The Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA) was founded in 1971 after the passage of the Percent for Art law in 1967 that established the Art in City Buildings Program. MOCA is an agency of the City and County of Honolulu. Our work is overseen by the Executive Director and members of the Commission on Culture and the Arts all of whom are appointed by the Mayor.  Read ROH Chapter 2 on the Commission on Culture and the Arts. 

The mission of MOCA is to promote the value of arts and culture throughout communities in the City and County of Honolulu. MOCA’s objectives are to attain preeminence in culture and the arts; to perpetuate the artistic and cultural heritages of its entire people; to promote a community environment, which provides equal and abundant opportunity for exposure to culture and the arts in all its forms; and to encourage and provide equal opportunity for the development of culture and the artistic talents of the people of Honolulu.

Guided by the belief and affirmation of cultural self-determination, MOCA works as a partner and catalyst for increasing opportunities, awareness, and involvement in cultural activities for the benefit of all.  In this capacity, MOCA administers the Art in City Buildings Program, the Sister City Program, Honolulu City Lights, and community-centered culture and arts programming throughout the City and County. 

Over the past 50 years, the Commission on Culture and the Arts has assisted the City in acquiring more than 1100 artworks that share and perpetuate the cultural heritage of Honolulu. These items are now available for viewing through our online database.