Exhibitions
Capitol Modern exhibits offer insight into current themes and diverse expressions in the local art world through some of the best contemporary art from across Hawai‘i.
Current and Upcoming Exhibits
State of Hawaiʻi Public Art Collection Exhibit
Contemporary Portraiture: Art in Public Places
Jan 2, 2026 — Jul 4, 2026
A selection of portraits from the Art in Public Places Collection of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. ʻEwa Gallery.
Special Exhibition
Schaefer Portrait Challenge
Jan 2, 2026 — Jul 4, 2026
This exhibition, on loan from the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, features the carefully selected entries of artists whose work best captures Hawai‘i’s extraordinary portrait subjects.
State of Hawaiʻi Public Art Collection Exhibit
Trifecta
Feb 4, 2026 — Jul 4, 2026
This exhibition brings together 21 members of the Hawai‘i arts community, each invited to curate 3 artworks from the Art in Public Places (APP) Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Trifecta highlights multiple curatorial voices and celebrates the depth and diversity of the APP Collection. Second floor, Leʻāhi Gallery. Artwork in image: detail of "Rocky Point #5" by Peter Shepard Cole.
Mini-exhibit
Recent Acquisitions: Art in Public Places
May 5, 2026 — Jul 25, 2026
Mini-exhibit on the ground floor, showcasing recent additions to the Art in Public Places Collection of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA).
Student Art
E mālama i ke kai, a mālama ke kai iā ʻoe: Hawaiʻi Sea Grant's Youth Ocean Art Exhibit
Jun 5, 2026 — Jun 20, 2026
"E mālama i ke kai, a mālama ke kai iā ʻoe" (Care for the ocean and the ocean will care for you). Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Youth Ocean Art Exhibition on the ground floor of the No. 1 Capitol District building, next to the MORI Art+Flea shop. ● Waikīkī Aquarium June 5–30 ● Pacific Islands Ocean Exploration Center June 5–30 ● Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum June 5–20 & July 3–18
Student Art
E mālama i ke kai, a mālama ke kai iā ʻoe: Hawaiʻi Sea Grant's Youth Ocean Art Exhibit
Jul 3, 2026 — Jul 18, 2026
"E mālama i ke kai, a mālama ke kai iā ʻoe" (Care for the ocean and the ocean will care for you). Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Youth Ocean Art Exhibition on the ground floor of the No. 1 Capitol District building, next to the MORI Art+Flea shop. ● Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum July 3–18
Ongoing Exhibits
Special Exhibition
Celestial Concerto: fashion from the 2026 Mod Gala
Ongoing
Mod Gala 2026 fashion exhibition, showcasing works by designers Ryan Whittaker, Mapis Bernal, Kye Harford, and Marques Hanalei Marzan.
Sculpture Garden
Ongoing
Our ground floor Sculpture Garden has been transformed from its beginnings as a recreational area with a large swimming pool and bleachers into an urban oasis with pathways and nooks for reflection.
Recent Exhibits
Mini-exhibit
Woven in the Wind: a community celebration of Manu-o-Kū
A community-based art exhibit in partnership with Hui Manu-o-Kū, celebrating the native Hawaiian seabird. On the ground floor, next to and across from the museum gift shop.
Student Art
2026 Hawaiʻi Regional Scholastic Student Art Awards
Experience Hawaiʻi through award-winning artworks by Hawaiʻi teens. This annual competition and exhibit is a longtime favorite for many visitors! Presented by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and Lexus Hawaiʻi, with additional support from Zippy's.
Special Exhibition
Hawai‘i Triennial 2025: ALOHA NŌ
Hawai‘i Contemporary and the Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 present ALOHA NŌ at Capitol Modern. ALOHA NŌ is a call to know Hawaiʻi as a place of rebirth, resilience, and resistance; a place that embraces humanity in all of its complexities — with a compassion and care that can only be described as aloha.
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