The Art in Public Places (APP) Program acquires completed, portable works of art, and commissions artists to create works of art for specific locations. Works of art are displayed in over 640 sites statewide including schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, state office buildings, the State Capitol and at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum (HiSAM). The APP Program also supports excellent arts education programming in schools during the school day, out-of-school arts education for pre-K students and lifelong learning for adults.
In 1967, Hawaiʻi became the first state in the nation to adopt a percent-for-art law. The purpose of the law is to beautify and humanize our state buildings and increase public access to the arts.
View artworks in the Art in Public Places Collection online.
Artworks purchased by or gifted to the Art in Public Places Collection, fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023).
| Date of Approval | Artist Name | Artwork Title | Artwork Medium | Year Created | Acquired From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/20/2022 | Emily McIlroy | The Lilies How They Grow (I) | oil and pastel on paper | Honolulu Museum of Art at First Hawaiian Center "The Lilies How They Grow: Emily McIlroy" | |
| 7/20/2022 | Emily McIlroy | The Lilies How They Grow (II) | oil and pastel on paper | Honolulu Museum of Art at First Hawaiian Center "The Lilies How They Grow: Emily McIlroy" | |
| 7/20/2022 | Emily McIlroy | Feather Woman Wailing | ink and pastel on paper | SFCA Art in Public Places 2020 Covid Call for Art | |
| 7/20/2022 | Darius Homayounpour | Indigo Rag Painting No. 5 | cast-off textiles, indigo-dyed | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Fiber Hawaiʻi 2022" at Downtown Art Center (Honolulu) | |
| 7/20/2022 | Rd Manzano | Artisan Slave | cartoneria, cartapesta, papier mache | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Fiber Hawaiʻi 2022" at Downtown Art Center (Honolulu) | |
| 7/20/2022 | Liz Train | Red Hot Mama | wool and silk woven on a welded steel framework | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Fiber Hawaiʻi 2022" at Downtown Art Center (Honolulu) |
Artworks purchased by or gifted to the Art in Public Places Collection, fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022)
| Date of Approval | Artist Name | Artwork Title | Artwork Medium | Year Created | Acquired From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/17/2021 | Drew Kahuʻaina Broderic | Inextinguishable Torch | bamboo, display case | 2020 | SFCA Art in Public Places COVID Call for Art 2020 |
| 11/17/2021 | Debra Drexler | Gold Stream | acrylic on canvas painting | 2019 | "AbstractionX3" exhibit, Maui Arts and Cultural Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Don Bernshouse | Weather | mixed media on paper, framed | 2018 | "AbstractionX3" exhibit, Maui Arts and Cultural Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Don Bernshouse | Head with India Printed Paper and Korean Calligraphy | mixed media on paper, framed | 2018 | "AbstractionX3" exhibit, Maui Arts and Cultural Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Don Bernshouse | Bird (and Man) | mixed media on paper, framed | 2018 | "AbstractionX3" exhibit, Maui Arts and Cultural Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Tom Lieber | Contact | oil on canvas painting | 2020 | "AbstractionX3" exhibit, Maui Arts and Cultural Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Bernice Akamine | Kapa Moe: Hae Hawaiʻi | kapa (Hawaiian bark cloth) | 2020 | "Midsummer Art Celebration 4th Annual Statewide Juried Exhibit 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Tobias Brill | Just Thinking | acrylic painting | 2020 | "Midsummer Art Celebration 4th Annual Statewide Juried Exhibit 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Jazmine Coke | four out of five | beeswax, gouache paint | 2021 | "Midsummer Art Celebration 4th Annual Statewide Juried Exhibit 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Carl F.K. Pao | Kiʻi Kupuna: ʻo ʻAilaʻau - Maka 2020 | acrylic and shellac on canvas painting | 2020 | "Midsummer Art Celebration 4th Annual Statewide Juried Exhibit 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Carl F.K. Pao | Kiʻi Kupuna: ʻo ʻAilaʻau - Maka 2021 | acrylic and shellac on canvas painting | 2020 | "Midsummer Art Celebration 4th Annual Statewide Juried Exhibit 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Charlene Asato | Under Cover | artist's book | 2021 | "Abstract Only 11th Annual All Media Juried Exhibit" exhibit, Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Lynn Graton | Honaunau | textile wall hanging - overshot weave with sashiko embroidery | 2021 | "Abstract Only 11th Annual All Media Juried Exhibit" exhibit, Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | J. Griggs | Our Firm and Fleeting World | photograph | 2020 | "Abstract Only 11th Annual All Media Juried Exhibit" exhibit, Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Cheri Groom | Landmark | mixed media with oil and cold wax | 2020 | "Abstract Only 11th Annual All Media Juried Exhibit" exhibit, Wailoa Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Joanne Hopper | Fennel and Radish - Pukalani Farmer's Market | watercolor painting | "Hawaii Watercolor Society Open Exhibition 2021", Downtown Art Center | |
| 11/17/2021 | John Krenik | Haleakala High | watercolor painting | "Hawaii Watercolor Society Open Exhibition 2021", Downtown Art Center | |
| 11/17/2021 | Bernice Akamine | Huakaʻi 2021 | kapa, earth pignments, pen and ink drawings | 2021 | "Na Kapa Kuʻina", Donkey Mill Art Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Roen Hufford | Ka papa honua (Strata of Earth) | kapa | 2021 | "Na Kapa Kuʻina", Donkey Mill Art Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Roen Hufford | Kumu lipo (Source of Life) | kapa | 2021 | "Na Kapa Kuʻina", Donkey Mill Art Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Roen Hufford | Pi'i ka mauna (Ascending the mauna) | kapa | 2021 | "Na Kapa Kuʻina", Donkey Mill Art Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Dalani Tanahy | He Kumu Wai 'Ole | kapa | 2021 | "Na Kapa Kuʻina", Donkey Mill Art Center |
| 11/17/2021 | Ann Okada | Starlight Thru Ebony Moon | glass (fused iridescent and opaque) | "Inspirations - 2021 Biennial Juried Exhibition", Downtown Art Center | |
| 11/17/2021 | Joan Namkoong | Symmetry | textile wall hanging - handwoven cotton/6-shaft satin on a drawloom | "Inspirations - 2021 Biennial Juried Exhibition", Downtown Art Center | |
| 11/17/2021 | Lynn Martin Graton | Surf Rising I | textile wall hanging - painted warp Ikat, cotton, bottom weights (fuchin) of polymer clay | "Inspirations - 2021 Biennial Juried Exhibition", Downtown Art Center | |
| 11/17/2021 | Ghislaine Chock | The Forgotten Coverlet of 1862 | textile, Merino wool and cotton | "Inspirations - 2021 Biennial Juried Exhibition", Downtown Art Center | |
| 11/17/2021 | Jean Charlot | Early Cultural Exchanges | fresco mural | 1966 | Gift of First Hawaiian Bank |
Artworks from the Art in Public Places Collection are displayed in state government sites across the state. To request artwork for a state government site, or to request that artwork at a site be moved, please click the “make a request” button below.
Artworks for the Art in Public Places Collection are selected via an Acquisition Award Selection Committee (AASC) from juried or curated exhibits statewide. An AASC visit must be requested by the exhibition organizers.
Engaging the public with the arts online and in downtown Honolulu.
Short videos featuring artists talking about their artworks in the Art in Public Places Collection.
Short videos featuring artworks from the Art in Public Places Collection.
