishpond, lovingly preserved and managed from 1995-2015 by [...]
Queen Emma Summer Palace or Hanaiakamalama, was the secluded mountain-home and summer retreat of Queen [...]
Activities at Still & Moving Center are also available online! Still & Moving Center is a local and [...]
One of the world’s premier art museums, the Honolulu Museum of Art presents international caliber [...]