Upcoming Tour Dates:

-Saturday, December 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Join historian Gary R. Coover, author of "Pocket Walking Tour of Honolulu's Royal Mile," and veteran artist/educator Susan Hogan for a lively 1.5–2 hour walk through the HEART of Downtown Honolulu. Discover the layered history, culture, and architecture of the district, explore pivotal sites and public artworks, and take home a complimentary copy of Gary’s book!

Meeting Place: Downtown Art Center, 1041 Nuuanu Ave, Studio 1C (Chinatown Gateway Plaza building level 1)

$25 per person, limit 20 people per tour.

Saturday, November 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
DAC 2nd Floor Classroom
$10 per person, online or at the door.

Hawaiʻi-born Sean-Joseph Takeo Kahāokalani Choo is a queer, multi-ethnic, multi-hyphenate artist: actor, composer, playwright, and creative producer. Join us as he takes to the soapbox to share some of his stories, songs, and reflections on art, faith,
and life.

Sunday, November 16 from 2:30 - 4:40 p.m., DAC 2nd Floor Classroom,
$10 per person

PlayBuilders of Hawaiʻi Theater Company presents a moving production that explores the challenges and love at the heart of caregiving. The evening begins with a scene from The Super Executive Aunties of the Mālama the Caregivers Collective, created with Oʻahu family caregivers, followed by No One Is Prepared for Alzheimer’s: One Family’s Story, adapted from Lindsay Pjerrou Desrochers’ published journal. Directed by Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak and performed by veteran actors Peggy Anne Siegmund and Allan Okubo, the play brings to life Lindsay’s unflinching yet deeply loving account of caring for her husband George through Alzheimer’s.

On View in the Courtyard Gallery November 18 - December 14, 2025

First Friday Artist's Reception‍: Friday, December 5 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

DAC Art & Gifts Shop is proud to feature new paintings by renowned local artist Lauren Okano: “Kintsugi Joy”

“In this series, the act of painting becomes its own repair - a conversation between fracture and grace” says Okano. “Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken vessels are restored with gold, these works honor the beauty of what endures. Each brushstroke carries both the mark of what was lost and the shimmer of what has been found. Joy, in the end, is the seam that holds it all together - quiet, resilient, and luminous. Through paint, gesture and rhythm, I return to wholeness again and again.”

December 5- 20, 2025 in the Main Gallery

First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, December 5 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Organized by Hawaiian Fine Furniture’s Doug Gordon, this exhibition will feature a selection of hand-crafted fine furniture pieces. Showcasing both traditional and contemporary approaches to woodworking, the collection includes chairs, tables, and functional accessories created by several of Hawaiʻi’s most accomplished furniture makers and wood artists.

Throughout the exhibition, artists will offer informal talks and live demonstrations, providing insight into their creative processes, techniques, and materials.

December 5-14, 2025 in the Courtyard Gallery

Members of the nonprofit Honolulu Kupuna Shed will have beautiful woodwork and handmade crafts for sale in the DAC Courtyard Gallery this holiday season. 

Sunday, December 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.,  2nd Floor DAC Classroom

Each year, the local artisans from Quirky Crafters throw a great holiday sale with art and handmade gifts, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charities. 

Saturday, December 13 from 5-7 p.m.
2nd Floor DAC Classroom
$10 per person, online or at the door

Join us for this holiday edition of Raise Your Voice, featuring songs curated by veteran Honolulu musician James B. McCarthy from his archive of winter holiday tunes and tales—each selected to celebrate the comfort, joy, and magic of the season. We’ll set the mood with a warm, candlelit atmosphere, perfect for spending an evening together lifting our spirits.

Our curated first floor retail shop is a showcase gallery where local artists can sell their artwork, and visitors can buy unique gifts created by Hawaiʻi artists.

FIND OUT MORE!

Our Vacant to Vibrant project aims to prove that Downtown/Chinatown Honolulu’s vacant spaces can come alive again, as valuable hubs of art, creativity, and community involvement.

FIND OUT MORE!

Our initiative to beautify Downtown/Chinatown Honolulu through the power of the arts employs artists to create colorful, fun, photogenic, and uplifting public art pieces that the community can enjoy.

FIND OUT MORE!

HEART is an acronymn that stands for Heritage, Entertainment, Arts & culture, Restaurants, and Theatre & Performing Arts. Together, these elements make up the core of our vibrant creative community, and are the focus of our annual HEART of Honolulu arts festival on
Nuuanu Avenue each April.

FIND OUT MORE!