Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

10/15/2026

Friday October 16, 2026. 11:00 a.m. until adjourned. SFCA Board of Commissioners General Meeting is in-person at the No.1 Capitol District building (Multipurpose Room, 250 South Hotel St., Honolulu) and online videoconference via Zoom.

The October 16 agenda includes items for discussion, consideration, and/or action:

- Executive Director's report on the SFCA Strategic Plan 2025-2029, Performing Arts Grants Program funding, and update on the study on Art in Public Places Collection processes;
- approval of contract amendment for Kapiolani Community College commissioned artwork;
- approval of non-state loan request to Honolulu Museum of Art;
- approval of purchase recommendations for the Art in Public Places Collection from the "36 Views of Mauna Loa (part 1)," "Edwin Kayton: Sharing the Journey and Brook Kapūkuniahi Parker: Honoring Our Ancestors," "Style," and "Midsummer Art Celebration 2026," "AHA! Art Immersive," "Hawaiʻi's Woodshow 2026: Na Lāʻau o Hawaiʻi," "Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2026" and "Laʻau Kūpuna Plantcestors" art exhibitions;
- approval of Art Acquisition Selection Committee (AASC) visits to "2026 Pacific States Biennial North American," "Artists of Hawaiʻi 2026," "18th Annual Hawaiʻi Nei Art Exhibition," "Wahine o Paniolo: 2026 Cultural Heritage Exhibition," "The Imprint of Process," "Art Maui 2026," "Ephemeral Beauty 2027," "Hui Noʻeau 2027 Annual Juried Exhibition" and "MIND MAPS: Intersections of Place and Memory" art exhibitions;
- Executive session (closed to the public) to discuss the annual evaluation of the SFCA Executive Director.

Full agenda with meeting materials (including photos of artworks) and link to Zoom meeting are on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/news.

Image description: Graphic with text overlay. Text reads “S F C A Board of Commissioners General Meeting”. A dark gradient has been laid under the text to enhance readability. Detail of a kapa piece printed with bold angular shapes in the background. Artwork in image: "Ka ʻAi Kupuna: Collaborating with Water" by Hina Puamohala Kneubuhl. Kapa and Maui earth pigments, 2025. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Purchased from the "ʻO Ka Wai Mai مي From Lahaina to the Litani," curated exhibition (January 13, 2026 - February 18, 2026) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, The Art Gallery. Explore the Art in Public Places Collection online: sfca.hawaii.gov/app-art (link redirects to an Axiell site).

10/15/2026

What makes Filipino cuisine so rich in flavor and tradition? 🇵🇭🍽️✨

From comforting dishes like chicken caldereta and tinola to the bold flavors of sisig, Filipino food tells stories of culture, family, and generations of culinary knowledge.

In this special preview, discover the important role of s**a (vinegar) in Filipino cooking, from enhancing flavors with its distinct acidity to preserving food through practices passed down over thousands of years.

Want to learn more? Join us this Saturday at Capitol Modern for a special Philippine Cuisine Cooking Demonstration featuring Mama Sita’s Clara Lapus and Rachel Lapus, with special participation by Chef Kealoha Domingo!

As part of BAYANIHAN: A Celebration of Filipino Culture in Hawaiʻi, this demonstration celebrates Filipino Food Week and this year’s theme, S**a, through the flavors, techniques, and traditions that connect food and community. ❤️

📅 Saturday, October 17, 2:00-4:00 PM
📍 The Café at Capitol Modern, Capitol Modern is the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum
🎟️ FREE, Registration required via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/y42bbbex
🇵🇭 Presented by the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu and the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA).

🎥: Max High



Preview video discussing traditional Filipino cuisine and the cultural significance of food. Speakers, Chef Clara Lapus, Chef Monique (Mama Guava), and Chef Kealoha Domingo, introduce dishes including chicken caldereta, tinola, and sisig, and explain how Filipino vinegars made from coconut or sugar cane are used to enhance flavors and preserve food.

10/01/2026

Call for student artists! Hawaiʻi students grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up) are invited to enter the 2027 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Student Art Awards Competition. Sponsor and co-presenter Lexus Hawaiʻi is funding scholarship award opportunities for students and schools! Learn more on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov.

Entries are due by December 12, 2026. Gold Key award winning artworks will be displayed in the 2027 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Student Art Awards Exhibition at Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum.

10/01/2026

Interested in working with the SFCA? Contract work for the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts currently includes administrative support and logistical services for arts and culture programs; registrar services for the public art collection, and public works infrastructure improvements. Learn more on our website: sfca.hawaii.gov/news.

The SFCA is Hawaiʻi's state government arts agency, administratively attached to the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. SFCA programs include Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum.

Artwork in image is "The Field of Being" by Linda Whittemore, 2001. Viscosity monotype. Art in Public Places Collection of the SFCA. Currently on display in the Workforce Development office of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Explore the collection online at sfca.hawaii.gov/app-art.

Image description: SFCA logo and text reading "contract work includes admin support, logistical services, public works infrastructure improvements" over a print depicting an abstract landscape in shades of gray and green.

09/30/2026

AWARD CEREMONY STREAMING LIVE AT 11:30 AM HAWAIʻI TIME: Ke Kumu Hawaii honored in Washington, D.C. at National Endowment for the Arts 2026 National Heritage Fellowships award ceremony.

Lloyd Kumulāʻau Sing, Jr. and May Haunani Balino-Sing (Ke Kumu Hawaiʻi) are Hawaiian twined basketry artists, educators, and cultural stewards who have played a central role in the revival of ulana ʻie, a traditional Hawaiian weaving practice. Through more than four decades of shared work, the Sings have helped restore a nearly lost art form while training new generations of practitioners grounded in cultural knowledge, environmental care, and community responsibility.

09/30/2026

Streaming live at 11:30 a.m. Hawaiʻi time! National Endowment for the Arts 2026 Heritage Fellows being honored include Ke Kumu Hawaii. Hulo!

National Endowment for the Arts will honor the 2026 National Herita...

09/23/2026

09/19/2026

Congratulations to our State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Recognition Award winners!

We are deeply grateful to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for all they do to support, preserve, and celebrate the art and cultural heritage of Hawaiʻi—for the people of Hawaiʻi and for generations to come.

See these pieces in person on Oahu for one more week!
Oahu Exhibition
September 4-25
Downtown Art Center, Honolulu
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Sunday 11-5 pm, free and open to the public

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SLIDE 1:
Jane Mount
Cosmos
Original and found textiles, ribbon, and thread, hand stitched on linen

"This is a textile collage about how we are all part of the universe and connected within it, and yet we only experience what our current tools allow us to, and we understand very little. I’m fascinated by all our attempts to explain the world—both the science we work out and the myths we create—in order to keep going in it.
I collect fabrics and create my own, then collage and hand-sew bits of them onto linen. I embroider and stitch line drawings on top, then stretch the piece on a wooden frame."

SLIDE 2:
Margaret Teruya
Hoʻomaluhia Pali
Fiber, batik fabrics

"Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kāneʻohe is a source of endless wonders and inspirational views. I used batik fabrics and adaptations of quilting and collage techniques to construct this piece."

09/18/2026

Congratulations to our State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Recognition Award winners!

We are deeply grateful to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for all they do to support, preserve, and celebrate the art and cultural heritage of Hawaiʻi—for the people of Hawaiʻi and for generations to come.

See these pieces in person on Oahu for one more week!
Oahu Exhibition
September 4-25
Downtown Art Center, Honolulu
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Sunday 11-5 pm, free and open to the public

—--

SLIDE 1:
V. Lee Cabanilla
Kiʻi Pūnohu–The Guardians
Wood sculpture from salvaged koa

"These sculptures are stylized contemporary interpretations of "Kiʻi Pūnohu," tiny carved sea urchin spines with effigies called hāʻukeʻuke, found on the island of Kahoʻolawe. The pencil sea urchins feature thick, blunt red or brown spines historically used as file and abrading tools. Considered by many to be the spiritual home of the Hawaiian Renaissance, these pieces are dedicated to the Aloha ʻĀina movement and the Hawaiian people who fought as guardians for the restoration of "Kohemālamalama o Kanaloa," the ancient sacred name of Kahoʻolawe."

SLIDE 2:
Daven Hee
The Burden of Safe Keeping
Stoneware

"This wheel-thrown stoneware piece, fired to cone 10 in reduction with a Shino-type glaze, then refired to cone 5, talks about the things we carry inside and the ways we try to protect or hide them. This clay piece is wrapped with strips of clay, building up layers around the core. These strips do more than cover the form; the wrapping suggests memory, protection, responsibilities and the expectations we carry over time."