Currently, most artworks for the SFCA Art in Public Places Collection are purchased from local art exhibits. Having your artwork for sale in a juried or curated exhibit that has requested an AASC visit is the most likely way that your work can become a part of the SFCA Art in Public Places Collection’s Relocatable Works of Art (completed, portable works to be displayed at state government sites including public libraries, schools, and state offices). Art Acquisition Selection Committees (AASCs) visit the exhibits and nominate artworks for the collection. Nominated works are then presented to the SFCA Board of Commissioners for approval. Learn more about qualifications and how exhibit organizers can invite an SFCA AASC visit on our website: sfca.hawaii.gov/art-in-public-places-program/invite-committee.
Commissioned Works of Art for specific state government locations (such as site-specific large murals or sculptures) have a separate artist selection process that typically begins with a Request for Qualifications posted to Call for Entry (CaFÉ) at CallForEntry.org. Artists need to be registered on CaFÉ to be able to log in and respond to a call for artists. It’s free to register and set up an account with a work portfolio and resumé. SFCA staff recommend that interested artists have an account and work portfolio on CaFÉ.
CaFÉ lists various opportunities at the state, national, and international level. Explore the call listings: artist.callforentry.org/festivals.php.
Upcoming AASC visits
Below is a list of exhibits that the SFCA Board of Commissioners approved at the July 18, 2025 general meeting. A full list of recent and upcoming approved exhibits is posted to our website: sfca.hawaii.gov/art-in-public-places-program/invite-committee (scroll down past the AASC invitation information).
- An AASC visited the “Wondrous Light: Aurora Borealis” exhibit at the Downtown Art Center in July and nominated four artworks for the SFCA Art in Public Places Collection. A version of the exhibit, a joint presentation by the Hawaiʻi Handweavers’ Hui and The Glass Fusion Collective, will be on view at the Wailoa Center in Hilo (Hawaiʻi Island) September 5 – 25, 2025. They have also shared videos about four invited artists: Joan Namkoong, Ghislaine Chock, Karl Hensel, and Bud Spindt.
- “MACC Biennial 2025” exhibition at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (MACC), Schaefer International Gallery. Showcasing artists from across Hawaiʻi through new and contemporary work. Open through August 30, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the MACC website: MauiArts.org/exhibits
- “Kahi Ching: Chinese Zodiac, Part 1” exhibit of drawings and paintings by artist Kahi Ching at Arts and Letters Gallery Nuʻuanu in Honolulu. Through August 31, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu website: ArtsAndLettersNuuanu.org.
- “Lucky Live Hawaiʻi 2025 Invitational” art exhibit at Viewpoints Gallery Maui, featuring artists from across Hawaiʻi. Through September 7, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the Viewpoints Gallery website: ViewpointsGalleryMaui.com/exhibits.
- “2025 Abstract Only! 15th Annual Multimedia Juried Competition Exhibition”, featuring an international exchange between Hawaiʻi and Shanghai artists. August 1 – 28, 2025 at Wailoa Center (Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island). An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the Wailoa Center website: WailoaCenter.com/abstract-exchange.
- “Many Hands, Many Journeys: A Cross-Pacific Artistic Dialogue” exhibit at Kahilu Theatre (Hawaiʻi Island) August 8 – September 14, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the Kahilu Exhibits at Kahilu Theatre website: kahilu.org/exhibits.
- “Synergistic Tendencies: Explorations in Collaborative Ceramics” exhibition at Donkey Mill Art Center (Hawaiʻi Island), August 23 – October 11, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the Donkey Mill Art Center website: DonkeyMillArtCenter.org/event/?event=6177.
- “Kuleana” exhibit at Gallery ʻIolani, Windward Community College. Featuring works by University of Hawaiʻi alumni or former or current faculty or staff. August 29 – December 12, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please visit the Gallery ʻIolani website: gallery.windward.hawaii.edu.
- “Interisland (New Paintings from New York and Hawaiʻi)” exhibition of 42 painters based in New York City and in Hawaiʻi at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, The Art Gallery, August 31 – December 7, 2025. Gallery walkthrough followed by opening reception Sunday August 31, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please visit the University of Hawaiʻi website: hawaii.edu/art/exhibitions-events-museum.
- “My Monumental Summer: Live, Love, Paint” exhibition at Leeward Community College, Hōʻikeakea Gallery. Five artists create a monumental painting from start to finish. August 30 to November 15, 2025. An SFCA Art Acquisition Selection Committee visit has been approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. For more information about the exhibit, please go to the Leeward Community College website: leeward.hawaii.edu/hoikeakea.
About AASCs
Art Acquisition Selection Committees are a group invited by the Art in Public Places Program that include SFCA staff, board commissioners, and Visual Art Consultant volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a Visual Art Consultant, the application form is on our website: sfca.hawaii.gov/programs-for-artists-presenters/volunteer-to-select-artwork.
Media description
Image description: text reading SFCA Art in Public Places Program “how do I get my art into the Hawaiʻi SFCA public art collection?” sfca.hawaii.gov/news over a dreamy digital photograph of a grasshopper on a flowering plant. A dark gradient over the photograph helps the text stand out.
Artwork in image: Joseph Ruesing, “Grasshopper”, digital photograph, 2007. Art in Public Places Collection of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA). Currently on display in the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Accounting and General Services, Accounting Administration.