Honolulu, Hawaii
Welcome to Downtown Art Center!
Second Floor Gallery Hours: Tues-Sun 11 AM to 5 PM
Studio 1C Gallery Hours: Tues-Sun 11 AM to 5 PM
DAC Art & Gifts Shop Hours: Tues-Sat 11 AM to 5 PM
Current Main Gallery Exhibition
Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society 2025 Members' Show
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“Put A Handle On It” Ceramics Work by Shige Miyamoto and Students
On View February 25-March 29, 2025
Opening Reception for “Put a Handle On it: Friday, February 28 from 6-8 p.m. with remarks by Shigeru Miyamoto at 6:30 p.m.
Opening Reception and Award Ceremony for Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society 2025 Members’ Show: First Friday, February 7 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society 2025 Members’ Show:
Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society presents the 2025 Member’s Show. The annual exhibition features 77 stunning works by 58 member artists, all working with water media. Subject matter ranges from landscapes and botanicals to figures to abstract. The juror for this year’s exhibition is Emily McIlroy, a veteran instructor and arts educator for the Honolulu Museum of Art School and Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance, who currently teaches in the Drawing and Painting Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). In addition to her teaching position at UHM, McIlroy is a committed working artist. She has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Hawaiʻi and across the continental United States since 2014.
A Juror Workshop with Emily McIlory will be held Friday and Saturday, March 14-15 from 12 to 5 p.m. at DAC. Fee for HWS members is $175; non-member fee is $220. Visit hawaiiwatercolorsociety.org/workshops to sign up.
“Put a Handle On It (so you can throw it away!)”:
“Put a Handle On It” is an unjuried collection of ceramics artwork by retired ceramics instructor Shigeru Miyamoto, with 25 of his current and former students. It will be shown in the Main Gallery alongside work by members of Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society. The exhibition is named after one of Miyamoto’s signature remarks in the classroom.
A prolific ceramic artist and instructor, Miyamoto has taught internationally and has artworks in several collections locally and internationally. His art expresses the social, political, and cultural climate of the Pacific Rim.
Twenty-five current and former students will be sharing works in this exhibition: Maren Bonnet, Patricia Y. Brubaker, M.K. Carroll, Tyler Chinen, Flora Cruells-Benzal, Andy Currivan, Ratna Djuhadi, Lili Evensen, Daven Hee, Lynda Hess, May Izumi, Jacob Jackson, Verena Jackson, Craig Kagawa, Light Ruth Kagawa, Yutaka Kawahito, Jung Mi Koo, Emily Shi Lee, Lynn Weiler Liverton, John Margenau, Claire Ranney, Joy Sanchez, Ryan Schulz, Boz Schurr, and Remle Wong.
“Serenity” by Sheree Latif
“Psychic Paddler” by Shigeru Miyamoto
Current Courtyard Gallery Exhibition
Alan Aoki: Hawaii’s Natural Beauty
On View March 7-15, 2025
First Friday Meet & Greet and Opening Reception: Friday, March 7 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.
Alan Aoki, a prolific painter known for his serene and pastel-hued depictions of Hawaii, evokes a sense of happiness and hope with his work. He studied at Okyu Ito Art School and Hasegawa Roka Art School in Tokyo before launching a career that has taken his work to exhibitions in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Honolulu, and beyond. In addition to his artistic practice, Aoki has also shared his expertise through teaching. His work reflects a deep connection to Hawaii, capturing its beauty with a soft, uplifting palette.
Current Classroom Exhibition
DAC QuickDraw: Chinatown en Plein Air
On View March 6-April 5, 2025
The artwork in this exhibition was all created en plein air, or in the outdoors, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. as part of the Guitars & Plein Air in the Park event, produced by DAC and Hawaii Theatre on Saturday, March 1.
Congratulations to the First, Second, and Third Place prizewinners!
Mark N. Brown: Best in Show
Spencer Chang: Second Prize - Honoring Chinatown
Alla Parsons: Honorable Mention
Upcoming Events & Exhibitions
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Writing Workshop Series with Juliet S. Kono Lee: Fun with Japanese Poetic Forms
Sundays, March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Tickets: $50 per person, limit 8 peopleJoin acclaimed Bamboo Ridge Press author Juliet S. Kono Lee for a journey into the world of Japanese poetic forms. For five Sunday morning sessions (must sign up for all sessions) in March, attendees will explore the art of haibun and haiku – a beautiful fusion of prose and poetry that allows you to express yourself in unique and deeply personal ways.
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HOT Carmen Previews
Thursday, March 27 from 6-8 p.m.
FREE with RSVP!Save the date, Thursday, March 27 from 6-8 p.m. for a very HOT preview event of Hawaii Opera Theatre's upcoming production of CARMEN! Meet the cast and creative team, get a sneak preview of the show, and enjoy cocktails and pupu by local vendors in the DAC Main Gallery.
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HEART of Honolulu Street Festival 2025
Saturday, April 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nuuanu Avenue - FREE and open to the public!Join us for the Fourth Annual HEART of Honolulu Street Festival, a vibrant, family-friendly celebration of art, culture, and community in the heart of the Chinatown Arts District! Taking place on Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., this free, all-ages event will transform Nuʻuanu Avenue into a lively hub featuring two music stages, interactive art activities, arts and crafts vendors, local nonprofits, food vendors/food trucks, and more. With Nuʻuanu Avenue closed to vehicle traffic from Chaplain Lane to King Street, the festival invites attendees to explore the unique and walkable Downtown and Chinatown neighborhoods while supporting local businesses and artists.
We are seeking vendors of all kinds—artists, makers, food vendors, and community organizations—to be part of this exciting event. Vendor deadline is March 14!
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The Bard's Birthday Bash
Friday, April 25 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the DAC Classroom
FREE and open to the public!Hark! On Friday, the five and twentieth of April, all are bid attend the Bard's Birthday Bash, hailing the noblest bard of all, William Shakespeare! With soliloquies, scenes, and sonnets by our brethren of the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival, and cake and refreshments from the DAC Donation Bar, it shall be an eve not to forego!
DAC Special Projects & Community Action
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Vacant to Vibrant
Downtown Honolulu and its historic Chinatown Arts District are in trouble. Once the vital heart of the Pacific business community, multiple circumstances, including economic downturns and the COVID pandemic, has changed a once-vibrant area into a struggling historic arts, entertainment, and restaurant district with blocks of abandoned real estate and rising crime and vandalism.
However, with change comes opportunity. The time is right to start the conversation about how Downtown Honolulu and the Chinatown Arts District can be transformed into a vibrant community that attracts both locals and visitors alike. Downtown Art Center’s Vacant to Vibrant project, with several phases planned, aims to prove that these vacant spaces can come alive again, as valuable hubs of art, creativity, and community involvement.
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Public Art WORKS!
The objective of DAC’s telephone kiosk painting project was to beautify Chinatown’s Fort Street Mall area by transforming its five obsolete, damaged telephone kiosks into works of art. The selected designs, by local artists Su Shen Atta, Yvonne Manipon, Sergio Garzon, Kahi Ching, and Charles Valoroso, are simple, colorful, fun, photogenic, and uplifting. The painting started on Saturday, October 22 and covered five telephone kiosks stretching the length of Fort Street Mall, from Beretania to Merchant Streets.
Find out more about this and other DAC initiatives to put art in public places!
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HEART of Honolulu Street Festivals
Celebrate the arts, culture, and good food as you walk, shop, and eat your way around the Chinatown Arts District. Downtown Art Center is proud to present the HEART of Honolulu Street Festival, a family-friendly, daytime art festival that closes Nuʻuanu Avenue, from King Street to Chaplain Lane, to showcase local art, live local music, food, crafts, and more. The last festival took place on Saturday, October 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. - stay tuned for the next street festival in April 2023!
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.
Visit Us
1041 Nu’uanu Ave. Honolulu HI 96817
Exhibition Gallery Hours (2025):
Tues-Sun
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
First Friday Hours:
5:30 - 8 p.m. every First Friday of the month!
Downstairs DAC Art & Gifts Shop Hours:
Tues-Sat
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Downstairs Studio 1C Gallery Hours:
Tues-Sun
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Phone
(808) 773-7339
PARKING INFORMATION
Parking for DAC is located at nearby municipal parking lots (onsite at Chinatown Gateway Plaza, parking entrance off Bethel Street) or at Mark's Garage (entrance at 22 S. Pauahi St.). On-site parking is by credit card only, and costs $0.75/half hour, with no grace period.
DAC is easily accessible by public transit as well; get directions, routes and timetables at www.thebus.org.