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Free art exhibits in Honolulu (April 2024)

March 25, 2024

The galleries at Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum) are temporarily closed while new exhibits are being installed. Below is a list of free art exhibits around Honolulu that will be open in April 2024. Inclusion in this list should not be interpreted as an endorsement. Dates, times, and other details may change without notice. Please check with the exhibit locations before visiting if you have any questions.

Student art

  • “Not All Backpacks Carry the Same Weight” at Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu, April 5 – 21, 2024. Student and homeless youth art collaboration previously displayed the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Hawaiʻi State Capitol building. Opening reception Friday April 5, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu website: ArtsAndLettersNuuanu.org.
  • “Hōʻike Haumāna Ākea” student show at the Hōʻikeākea Gallery, Leeward Community College (Pearl City) through July 27, 2024. Gallery open Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. For more information, visit the gallery website: Leeward.hawaii.edu/hoikeakea.
  • “Identity” Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, April 21 – May 7, 2024. Open Tuesday-Friday and Sunday 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. Closed Saturdays, Mondays, and holidays. For more information, please visit the UH Art Department website: hawaii.edu/art/exhibitions-events-museum.

Exhibitions

  • “Aloha Kai: Love for the Ocean” exhibit at Honolulu Hale, April 5 – May 17, 2024. Opening reception Friday April 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m. For more information, please visit the Honolulu Mayor’s Office on Culture and the Arts website: HonoluluMOCA.org/aloha-kai-love-for-the-ocean.
  • “Faculty Exhibition Series Part 4” at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, through April 7, 2024. Open Tuesday-Friday and Sunday 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. Closed Saturdays, Mondays, and holidays. For more information, please visit the UH Art Department website: hawaii.edu/art/exhibitions-events-museum. Exhibit supported in part by grant funding from the SFCA.
  • “Kabuki in Hawaiʻi: Connections through Time and Space” exhibit, East-West Center Art Gallery (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa) through May 5, 2024. For more information, please visit the East-West Center website: EastWestCenter.org/education/gallery-exhibition-kabuki-hawaii-connections-through-time-and-space.
  • Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society 2024 Members’ Show: Flow – the Liquid World of Watercolor and Glass April 2-28, 2024 at the Downtown Art Center. For more information, please visit the HWS show page on their website: HawaiiWatercolorSociety.org/2024-members-show.
  • Honolulu Printmakers 96th Annual Exhibition April 5 – May 3, 2024. For more information, please visit the Honolulu Printmakers exhibit page on their website: HonoluluPrintmakers.org/blog/2023/12/13/96th-annual-exhibition-information.
  • “Future Island Cultures” artworks by Solomon Enos at the Hawaiʻi Theatre Center (in association with manini GALLERY). Exhibition dates: April 13 – May 26, 2024. Opening reception Saturday April 13, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. during the HEART of Honolulu Festival. Artist talk story Friday May 3, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. manini GALLERY website: beacons.ai/manini.
  • “Pastel Artists of Hawaiʻi Open Juried Show: Beauty of Pastels” at the Downtown Art Center. April 3-27. For more information, please visit the Pastel Artists of Hawaiʻi website: PastelArtistsOfHawaii.com.

Events

  • Artist Talk: Kaili Chun, sculptor and installation artist. Candidate presentation for the Assistant Professor of Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian Visual Art. University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa Art building, Room 101, Friday April 5, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. For more information, please visit the UHM Art Department website: hawaii.edu/art.
  • UHM Artist in Residence: Angela Tiatia, April 7-12, 2024. Storyboarding workshop Wednesday April 10, 3:00 p.m. in the Art Building, room 215. Public lecture Thursday April 11, 5:00 p.m., Art Building room 101. For more information, please visit the UHM Art Department website: hawaii.edu/art.
  • “Not All Backpacks Carry the Same Weight” opening reception at Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu, student and homeless youth art collaboration previously displayed the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Hawaiʻi State Capitol building. Opening reception Friday April 5, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu website: ArtsAndLettersNuuanu.org.
  • Artist Talk: Dianne Totten, fiber artist, will give a presentation about her approach to designing and sewing one-of-a-kind garments and “crimp cloth” weaving. Saturday April 6, 6:00 p.m. at the Hawaiʻi Handweavers’ Hui studio in the Downtown Art Center. Potluck gathering at 5:00 p.m. Open to the public with RSVP: HawaiiHandWeavers.org/event-5659720. Supported in part by grant funding from the SFCA.
  • Closing reception for “Faculty Exhibition Series Part 4” at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, Sunday April 7, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the UH Art Department website: hawaii.edu/art/exhibitions-events-museum. Exhibit supported in part by grant funding from the SFCA.
  • Video screening and artist talk: Angela Tiatia “The Dark Current” at Arts & Letters Nuʻuanu. Friday April 12, 7:00 p.m. Tiatia is an Artist in Residence at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa in April. The video explores migration, femininity, and the intersection of digital and physical realms. For more information, please visit the UH-Mānoa Art Department website: hawaii.edu/art/angela-tiatia-visiting-artist.
  • Art at the Capitol Friday April 12, 2024, 4:30-7:00 p.m. An annual event by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, inviting the public in after office hours to view artworks on display in the building and to enjoy live music and performances. Please note that photo identification (such as a driver’s license) is required for entry into the building. For additional information about visiting the Hawaiʻi State Capitol capitol.hawaii.gov/contact.aspx.
  • HEART of Honolulu art street festival, Saturday, April 13, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the Downtown Art Center website: DowntownArtHi.org/heartofhonolulufestival.
  • Historical Reenactment Tours at the Judiciary History Center of Hawaiʻi and new exhibition featuring artworks from the SFCA Art in Public Places Collection. Saturday April 27, 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. Tours begin at 1:00 and 2:30 p.m.
  • Honolulu Museum of Art presents a panel discussion in conjunction with the exhibition “ʻAuʻa” (on view through September 29, 2024). Panelists Tara Lulani Arquette, Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick, Healoha Johnston, Kapulani Landgraf, and moderator Karen Kosasa will discuss the importance of resistance, resilience, and courage for supporting Kanaka ʻŌiwi communities and inspiring creative scholarship. Free and open to the public. Sunday April 21, 2024, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Register for a free ticket on the Honolulu Museum of Art website: HonoluluMuseum.org/exhibitions/kapulani-landgraf-aua.
  • Shakespeare’s Birthday Bash at the Downtown Art Center with the Hawaiʻi Shakespeare Festival. Cake, sonnets, and silliness on Friday, April 26, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the Downtown Art Center event page: DowntownArtHI.org/events.

This post was updated on April 18, 2024.

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