The Friends of the Hawai’i State Art Museum (Friends of HiSAM) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization established to work effectively with the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) and its professional staff to enhance and support the work of the museum, its ancillary programs, and amenities.
In supporting the mission of the SFCA, the Friends of HiSAM have four objectives: (1) expose and engage all grade school students at the museum to the arts in Hawai’i, (2) encourage all high school and college students who are focused on the arts through meaningful events and programs at the museum (3) expose, excite, educate and engage those living in and visiting our state to the art and artists of Hawai‘i through visits to the museum, and (4) assist the SFCA in the recognition of Hawaii’s art and artists.
Most recently, Friends of HiSAM has hosted exhibits of local artists in the seating area of the museum restaurant, Artizen by MW: Harry Tsuchidana: Forgotten Paintings; Across Generations, featuring Satoru Abe, Hamilton Kobayashi, and Kainoa Gruspe; Across Generations II, featuring Ka-Ning Fong and Erin Marquez; Yvonne Cheng: Recent Works; The 2017 HiSAM Portfolio Artists Show; Across Generations: Charles Higa and Michael Teruya; Across Generations: George Woollard, Mary Philpotts, and Kathy Merrill-Kelley; the Hawaii Master Artists Show; and Hawai‘i Artists 2018 Portfolio Project. Friends of HiSAM has also hosted a soft opening for the museum shop, HiSAM Museum Gallery Shop x MORI.
The museum cafe and museum shop are independently operated under a lease agreement between the Friends of HiSAM and the State of Hawai‘i Department of Accounting and General Services.
The Friends of HiSAM holds an annual meeting which is open to the public.
For more information, including membership forms and how to donate and/or volunteer, contact them at [email protected], or visit their website, (friendsofhisam.org), Facebook page (@hisamfriends), or Instagram (@hisamfriends).
