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
Mini-exhibit
Arts of Oceania
Aug 7, 2026 — Nov 28, 2026
Māori wind instruments and Native Hawaiian and Māori weapons made by Kalama Fallau (on loan to the exhibit from the artist), alongside recently acquired works from the Art in Public Places Collection of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Mini-exhibit
HŌʻĀ (Hawaiʻi Open Arts)
Aug 27, 2026 — Jan 2, 2027
Photos from the HŌʻĀ (Hawaiʻi Open Arts) education program. HŌʻĀ is supported by public funding through the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Special Exhibition
I Am an American: the Nisei Soldier Experience
Nov 7, 2026 — Mar 13, 2027
“I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” is a traveling exhibit that tells the storied history of second-generation Japanese Americans, known as “Nisei,” who demonstrated their loyalty during World War II by enlisting to serve in the U.S. Army. Free admission.
Ongoing Exhibits
State of Hawaiʻi Public Art Collection Exhibit
Trifecta
Ongoing
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.
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
State of Hawaiʻi Public Art Collection Exhibit
Contemporary Portraiture: Art in Public Places
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
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.
Mini-exhibit
Interwoven Views: threads of influence
In partnership with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education (DOE), Capitol Modern: the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum is hosting a display of artworks by DOE art teachers, July 25 – August 26, 2026. “Interwoven Views: threads of influence) is on the ground floor in the cafe area, open to the public during building hours.
See It In Person
As Hawaii’s free public art museum, our art is your art. What are you waiting for? Visit us today.
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