Hawaii State Foundation On Culture and The Arts MARCH 2025 Newsletter

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Hawaii State Foundation On Culture and The Arts MARCH 2025 Newsletter
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State Foundation on Culture and the Arts MARCH 2025 Newsletter

March 2025

Photo: Kamakani Konia at the State Art Museum.
SFCA welcomes new Art in Public Places Program Director
The Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) has announced Kamakani Konia as SFCA Art in Public Places Program Director. As program director, Konia is also the Director of Capitol Modern (the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum).

“I’m looking forward to expanding on the extraordinary work that the public art programs have been doing. Art is a public resource, and I want to make it more accessible for everyone to participate in.

“The State Art Museum is a ‘third space’ - a setting for public life, like public parks and libraries. It’s a place for community building. As a project manager I had the privilege of working with staff from the Nānākuli Public Library and was inspired by their dedication to provide a place for the community to gather, share, and learn. Together we were able to provide artwork from the SFCA's Art in Public Places Collection for the building and commission a beautiful permanent sculpture for the interior ("Mānaiakalani" by Scott Fitzel). What we ended up with was a place that features readily accessible information and a complete contemporary art gallery experience."

Kamakani Konia is a Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumn (BFA, Printmaking), and an MPA candidate in Public Administration at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Social Sciences. 2025 marks his tenth year of working for the State of Hawaiʻi; eight of those years have been at the SFCA, first as an Exhibits Specialist and then as an Art in Public Places Project Manager.

Job Opportunities at the SFCA

Administrative Services Assistant
Job description: This position plans, organizes, coordinates and directs all administrative staff services, advises and assists the Executive Director in internal management, fiscal and personnel staff functions; and performs other duties as required. Please note that this is not a secretarial, clerical, or office support position.⁠

Artwork in photo: "Enigma Cube" by Michael Mortara and Misato Mortara. Hot and cold worked glass, 2024. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

SFCA.Hawaii.gov/Jobs

Account Clerk
Job description: Maintains control accounts for appropriated and/or non-appropriated funds involving a relatively limited number of accounts and range of kinds of disbursements; may maintain one or more major accounting groupings for a major department; may supervise and participate in the maintenance of subsidiary ledgers; and performs other related duties as assigned.

Artwork in photo: detail from "Morning Breath, My Breath" by Mayumi Oda, silkscreen print, 1983. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

SFCA.Hawaii.gov/Jobs

SFCA in the media

Hawaiʻi Public Radio: Here are the arts and culture bills still flourishing at the Hawaiʻi Legislature

“Hawaiʻi lawmakers are expected to approve a few culture and arts bills this week before the crossover deadline on Thursday.

One measure would be to allocate money to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to develop a Hawai‘i-Japan Pacific Monument. Another bill would recognize the nonprofit Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra as a state orchestra and grant it $500,000 for the next two years.

House Bill 1378 would create a grants program under the SFCA for artists to promote and execute performing arts events in the state.” Read or listen to the full piece by Cassie Ordonio on the Hawaiʻi Public Radio website: hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2025-03-03/culture-and-arts-bills-still-flourishing-at-the-hawaii-legislature

Hawaiʻi Public Radio

SFCA Arts Education Programs

Photo: Konawaena High School students printing bandanas with ʻohe kāpala they designed themselves, after learning about the cultural practice of kuku kapa with teaching artist Ellen Crocker.
Artists in the Schools spotlight: Konawaena High School students collaborate. “…with the help of others, we make something which we could not make by ourselves”
In a letter to state lawmakers, then-Konawaena High School Vice Principal Momilani Kaehuaea wrote “Given our location and access, many South Kona students do not have extended learning and experiential opportunities, whether it is to attend camps, classes, or have consistent, meaningful interactions with our incredible community artists. This grant continues to afford our students those extended opportunities. In addition to providing instruction on fine arts standards, it also provides/provided classroom teachers with a hands-on mentor to better teach the arts in their curriculum and definitely supports student emotional well-being.” (Kaehuaea is currently Poʻokumu at Ke Kula ʻO ʻEhunuikaimalino School).

“The final sumi-e project was a collaborative mural to help students learn to remember that we need each other and with the help of others, we make something which we could not make by ourselves. […] The collaborative murals really emphasized that when they work together well, they are able to accomplish so much more and they can be proud of what they did.” – Leigh Nakamura, Konawaena High School, classroom teacher (from the school year 2024 final report to the SFCA).

Artists in the Schools provides high quality arts education to State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education public and charter schools, grades pre-K through 12. All Hawaiʻi public schools are eligible to apply to the program. Learn more about Artists on the Schools on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/aits.

Artists in the Schools applications open through March 30

Photo: Kahakai Elementary School students holding up artworks done during a 2024 AITS residency.
School applications for Artists in the Schools school years 2025-2026 and 2025-2027 are now open on HawaiiGoSmart.org. The deadline to apply is March 30, 2025.

SFCA Arts Education Coordinator Danica “Nikki” Rosengren will be hosting Artists in the Schools Office Hours via Zoom on March 17, 2:00 p.m.

Contact Nikki at Danica.Rosengren@hawaii.gov for a calendar invite and Zoom link to any of the sessions.

Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ (SFCA) Artists in the Schools (AITS) arts residency grants provide engaging, creative, and fun learning experiences based on the Fine Arts standards for all grade levels, through residencies with qualified, trained teaching artists from the Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster. Many of these teaching artists integrate their art form with other core curriculum areas, such as language arts, math, social studies, and science, meeting both Fine Arts and other core standards.

Learn more about the program on the SFCA website: SFCA.Hawaii.gov/aits.

Please help us get the word out! The SFCA would like to expand participation, especially on the Neighbor Islands and rural areas. This flyer can be downloaded and printed: Artists in the Schools grant flyer (PDF).

Poetry Out Loud State Champion Koaliʻi Keawe-Asuega

The 2025 Poetry Out Loud Hawaiʻi State Champion is Koaliʻi Keawe-Asuega, a 10th grade student at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. Keawe-Asuega will advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C., this May.

All 55 state and jurisdictional champions will compete in the national semifinals on Tuesday, May 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, with the top nine students advancing to the finals on Wednesday, May 7, from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. ET and can be streamed online on arts.gov.

Photo: Koaliʻi Keawe-Asuega with family.

Poetry Out Loud

2025 Scholastics Exhibit
The 2025 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Art Awards exhibit is open at Capitol Modern (the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum) March 1 - April 1, 2025. Experience Hawaiʻi through the artwork of Hawaiʻi teens!

Capitol Modern exhibitions

March is Fine Arts in our Schools Month

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education is celebration Fine Arts in Our Schools Month with performing arts (including elementary school performances at the State Art Museum, Friday March 7, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.) and a student art exhibit at the Hawaiʻi State Public Library, March 1 - 31, 2025 in the Arts Reading Room.

Capitol Modern

March events at Capitol Modern

•   2025 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Student Art Awards exhibit, open now through April 1, 2025.

•   First Friday, March 7, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

•   Friday Night Tempo, March 21, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

•   Museum calendar: CapitolModern.org/events
Capitol Modern is one of the exhibit sites for Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025. Learn more on the Hawaiʻi Contemporary website: HawaiiContemporary.org.

Are you subscribed to the Capitol Modern email newsletter? Subscribe or update your information: Capitol Modern email newsletter signup.

CapitolModern.org

Museum survey
We are participating in a national survey of museum-goers, sponsored by the American Alliance of Museums. This survey will provide us with data from our visitors, as well as from visitors to museums nationwide, helping us be more effective in the coming months and in the communities we serve.

The survey only takes about 9 minutes to complete, and in those 9 minutes you will help our team make better decisions for our future.

Go to survey.alchemer.com/s3/8056406/hawaiicapitolmodern to get started.

Survey of Museum-Goers

Calls for Artists

A list of federal, state, and other arts and culture calls for artists. Questions regarding a particular opportunity should be directed to the organization listed with the opportunity. Inclusion here should not be interpreted as an endorsement.

•   Creative Industries Hawaiʻi call for film project submissions. The State of Hawaiʻi is looking to help fund selected film projects. Applications are due by March 21, 2025. Learn more on the Creative Industries Hawaiʻi website: cid.hawaii.gov/main/calling-for-film-project-submissions.

•   Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF) Fall Festival submissions open through April 25, 2025. Submit at FilmFreeway.com/HIFF.

•   2025 Hawaiʻi Wildlife Conservation & Game Bird Stamp Art Contest submissions open until April 5, 2025. For entry requirements, please visit the hunting announcements page on the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources website: DLNR.Hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting/hunting-announcements.

•   Call for submissions: Pasefika Presence online magazine, issue #2, “The Dream Issue”. Written work (including fiction, non-fiction, essays, short stories, songs, poetry), art pieces (photographed). Deadline: Monday, March 10, 2025. For more information, please visit the Pasefika Presence website: PasefikaPresence.org.
Student Art Competitions

•   First Circuit (Oʻahu) 2025 Law Day Art Contest, open to all Oʻahu students grades 3-8. Theme: “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One”. Submissions due by April 11, 2025. For more information: Law Day Art Contest.

•   ʻŌlelo Community Media Youth Xchange Statewide Student Video Competition categories for Hawaiʻi students K-12, K-8, high school and college. Submissions due by March 25, 2024. Learn more on the ʻŌlelo Community Media website: olelo.org/yxc2025/contest.

Arts & Culture Events
This arts and culture calendar features SFCA grantees, partners, and Hawaiʻi state and local government programs and events. Questions regarding a particular program or event should be directed to the organization listed with the opportunity. Inclusion here should not be interpreted as an endorsement.

•   “2025 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Art Awards” student exhibit at Capitol Modern (the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum), March 1 - April 1, 2025. Award-winning artworks by Hawaiʻi teens. For more information, please visit the Capitol Modern website: CapitolModern.org/exhibits/2025-hawaii-regional-scholastic-art-awards.

•   “37th Annual Young at Art exhibition 2025” at various locations on Hawaiʻi Island. Exhibition features artworks by Hawaiʻi Island students K-12, March 1 - 28, 2025. For more information, please visit the East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center website: ehcc.org/yaa2025.

•   “YAS Fest 2025” a celebration of Hawaiʻi Island youth arts, Saturday March 8 in Kālakaua Park (Hilo), 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Free, family-friendly event with hands-on activities and live performances. For more information, please visit the East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center website: ehcc.org/yasfest25.

•   “An Afternoon with Related Tactics” talk and workshop at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Art Building, room 215. Monday, March 10, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

•   “Mud, Myth, and Memory” Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, featuring the work of Rosie Connelly, Hala Megahy, and Hiroko Sakurai. For more information, please visit the University website: hawaii.edu/art/exhibitions-events-museum.

•   “ʻO ka ʻāina. ʻO ka moana a me ka lani. Land, Sea, Air” exhibit at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. For more information, please visit the University website: hawaii.edu/art/exhibitions-events-museum.

•   Screening of “Hikari No Michi (Path of Light)” animated film by Maui Public Art Corps and University of Hawaiʻi students. March 27 at Waiwai Collective (Honolulu). For more information, please visit the Maui Public Art website: mauipublicart.org/hara.html.

•   2025 Art at the Capitol, Friday April 11, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.

•   Celebrate Micronesia Festival, May 3 at Bishop Museum, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Find exhibits and events on the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s Go Hawaiʻi calendar
The Go Hawaiʻi event calendars provide information about cultural performances, stage shows, musical events, and art exhibits. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority reviews each event submission and requires that the events is open to the public and “of interest to visitors”.

•   Hawaiʻi Island: gohawaii.com/islands/hawaii-big-island/events

•   Kauaʻi: gohawaii.com/islands/kauai/events

•   Lanaʻi: gohawaii.com/islands/lanai/events

•   Maui: gohawaii.com/islands/maui/events

•   Molokaʻi: gohawaii.com/islands/molokai/events

•   Oʻahu: gohawaii.com/islands/oahu/events
Listing an event is free! Interested event hosts and organizations can learn more on the GoHawaii website: gohawaii.com/events/submit.

SFCA Board of Commissioners

Photo: “Cloaca” ceramic sculpture by Brooke Mahnken, 2024. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Purchased from the “Mālama Wao Akua 2024” exhibition at Hui Noʻeau (Maui).

SFCA Board approves seventeen artwork purchases and six exhibit visits
The SFCA Board of Commissioners approved seventeen artwork purchases and six exhibit visits at the February 11, 2025 Art in Public Places committee meeting.

Approved exhibit visits

•   “Land, Sea and Air: A Feminist Look at the Environment”, Commons Gallery, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Art and Art History.

•   “Embodiment: MFA Thesis Exhibition”, The Art Gallery, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Art and Art History.

•   “Still Standing”, Arts and Letters Nuʻuanu.

•   “Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Raku Hoʻolauleʻa Exhibition 2025”, Downtown Art Center.

•   “Honolulu Printmakers 97th Annual Juried Exhibition”, Downtown Art Center.

•   “Allegory II” Bishop Square, Pauahi Tower Lobby.

•   Recent purchases and gifts are listed on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/art-in-public-places-program/#recent-adds.

•   Approved exhibit visits are also posted to the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/art-in-public-places-program/#aasc-visits.

Upcoming SFCA Board of Commissioners Meetings

• Wednesday, March 12, 2025: General Meeting
Decisions about grants, artwork purchases, and more are made by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) Board of Commissioners. Meetings are currently being held virtually on Zoom, and the public is invited to attend. Appointed by the state governor, the Board of Commissioners oversees the Executive Director, provides input, and approves spending. Commissioners are volunteers and do not receive compensation for their duties.

Individuals may submit written testimony on posted agenda items in advance of the meeting via email to Rhiannon.MK.Keene@hawaii.gov or by mail addressed to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, 250 South Hotel Street, 2nd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Individuals interested in signing up to provide oral testimony on posted agenda items at the meeting may submit their name, email, and phone number to HawaiiSFCA@hawaii.gov. Individuals may provide oral testimony at the meeting via the above-listed video conferencing link or by calling the above listed telephone number. Testimony presented during the meeting will be limited to three minutes each.
Agenda items for General Meetings may include approval of artwork acquisition recommendations and Acquisition Award Selection Committee (AASC) art exhibit visit recommendations.

Agendas and minutes are also posted on the SFCA Board of Commissioners page.

Graphic: artwork detail from “Papaya” watercolor painting by Peter Jacka, 1981. SFCA Art in Public Places Collection. Currently on display at the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health, Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA).

SFCA Office
The SFCA office is open by appointment. SFCA is operating in a hybrid model of teleworking where all staff are available by email or telephone. If you aren’t sure who to contact, email HawaiiSFCA@hawaii.gov or call (808) 586-0300 and leave a voice message, including your name and telephone number.

Copyright (C) 2025 Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. All rights reserved.
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The mission of the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts is to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai‘i. HSFCA funding is provided by the State of Hawai‘i and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Courtesy of: Hawaii State Art Museum

Hawaii State Art Museum

he Hawai'i State Art Museum is dedicated to presenting the largest and finest collection of works by Hawai'i artists that celebrate the diverse artistic and cultural legacy of Hawai'i.

OUR MISSION
To promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai`i. HSFCA funding is provided by the State of Hawai`i and the National Endowment for the Arts. The HSFCA is administratively attached to the Department of Accounting and General Services.

HOURS:
The musuem is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed State and Federal Holdays. Always free admission. For pre-recorded information call 586-0900.

The Hawai'i State Art Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For pre-recorded summary information on the museum, call (808) 586-0900. For current museum program information, call the HSFCA Art in Public Places Program at (808) 586-0305. To arrange an educational tour of the museum, call (808) 586-9958.

For information on the HSFCA; the Hawai'i State Art Museum; HSFCA grants, programs, and services; Hawai'i arts and culture events; and USA and worldwide arts opportunities, visit the HSFCA website, www.hawaii.gov/sfca.

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Hawaii State Foundation On Culture and The Arts MARCH 2025 Newsletter

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