The Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC) have announced that the Schaefer Portrait Challenge exhibit is moving to Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. Following its display at the MACC’s Schaefer International Gallery, this triennial competition features portraits of Hawaiʻi residents and includes additional works from the SFCA Art in Public Places Collection.
The exhibit features portraits from five islands, representing 16 artists from Maui, 12 from Oʻahu, 7 from Hawai‘i Island, 4 from Kauaʻi, and 1 from Lānaʻi. According to the SFCA, the collection is intended to facilitate statewide artistic engagement through a visual narrative of Hawai‘i’s diverse population.
Established in 2003, the Schaefer Portrait Challenge is a recurring event that features portraits of Hawaiʻi’s residents. For the current exhibition, jurors Sonnet Coggins, Mina Elison, and Wendy Kawabata selected 40 works from the total entries. The program includes three financial prizes: the Jurors’ Choice Award, the Gene Freedman Artists’ Choice Award, and the Ruth Freedman People’s Choice Award.
Capitol Modern has scheduled several public events during the exhibit, including a First Friday mixer with live music and an urban market on January 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This event provides an opportunity to meet the featured artists, followed by the Island Pulse reggae event on January 16. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with free admission.
