Community Exhibition Program

Program Overview
The Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA) oversees civic exhibition spaces at Honolulu Hale & Kapolei Hale, transforming City facilities into accessible venues for community-led exhibitions. Through ongoing partnerships with local organizations, these venues host a rotating schedule of exhibitions throughout the year, bringing visual arts and creative projects into public spaces. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Purpose
To create opportunities for local artists, nonprofits, and schools to share their creative work with the community—featuring a diverse range of artwork and perspectives.

Eligibility
To be eligible for our Community Exhibitions Program, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Non-profit organization (historical group, arts or community group)

• A school or university group

• Practicing artist(s) working in collaboration with a local organization, non-profit, or school group, etc.

Criteria
Applications will be assessed by the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts by the following set of criteria:

• Connection to community

• Clarity of theme or concept of the exhibition or project

• Appropriateness of the exhibition or project to the space and available resources

• Innovation, excellence or diversity represented in artistic practice

Guidelines

• All works must be “hang ready”* with hanging mechanisms or object mounts as appropriate.  

• Three-dimensional works may be displayed pedestals (provided by the City) or in cabinets (subject to availability), to be discussed with and approved by the MOCA. 

• Exhibitors must provide MOCA with a list of works (title, materials and dimensions) and images four weeks prior to the exhibition.

• The MOCA staff have the right to omit works deemed inappropriate, unsafe or unfinished.

• All artworks must be installed by the artists and groups, with the assistance of MOCA staff.

• The City and County of Honolulu will not be liable for any loss or damage to all exhibit material. 

* What is Hang Ready? All artwork are required be “hang ready” to participate in the exhibition. This means the artwork is fitted with an appropriate apparatus to hang/be installed in the gallery (i.e., if it is a painting, it has a cleat/wire/hook on the back; if it is a drawing/photo/other flat artwork, it is framed and the frame has a cleat/hook/wire/etc. to hang it from; if it needs a specialized stand, it has it; you do not need to provide a floor pedestal for sculpture).

To submit a proposal please fill out an application. Please contact moca-info@honolulu.gov for more information or call 808-768-6622.