Artists in Hawai'i looking to make their mark on the state's public spaces have a clear pathway, courtesy of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA). As detailed on the SFCA's website, local art exhibits are the main hunting grounds for new acquisitions to the SFCA's Art in Public Places Collection. If you're an artist aiming to see your work hanging in a public library, school, or state office, getting your art into a juried or curated exhibit could be your ticket in, as per the information from a recent post on the SFCA website.
Art Acquisition Selection Committees (AASCs) review local exhibits to identify potential works for the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ (SFCA) Art in Public Places Collection. Selected pieces are then presented to the SFCA Board of Commissioners for final approval. Artists interested in creating site-specific works, such as murals or sculptures, must respond to a Request for Qualifications through the Call for Entry (CaFÉ) platform, where they can register and submit their portfolios at no cost.
According to the SFCA website, If you've got work on display, keep an eye out for AASC visits, approved by the SFCA Board of Commissioners. Among the notable upcoming stops are the "Wondrous Light: Aurora Borealis" exhibit at the Downtown Art Center, "MACC Biennial 2025" at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, and Kahi Ching's "Chinese Zodiac, Part 1" at Arts and Letters Gallery Nuʻuanu. Each exhibit offers unique opportunities for artists to be recognized and brought into the public art sphere. Exhibitions including "Lucky Live Hawaiʻi 2025 Invitational" and "2025 Abstract Only! 15th Annual Multimedia Juried Competition Exhibition" have also made the cut for a visit.
Collaborative exhibits are also part of the Art in Public Places Collection’s focus. One example is Synergistic Tendencies at the Donkey Mill Art Center. Academic involvement is highlighted through the Kuleana exhibit at Gallery ʻIolani, which features work by University of Hawaiʻi alumni and faculty. Additional showcases scheduled for the latter part of 2025 include Interisland (New Paintings from New York and Hawaiʻi) and My Monumental Summer: Live, Love, Paint, offering further opportunities for artists to gain exposure through curated exhibitions, according to the SFCA website.
