The Hawaiian archipelago consists of 137 islands in the Pacific Ocean that are far from any other land. Polynesians arrived there one to two thousand years ago, and in 1778 Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to visit Hawaii (which they called the Sandwich Islands). The art created in these islands may be divided into art existing prior to Cook’s arrival; art produced by recently arrived westerners; and art produced by Hawaiians incorporating western materials and ideas. Public collections of Hawaiian art may be found at the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Bishop Museum (Honolulu), the Hawaii State Art Museum and the University of Göttingen in Germany.

In 1967, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to implement a Percent for Art law. The Art in State Buildings Law established the Art in Public Places Program and designated one percent of the construction costs of new public schools and state buildings for the acquisition of works of art, either by commission or by purchase.

Art prior to Cook's arrival

Art existing prior to Cook’s arrival (in 1778) is very similar to the art of other Pacific Islanders. This early art practice includes wood carvings such as kiʻi (religious images), petroglyphs, kākau (Hawaiian tattooing), kapa (barkcloth; called kapa in Hawaiian, and tapa elsewhere in the Pacific), kapa kilohana (decorated barkcloth), ipu pā wehe (decorated gourds), kāhili (featherwork), lauhala weaving (weaving, plait, or braiding leaves), and leiomano (shark-tooth weapon). Native Hawaiians had neither metal, nor woven cloth. Production of this art continued after Cook’s arrival. A few craftsmen still produce traditional Hawaiian arts, either to sell to tourists or to preserve native culture.

List of native Hawaiian artists in the traditional arts

Art produced by visitors

Some of the first westerners to visit Hawaii were artists—both professional and amateur. Many of the explorers’ ships had professional artists to record their discoveries. These artists sketched and painted Hawaii’s people and landscapes using imported materials and concepts. Night scenes of erupting volcanoes were especially popular, giving rise to The Volcano School.

List of artists that visited Hawaii Artists in this category include:

Art produced by Hawaiians and long-term residents Artworks produced by Hawaii’s native born and long-term residents incorporating western materials and ideas include paintings on canvas and quilts. They may be distinctly Hawaiian in subject matter or as diverse as their places of origin. Most of the art currently produced in Hawaii falls into this third category.

List of Hawaiian artists, and artists that lived in Hawaii long-term Notable artists in this category include:

Selected works of native Hawaiian art

References

Arkinstall, Patricia Lorraine, A study of bark cloth from Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, An exploration of the regional development of distinctive styles of bark cloth and its relationship to other cultural factors, Ithaca, New York, 1966 Blackburn, Mark, Hawaiiana, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pennsylvania, 1996, Brigham, William Tufts, Ka hana kapa, making of bark-cloth in Hawaii, Honolulu, Bishop Museum Press, 1911 Clarke, Joan and Diane Dods, Artists/Hawaii, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1996 Congdon-Martin, Douglas, Aloha Spirit, Hawaiian Art and Popular Design, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pennsylvania, 1998 Cox, J. Halley and William H. Davenport, Hawaiian Sculpture, University of Hawaii Press, 1988 Department of Education, State of Hawaii, Artists of Hawaii, Honolulu, Department of Education, State of Hawaii, 1985 Forbes, David W., Encounters with Paradise, Views of Hawaii and its People, 1778-1941, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1992 Forbes, David W., He Makana, The Gertrude Mary Joan Damon Haig Collection of Hawaiian Art, Paintings and Prints, Hawaii State Foundation of Culture and the Arts, 2013 Forbes, David W., Paintings, Prints, and Drawings of Hawaii From the Sam and Mary Cooke Collection, University of Hawaii Press, 2016, Haar, Francis and Neogy, Prithwish, Artists of Hawaii: Nineteen Painters and Sculptors, University of Hawaii Press, 1974 Honolulu Academy of Arts, Selected works, Honolulu, Hawaii: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1990 Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois, The fabrics of Hawaii (bark cloth), Leigh-on-Sea, F. Lewis, 1975 Morse, Marcia, Honolulu Printmakers 75th Anniversary: A Tradition of Gift Prints, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2003, Papanikolas, Theresa and DeSoto Brown, Art Deco Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawaii: Honolulu Museum of Art, 2014, Radford, Georgia and Warren Radford, Sculpture in the Sun, Hawaii's Art for Open Spaces, University of Hawaii Press, 1978 Sandulli, Justin M., Troubled Paradise: Madge Tennent at a Hawaiian Crossroads, Durham, North Carolina: Duke University, 2016 Serrao, Poakalani, The Hawaiian quilt, A spiritual experience, Reflection on its history, heritage, designing, quilting methods and patterns, Honolulu, Mutual Pub., 1997 Severson, Don R., Finding Paradise, Island Art in Private Collections, University of Hawaii Press, 2002 Yoshihara, Lisa A., Collective Visions, 1967-1997, An Exhibition Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Art in Public Places Program, Presented at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, September 3-October 12, 1997, Honolulu, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, 1997

External links Honolulu Museum of Art Bishop Museum Kapa Hawaii(The Art of Native Hawaiian Kapa) Cook-Foster Collection at University in Göttingen, Germany Traditional Hawaiian Tattoos and Arts Kapa Connection Hawaii’s Percent for Art law