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 |
| 01/19/2022 | Jackie Johnston | Standing Tall | acrylic on canvas painting | "Malama Wao Akua 2021" exhibit at the Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center | |
| 1/19/2022 | Sarah Metz | Ka Mele o Na Iwi Manu | pit fired clay sculpture | "Malama Wao Akua 2021" exhibit at the Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center | |
| 01/19/2022 | Zach Pezzillo | Hanawi | black and white photograph | "Malama Wao Akua 2021" exhibit at the Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center | |
| 01/19/2022 | Keala Kai | Hawaiian Makau | pencil drawing | "2021 Art Kauaʻi" exhibit, Kauaʻi Society of Artists | |
| 01/19/2022 | Licia McDonald | Tenuous and Vulnerable | porcelain ceramic sculpture | "2021 Art Kauaʻi" exhibit, Kauaʻi Society of Artists | |
| 01/19/2022 | Carol Kouchi Yotsuda | 350 Truckloads to the Green Waste | ink drawing | "2021 Art Kauaʻi" exhibit, Kauaʻi Society of Artists | |
| 01/19/2022 | Jake Boggs | Dave | ceramic sculpture | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2021", Hawaiʻi Craftsmen | |
| 01/19/2022 | V. Lee Cabanilla | Hoʻolau "To Grow Leaves" | salvaged koa wood sculpture | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2021", Hawaiʻi Craftsmen | |
| 01/19/2022 | Jacob Jackson | Blue Crystalline Vessel | porcelain vessel | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2021", Hawaiʻi Craftsmen | |
| 01/19/2022 | Constance Liu | Carved Vase | porcelain vessel | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2021", Hawaiʻi Craftsmen | |
| 01/19/2022 | Maya Lea Portner | Dance Forest | paper, acrylic paint, thread, pins | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2021", Hawaiʻi Craftsmen | |
| 01/19/2022 | Joy Sanchez and Daven Hee | Expressions on Another's Form | ceramic vessel with underglaze, cone 5 oxidation, gold dust applique | "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2021", Hawaiʻi Craftsmen | |
| 01/19/2022 | Margaret Barnaby | Testing the Water | multiple plate woodblock print | 2021 | "Hawaiʻi Nei 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 01/19/2022 | Elizabeth Miller | Symbiotic Stories: ʻĀlalā and Hoʻawa | cast resin, handworked aluminum, painting/paper, media mix | 2021 | "Hawaiʻi Nei 2021" exhibit at Wailoa Center |
| 01/19/2022 | Derek Bencomo | The Feeling of Movement, 21 View | wood sculpture (carved Jacaranda mimosfolia wood) | "Hawaii's Woodshow/Na Lāʻau o Hawaiʻi" exhibit | |
| 01/19/2022 | Michael Patrick Smith | The Joy of Koi | turned wood vessel with pyrography | "Hawaii's Woodshow/Na Lāʻau o Hawaiʻi" exhibit | |
| 01/19/2022 | Jerry Vasconcellos | I am Hau | carved hau wood, concrete base | "Hawaii's Woodshow/Na Lāʻau o Hawaiʻi" exhibit | |
| 03/16/2022 | Gaye Chan | Carrying Capacity | found plastic | "Artists of Hawai`i Now", Honolulu Museum of Art | |
| 03/16/2022 | Kapulani Landgraf | Māmakakaua | digital ink print photographs | "Artists of Hawai`i Now", Honolulu Museum of Art | |
| 03/16/2022 | Juvana Soliven | Body Weaponized - No. 1 | leather, steel, copper, glass, enamel, rubber, brass, thread | 2020 | "Artists of Hawai`i Now", Honolulu Museum of Art |
| 03/16/2022 | Juvana Soliven | Body Weaponized - No. 5 | glass beads, leather, brass, steel, thread | 2020 | "Artists of Hawai`i Now", Honolulu Museum of Art |
| 03/16/2022 | Melissa Chimera | Cane Fields, Teodulo and Segundo | oil, ink, and silk on linen | 2018 | "Remittance" exhibit, Above the Equator Gallery |
| 03/16/2022 | Elizabeth Keller | Electric Engineering and Repair Shop at Puʻunene Sugar Mill | watercolor painting | "Hui Noʻeau 2022 Annual Juried Exhibition", Hui Noʻeau | |
| 03/16/2022 | Don Shamblin | Beachwalk | oil on canvas | "Hui Noʻeau 2022 Annual Juried Exhibition", Hui Noʻeau | |
| 06/15/2022 | Amber Aguirre | Covidiot | porcelain ceramic sculpture | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre | |
| 6/15/2022 | Lynn Martin Graton | Floating Light | painted warp ikat woven textile | 2021 | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre |
| 06/15/2022 | Kainoa Makua | Leiomano | ceramic sculpture | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre | |
| 06/15/2022 | Susan Mori | Sparkling Water | handwoven loom-controlled shibori, cotton, hand-dyed indigo wall hanging | 2018 | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre |
| 06/15/2022 | Georgia Sartoris | Hue Wai Pawehe #106 | Hawaiian gourd with traditional dye techniques | 2021 | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre |
| 06/15/2022 | Richard Nelson | Yes | watercolor painting | "Celebration of Hawaiʻi 2022, 17th Annual Exhibition" at Viewpoints Gallery Maui | |
| 6/15/2022 | Richard Nelson | Confounded | watercolor painting | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre | |
| 06/15/2022 | Richard Nelson | Drifter | watercolor painting | "Brilliance of Now - artwork as a reflection of a moment in time" exhibit at Kahilu Theatre | |
| 06/15/2022 | Piliamoʻo | Ua ili na pua kukui no ka ua koko | black and white photo digital ink print | "Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022" at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum | |
| 06/15/2022 | Piliamoʻo | Huaʻi iho na puʻewai i ke alanui" | black and white photograph digital ink print | "Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022" at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum | |
| 06/15/2022 | Takeo Miji | Darkside | oil on canvas | Gift of Danielle Koki | |
| 07/21/2021 | Mari Sakamoto | Night in 2020 | paper collage | 2020 | SFCA Art in Public Places Program "Covid Call for Art 2020" |
| 07/21/2021 | James Knudsen | Palolo Valley Swimming Pool | photograph | 2021 | SFCA Art in Public Places Program "Covid Call for Art 2020" |
| 07/21/2021 | James Knudsen | Fabric Store, Kalakaua Avenue | photography | 2021 | SFCA Art in Public Places Program "Covid Call for Art 2020" |
| 07/21/2021 | James Knudsen | Ala Wai Canal, the Day Before Lockdown | photograph | 2021 | SFCA Art in Public Places Program "Covid Call for Art 2020" |
| 07/21/2021 | Juanita Vitousek | High Tide Kona | watercolor painting | Gift of Carrillio Ganther | |
| 07/21/2021 | Juanita Vitousek | Jetty and Boats | watercolor painting | Gift of Carrillio Ganther | |
| 07/21/2021 | Juanita Vitousek | Pandanus Palms | watercolor painting | Gift of Carrillio Ganther | |
| 07/21/2021 | Juanita Vitousek | Mountains | watercolor painting | Gift of Carrillio Ganther | |
| 07/21/2021 | Takeo Miji | No. 7 Brambles | oil painting | 2007 | Gift of Wesley Oh and Reiko Stiver |
| 07/21/2021 | Takeo Miji | Seascape | oil painting | 2005 | Gift of Wesley Oh and Reiko Stiver |
| 07/21/2021 | Madeline Soder | Ke Ola I Ka Wai | indigo-dyed and waxed hand-stitched paper | 2018 | Gift of Madeline Soder |
| 09/15/2021 | Hana Yoshihata | Kawainui | ocean water, acrylic pigments, sumi ink, gouache, pastel | 2020 | "Mai hoʻohuli i ka lima i luna" exhibit at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum |
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.
