Downtown Art Center

Downtown Art Center Downtown Art Center, a nonprofit gallery & creative space in HNL, showcases Hawaii art & artists.

NEW CLASS LISTED: "You Can See, You Can Draw!" with veteran artist Wayne Takazono. Mondays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 5 sess...
05/31/2026

NEW CLASS LISTED: "You Can See, You Can Draw!" with veteran artist Wayne Takazono. Mondays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 5 sessions from June 15 to July 13, $150 per person. Sign up now at downtownarthi.org/classes!

Seeing is different than looking. This beginner-level course teaches you to truly observe and accurately depict what you see, rather than drawing from assumption. Supplies are included.
✏

Join us for a special treat at DAC Storytelling Night this June! Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak, the grande dame of Beijing ...
05/31/2026

Join us for a special treat at DAC Storytelling Night this June! Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak, the grande dame of Beijing opera in America, returns to DAC on Saturday, June 13 from 6–7:30 PM in the DAC 2nd Floor Classroom, $10 per person, at downtownarthi.org/events. We highly recommend purchasing presale tickets for this show, as it will probably sell out!

She was the first American drama student permitted into Mao's China. She spent years mastering Jingju, the Beijing opera tradition that fuses dance, drama, martial arts, and song into one of the world's most demanding art forms. Her face appeared on magazine covers across China, and since her retirement, the Chinese government has named her a living treasure. Don't miss her retelling (in story form) of two classic Chinese opera tales: "The Concubine Drowns Her Sorrows" and "The White Snake"

This event is part of DAC's monthly storytelling series, in partnership with Honolulu master storyteller Jeff Gere.
🎭

LAST DAY (we're open until 5 p.m. today, Friday 5/29) to see "Dance on the Edge of the Witches' Cauldron," an exhibition...
05/30/2026

LAST DAY (we're open until 5 p.m. today, Friday 5/29) to see "Dance on the Edge of the Witches' Cauldron," an exhibition curated by Tom Klobe which features five pioneer Hawaiʻi artists who have pushed beyond boundaries throughout their artistic careers: Fred Roster, Pat Hickman, Allyn Bromley, Sally French, and Linda Kane.

Mahalo to sponsor Sharon Twigg-Smith for her generous support, and to all of you who have come to visit, appreciate and engage with the exhibition this month.

Featured artwork:
1. Linda Kāne - "Asleep," charcoal on paper, fabric.
2. Allyn Bromley -"W**d," cut print, loaned from the collection of Lauran and Bunny Bromley.
3. Fred Roster - "Thatʻs the Way He Was," wood and stone. Loaned from Lynette Roster.
4. Pat Hickman - "Death Tugs at My Ear, Live I am Coming," natural plants, reeds, acrylic paint, waxed linen, abaca fiber, etc. Loaned from the collection at HoMA.
5. Sally French - "The Gilded Fly," aerosol-acrylic, wax pencil, gold leaf on birch panel.
🔥

TWO more days to see our current exhibition! Curator Tom Klobe's statements on Pat Hickman, one of our featured artists ...
05/28/2026

TWO more days to see our current exhibition! Curator Tom Klobe's statements on Pat Hickman, one of our featured artists in the Main Gallery:

"Pat Hickman combines incongruous and contrasting
materials in works that resonate with her respect for
history and the cultures in which she has immersed
herself. It is at this intersection, based on careful
research, intuition, and determination that Pat’s
creative work begins.

The results always appear contemplative and
meditative. But Pat certainly dances on the edge
of the witches’ cauldron. In fact, in her dance she
does a kind of hopscotch from one side of the
cauldron to the other, testing and daring all odds."

"Dance on the Edge of the Witches' Cauldron" features five pioneer Hawaiʻi artists who have pushed beyond boundaries throughout their artistic careers: Fred Roster, Pat Hickman, Allyn Bromley, Sally French, and Linda Kane. On view until May 29 in the DAC 2nd floor Main Gallery. Admission is FREE and open to the public!
Mahalo to sponsor Sharon Twigg-Smith for her generous support of this exhibition.
🔥

UPCOMING EXHIBITION: "Elemental Synergy" is an exploration of the interplay of earth, air, fire, wood, and water, expres...
05/28/2026

UPCOMING EXHIBITION: "Elemental Synergy" is an exploration of the interplay of earth, air, fire, wood, and water, expressed through diverse techniques and artistic media by nearly two dozen artists, curated by Anika Kuntze and Kathy Chang, with support from Allison Wong. This exhibition will be on view in the Main Gallery from July 3 until August 1 during regular gallery hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, with a First Friday reception on Friday, July 3 from 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Artwork: "Seeds of Compassion" by Anika Kuntze.
💧

The June lineup for our popular Saturday "Making Art for Art's Sake" classes has been released! Unleash your creativity ...
05/27/2026

The June lineup for our popular Saturday "Making Art for Art's Sake" classes has been released! Unleash your creativity in our weekly make-and-take workshops, where DAC teaching artists guide small groups through fun, one-off projects in various media, designed to spark inspiration and introduce new art-making techniques. Class is held every Saturday from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

June 6 - Human Form Abstract with Charlene DeLory
June 13 - Mixed Media Printmaking with Cathy Gleason
June 20 - Mail Art Collage with Tamara Moan
June 27 - Bento Box of Books with Hope Hamada

🎟 Sign up now at downtownarthi.org/classes. Due to the limited space in these classes, we highly recommend booking online!
👩🏻‍🎨

Master the building blocks of color with instructor Wayne Takazono in "The Magic of Color," a class which will discuss ...
05/26/2026

Master the building blocks of color with instructor Wayne Takazono in "The Magic of Color," a class which will discuss hue, value, intensity, temperature, and changeability. Learn how to achieve exactly the look you want in your artwork from an experienced veteran artist!

📅 Mondays, 10 am–12 pm on June 15, 22, 29 · July 6 & 13
📍 DAC Classroom, 2nd Floor
💰 $150 for all 5 sessions

Supplies available in class, or bring your own. Register today at downtownarthi.org/classes.
🌈

Curator Tom Klobe's statements on Sally French, one of our featured artists in the Main Gallery this month: "Sally Frenc...
05/26/2026

Curator Tom Klobe's statements on Sally French, one of our featured artists in the Main Gallery this month:

"Sally French is no silent dancer on the edge of
the witches’ cauldron. She dances with vigor,
takes steps that others would shy away from, and,
despite her apparent and seemingly quiet nature,
her work is raucous, sometimes irreverent, and
always suspiciously obscure or even intentionally
bombastic.

She is a story teller of the most imaginative kind.
Following her on the trajectory of her work as she
dances on the edge of the witches’ cauldron is
impossible. One either falls in the boiling stew or
into the flames licking the sides of the cauldron.
But, Sally continues to dance and we can only
imagine keeping up with her."

Mahalo to the Hawaii SFCA for the loan of “Fumiko, Keeper of the Meek” digital print by Sally French, 2008⁠, and “Introducing Ruddy Spuddy”, beeswax, oil paint on birch wood panel painting by Sally French, 1995⁠.

"Dance on the Edge of the Witches' Cauldron" features five pioneer Hawaiʻi artists who have pushed beyond boundaries throughout their artistic careers: Fred Roster, Pat Hickman, Allyn Bromley, Sally French, and Linda Kane. On view until May 29 in the DAC 2nd floor Main Gallery. Admission is FREE and open to the public!
Mahalo to sponsor Sharon Twigg-Smith for her generous support of this exhibition.
🔥

Don't miss our new masterclass: Abstraction using Watercolor and Collage with master artist George Woollard. It will be ...
05/25/2026

Don't miss our new masterclass: Abstraction using Watercolor and Collage with master artist George Woollard. It will be offered in two standalone sessions on Saturday June 6 and Sunday, June 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

🎟: Sign up now at downtownarthi.org/classes, $125 per person, per session.

Each session will focus on the principals of composition, shapes, lines, balance, and color sense. Supplies included.

Artwork by George Woollard.
✂

Curator Tom Klobe's statements on the late Allyn Bromley, one of our featured artists in the Main Gallery this month: "A...
05/24/2026

Curator Tom Klobe's statements on the late Allyn Bromley, one of our featured artists in the Main Gallery this month:

"Allyn Bromley redefined the possibilities of printmaking. She
not only worked large, she envisioned the medium
of printmaking as the beginning rather than the end
of a process. Many of her most innovative works
are repurposed prints that expand the traditionally
two-dimensional medium into large scale, three-
dimensional installations."

Mahalo to Lauran and Bunny Bromley and to the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for sharing these incredible pieces with us.

"Dance on the Edge of the Witches' Cauldron" features five pioneer Hawaiʻi artists who have pushed beyond boundaries throughout their artistic careers: Fred Roster, Pat Hickman, Allyn Bromley, Sally French, and Linda Kane. On view until May 29 in the DAC 2nd floor Main Gallery. Admission is FREE and open to the public!
Mahalo to sponsor Sharon Twigg-Smith for her generous support of this exhibition.
🔥

Address

1041 Nuuanu Avenue, Second Floor
Honolulu, HI
96817

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+18087737339

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Downtown Art Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Downtown Art Center:

Shortcuts

Share