Hawaii State Foundation On Culture and The Arts ARPIL 2026 Newsletter

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Hawaii State Foundation On Culture and The Arts ARPIL 2026 Newsletter
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State Foundation on Culture and the Arts ARIL 2026Newsletter

April 2026

Image description: Lee Tonouchi, Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate 2026-2029 (center), with Dr. Brandy Nālani McDougall and Kealoha, former Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureates.

Hawaiʻi Poet Laureates past and present honored at State Library
Lee Tonouchi, the 2026-2029 Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate was welcomed in February at a celebration hosted by the Hawaiʻi State Public Library. Dr. Brandy Nālani McDougall was thanked for her work as the 2023-2025 poet laureate, and Kealoha Wong for his representation of Hawaiʻi as the first state poet laureate.

A graduate of ʻAiea High School and University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa, Lee Tonouchi is widely known as “Da Pidgin Guerrilla” for his passionate advocacy of Pidgin as a legitimate and powerful language for creative and academic expression. In 1999, he founded the literary magazine “Hybolics”, which created a space for stories about Pidgin and other aspects of local culture. He has taught at Kapi‘olani Community College and Hawai‘i Pacific University, where he designed and developed the first college-level course solely devoted to Pidgin literature. In 2023, the American Association for Applied Linguistics awarded Tonouchi the 2023 Distinguished Public Service Award for his work in raising public awareness of important language-related issues and promoting linguistic social justice.

Launched in 2022 as a collaboration of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, and the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, the Hawaiʻi Poet Laureate program promotes and encourages appreciation of poetry and literary life in Hawaiʻi and the poetry community while inspiring new writers from all walks of life.

Image description: large card with text “Storytelling and literature strengthen civic responsibility and civic engagement through promoting deep thinking, increased empathy and understanding, and stronger connections to ourselves and each other.” – 2022 Hawaiʻi Joint Legislature Resolution.

Lee Tonouchi, State Poet Laureate 2026-2029

National Endowment for the Arts brings together arts and culture leaders at State Art Museum

Media description: Image description: arts and culture organization representatives at Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Mary Anne Carter, Chief Programming Officer Michael Orlove, and Public Affairs Specialist Allison Hill visited Hawaiʻi in March as part of a tour of the Pacific region. Chairman Carter led a roundtable discussion, moderated by SFCA Executive Director Karen Ewald, at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Leaders from arts organizations including the Honolulu Youth Symphony, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Honolulu Theatre for Youth and East-West Center of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa were among the attendees. The SFCA then hosted a brunch at Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, bringing together several cultural practitioners and cultural organization administrators. Chairman Carter spoke at both events about her strong support for the arts, especially arts and health, arts education, and funding the arts in rural areas.

SFCA Executive Karen Ewald also took Chairman Carter and her team on site visits to the Pacific Aviation Museum and meetings with Governor Green and arts and culture leaders.

2026 Scholastic Art Awards national winners include 24 Hawaiʻi teens

Media description: “Yamabiko” by Atona Chan, Kalani High School. Paper cut and assembled into stylized animal and plant shapes in shades of white, blue, red, yellow, green, brown and black on a tan background.
The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers have announced the 2026 national awards for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. This includes twenty-five awards to twenty-four Hawaiʻi students, representing fifteen schools. List of Hawaiʻi winners on the SFCA website news page: National award winners from the 2026 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Art Awards announced | State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

Get a quick view of some of the 2026 artworks in a series of videos on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/2026-scholastic-spotlights-%ca%bbiolani-school-uh-lab-and-kamehameha-schools-kapalama.

2026 National Scholastic Award winners announced

SFCA Artists in the Schools grant applications open until May 1

Media description: Maunawili Elementary School Kindergarten students learn taiko drumming with Chizuko Endo in an Artists in the Schools session. The students are using bright orange and blue buckets turned upside-down as drums. The left and right sides of the image are digitally blurred.
The Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) applications for the Artists in the Schools program are open through May 1, 2026. This program provides quality arts experiences for Hawaiʻi’s pre-K through 12 public and charter school students.

Connecting to core curriculum through the arts can significantly increase student engagement, comprehension, and retention of information. Teaching Artists and classroom educators frequently report that students look forward to the sessions.

Learn more on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/arts-education-programs/artists-in-the-schools.

SFCA Artists in the Schools

SFCA Artists in the Schools spotlight: Stevenson Middle School students strengthen English communication skills and artistic proficiency

Media description: Two finished student artworks are displayed side by side. Each portrait incorporates culturally specific imagery, handwritten words in students’ home languages, and original poetic text written along the borders. The final works demonstrate technical growth in painting and composition alongside reflective identity-based storytelling.

Zoe Liu, SFCA Artistic Teaching Partner: "During this Artist in the School residency at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, students developed foundational skills in acrylic and watercolor techniques while engaging in identity-based self-portraiture. The residency integrated visual art instruction with language development by encouraging ESOL students to incorporate home languages, idiomatic expressions, and original poetry into their compositions. Through structured demonstrations, guided practice, and a culminating student-led exhibition, participants strengthened both artistic proficiency and English communication skills. The program fostered cultural pride, creative confidence, and leadership development within the school community." Additional photos and information on the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/artists-in-the-schools-spotlight-robert-louis-stevenson-middle-school-2026.

AITS Spotlight: Stevenson Middle School

Poetry Out Loud National Finals April 27 - 29, 2026
Kai Gammarino, 2026 Poetry Out Loud Hawaiʻi State Champion to compete
Kai was one of 13 semi-finalists in Hawaiʻi and will advance to the national semi-finals in Washington, D.C. this May.

Poetry Out Loud® is a national poetry recitation competition that is sponsored by The National Endowment for the Arts and sponsored locally by the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) and Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY).

Poetry Out Loud

The 2026 Hawaiʻi State Poetry Out Loud competition is scheduled for Sunday, February 22, 2026. 3:00 p.m. at Tenney Theatre in downtown Honolulu.

The SFCA and the Honolulu Theatre for Youth invites high school students from across the state to compete in the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry recitation and performance. The program builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English classroom. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

Poetry Out Loud

Art in Public Places Collection spotlight: Hawaiʻi State Charter School Commission

Media description: painting in shades of purple, brown, green, and white depicting stylized nature shapes. Artwork is “Quiet Contemplation” by Haunani K.M. Bush, watercolor, acrylic, and gesso painting, 2005. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Purchased from the 2006 Hawaiʻi Watercolor Society Open Exhibit. Currently on display at the Hawaiʻi State Charter School Commission. Haunani Bush (1961–2022) was born in Chinon, France, and received a BA in English and a law degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. A mostly self-taught artist, her vibrant and layered paintings skillfully combine realism and abstraction, while reflecting her love of nature and people. According to the artist, “Quiet Contemplation” “represents a winter vista evoking a cold, desolate, windswept landscape that is dominated with the dormant seeds of life and nature's promise and commitment to the continued cycle of rebirth.”
Ed Noh, Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi State Charter School Commission, sent warm thanks and appreciation to the SFCA Art in Public Places team following the installation of Art in Public Places artworks in their office.

Ed also noted “the real treasure is featuring the art piece from Haunani Bush, a former commission staff member who sadly passed away. I never met her, but those that worked with her have been pausing at the piece, remembering and sharing emotional stories about her as a person, artist, and friend. I still can’t believe that out of all the stacks of art cards, her piece found its way to us!”

He continued with a shoutout to SFCA APP art installers Pete Powlison and José González for their excellent work. “I appreciated all the communication leading up to the day and the quality of the work.”

Explore the Art in Public Places Collection online

FY2027 Outreach Initiative Program

Media description: Bold text in yellow and white reading S F C A outreach initiative program bids are open! s f c a dot hawaii dot gov backslash news. Text is over a textile artwork of bold vertical stripes in pale pink and dark pink, topped with round and curved shapes in dark pink, pale pink, black, yellow, and mottled black and brown.
The SFCA Outreach Initiative Program FY2027 is open for bidding on HIePro, the State of Hawaiʻi eProcurement system (solicitation number P26002082). Bids close on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time.

The Outreach Initiative Program provides funding support for statewide touring and outreach projects engaging communities with artistic and cultural experiences. Prospective vendors can get the Request for Proposals with full scope of work on HIePro.eHawaii.gov (search for solicitation number P26002082; you will need to be logged in to HIePro to view).

Artwork in image: detail of “Velvet Clusters” textile by Margaret Robinson, 1975. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Inspired by the aerial perspective of Chinese landscape scrolls, this work illustrates a combination of stitchery techniques; hand sewing, couching of yarns and machine stitching. It was assembled in overlays of organdy and silk batik on a linen ground supported by a bamboo rod from the forest adjoining the artist’s studio.

Outreach Initiative Program

Capitol Modern

Media description: Island Pulse promotional graphic for April 17, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. featuring Trishnālei, Maryanne Ito, Rexie and Kelsea Armstrong with FP All Stars and special surprise guests. Hosted by Miss Lulu.
Upcoming events at Capitol Modern

•   Closed on Friday, April 3 for the Good Friday state holiday.

•   Island Pulse, Friday April 17, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

•   Art at the Capitol 2026, Friday April 17, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, coordinated by the office of Representative Jeanné Kapela.

•   “Emerge” BFA Graphic Design Showcase of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students. One day only! Thursday, April 23, 2026, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Free admission.

•   Mod Gala 2026 “Celestial Concerto” fundraiser by the Friends of the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. Saturday, May 2, 2026.

•   Museum calendar: CapitolModern.org/events
Are you subscribed to the Capitol Modern email newsletter? Subscribe or update your information: Capitol Modern email newsletter signup.
Current and upcoming exhibits at Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum

•   “Schaefer Portrait Challenge”: the 2025 Schaefer Portrait Challenge exhibit has traveled from the Maui Arts & Cultural Center to Capitol Modern. On view through July 4, 2026.

•   “Contemporary Portraiture: Art in Public Places” on view through July 4, 2026.

•   “Trifecta” features works from the Art in Public Places Collection selected by guest curators. Closing date to be announced.

•   Capitol Modern exhibits information: CapitolModern.org/exhibitions
Have you heard?
Have you heard? Underwriting spots for events and exhibits at the State Art Museum have begun airing on KTUH FM Honolulu, the University of Hawaiʻi college radio station. Two of the spots feature José González, SFCA Art in Public Places art installer and former KTUH General Manager and DJ.

KTUH broadcasts on 90.1 FM and streams globally online. Their audience is a mix of University of Hawaiʻi students, alumni, local musicians, and supporters of independent media and arts. KTUH strives for community engagement and is active in maintaining a strong presence both on and off campus. Learn more about KTUH and stream live broadcasts on their website: KTUH.org.

CapitolModern.org

Resources for artists and organizations impacted by severe weather

Image: detail from “After the Rain” oil painting by Harry Tsuchidana, 1976. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Currently on display in the Hawaiʻi State Capitol building.
The National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER) has provided a list of resources for artists and arts organizations impacted by the recent severe weather. View the list on our website: sfca.hawaii.gov/resources-for-artists-and-arts-organizations-impacted-by-recent-severe-weather-in-hawai%ca%bbi/. Printable version: Artists and Orgs Resources (PDF).

Find exhibits and events on the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s Go Hawaiʻi calendar
The Go Hawaiʻi event calendars provide information about cultural performances, stage shows, musical events, and art exhibits. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority reviews each event submission and requires that the events is open to the public and “of interest to visitors”.

•   Hawaiʻi Island: gohawaii.com/islands/hawaii-big-island/events

•   Kauaʻi: gohawaii.com/islands/kauai/events

•   Lanaʻi: gohawaii.com/islands/lanai/events

•   Maui: gohawaii.com/islands/maui/events

•   Molokaʻi: gohawaii.com/islands/molokai/events

•   Oʻahu: gohawaii.com/islands/oahu/events
Listing an event is free! Interested event hosts and organizations can learn more on the GoHawaii website: gohawaii.com/events/submit.

SFCA in the media

Image: Honolulu Star-Advertiser “Back in the Day: 1/25/80” photo of poet in classroom. Caption: Visiting poet Jody Manabe works with Waianae Elementary School students as part of the Artists in the Schools program funded by the Department of Education and State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Printed in the Monday, March 23, 2026 newspaper.

SFCA in the media

•   University of Hawaiʻi News, February 10, 2026. ‘Da Pidgin Guerrilla:’ UH Mānoa alum Tonouchi named Poet Laureate of Hawaiʻi. “University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumnus Lee A. Tonouchi has been selected as the new Poet Laureate of Hawaiʻi by the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, and Hawaiʻi State Public Library System. Tonouchi will serve through February 2029.” Read the full article on the UH News website: hawaii.edu/news/2026/02/10/alum-tonouchi-poet-laureate-of-hawaii.

•   Civil Beat, February 10, 2026. Denby Fawcett: Pidgin Author Lee Tonouchi is Hawaiʻi’s New Poet Laureate. “Tonouchi, 53, is the new Poet Laureate of Hawaiʻi — one of the highest honors for a writer in the state. To put this self-styled “Pidgin Guerrilla” on a pedestal shows how much acceptance and respect has grown for a language once reviled as “inferior,” “broken,” “lazy,” “improper,” or even worse. A letter writer to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1953 called it “a mess of grunts and groans.” A committee formed by the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Hawaiʻi State Library System and the Hawaiʻi State Council for the Humanities selected Tonouchi for the award, which carries a $35,000 stipend for each of the three years he serves.” Read the full article on the Civil Beat website: CivilBeat.org/2026/02/denby-fawcett-lee-tonouchi-hawaiis-new-poet-laureate.

•   KITV Island News, February 16, 2026. The Manu O Kū Displayed in a First-of-its-Kind Exhibit. “Honolulu’s official bird, the Manu O Kū (White Tern), is the focus of a first-of-its-kind art exhibit at Capitol Modern – The Hawaii State Art Museum. Celebrating the native seabird that nests right in the heart of urban Honolulu, the exhibit brings together science, culture, and creativity — showcasing nearly 200 community submissions and highlighting the powerful connection between conservation and community.” View the interview online: YouTube.com/watch?v=wt3DGhkW100.

•   Hawaiʻi News Now, February 24, 2026, by Jim Mendoza. How one Hawaii ‘writah’ illustrates power of Pidgin: author Lee Tonouchi named poet laureate for his work in Pidgin literature. “During his three-year term as poet laureate, he will do readings and workshops. The honor also includes an annual grant from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. ”Family has been texting me and dey ask, ‘Do you get paid?’ And I can tell em, ‘Yeah!’” he said with a hearty laugh. Tonouchi has been dubbed Hawaii’s “Pidgin Guerilla” for his outspoken advocacy for Pidgin, and his belief that it is a legitimate language.” Read or watch the full news piece on the Hawaii News Now website: HawaiiNewsNow.com/2026/02/24/how-one-hawaii-writah-illustrates-power-pidgin.

SFCA Board of Commissioners

Image: “Slopes of Haleakala” by Shige Yamada (1933 - 2026). Watercolor on paper painting, 1987. Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

SFCA Board approves exhibit visits to Hilo
The SFCA Board of Commissioners approved three exhibit visits at the March 6, 2026 general meeting. Two of the committee visits are to exhibits in Hilo.

•   2026 MidSummer Art Celebration at Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center (Hilo)

•   36 Views of Mauna Loa (Phase II) at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center (Hilo)

•   Fiber Hawaiʻi 2026 at the Downtown Art Center (Honolulu)
Meeting agendas and minutes are posted to the SFCA website: sfca.hawaii.gov/about/board-of-commissioners.
Upcoming SFCA Board of Commissioners Meetings

•   Friday May 15, 2026: General Meeting
Decisions about grants, artwork purchases, and more are made by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) Board of Commissioners. Meetings are currently being held in-person at the No. 1 Capitol District Building and virtually on Zoom. The public is invited to attend.

Appointed by the state governor, the Board of Commissioners oversees the Executive Director, provides input, and approves spending. Commissioners are volunteers and do not receive compensation for their duties.

Individuals may submit written testimony on posted agenda items in advance of the meeting via email to Kamakani.P.Konia@hawaii.gov or by mail addressed to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, 250 South Hotel Street, 2nd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Individuals interested in signing up to provide oral testimony on posted agenda items at the meeting may submit their name, email, and phone number to Kamakani.P.Konia@hawaii.gov.

Agenda items for General Meetings may include approval of artwork acquisition recommendations and Acquisition Award Selection Committee (AASC) art exhibit visit recommendations.

Agendas and minutes are also posted on the SFCA Board of Commissioners page.

SFCA Office
The SFCA office is open by appointment. SFCA is operating in a hybrid model of teleworking where all staff are available by email or telephone. If you aren’t sure who to contact, email HawaiiSFCA@hawaii.gov or call (808) 586-0300 and leave a voice message, including your name and telephone number.

Copyright (C) 2026 Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. All rights reserved.
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The mission of the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts is to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai‘i. HSFCA funding is provided by the State of Hawai‘i and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Courtesy of: Hawaii State Art Museum

Hawaii State Art Museum

The Hawai'i State Art Museum is dedicated to presenting the largest and finest collection of works by Hawai'i artists that celebrate the diverse artistic and cultural legacy of Hawai'i.

OUR MISSION
To promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai`i. HSFCA funding is provided by the State of Hawai`i and the National Endowment for the Arts. The HSFCA is administratively attached to the Department of Accounting and General Services.

HOURS:
The musuem is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed State and Federal Holdays. Always free admission. For pre-recorded information call 586-0900.

The Hawai'i State Art Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For pre-recorded summary information on the museum, call (808) 586-0900. For current museum program information, call the HSFCA Art in Public Places Program at (808) 586-0305. To arrange an educational tour of the museum, call (808) 586-9958.

For information on the HSFCA; the Hawai'i State Art Museum; HSFCA grants, programs, and services; Hawai'i arts and culture events; and USA and worldwide arts opportunities, visit the HSFCA website, www.hawaii.gov/sfca.

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Ala Moana - Honolulu, Hawaii News Item

Hawaii State Foundation On Culture and The Arts ARPIL 2026 Newsletter

Ala Moana - Honolulu, Hawaii
News Item