What’s in the works for 2021 exhibitions and programming at HoMA?

We’re really excited about the year ahead and have a number of new and innovative things planned. Right now, we’re exploring how we can activate the museum’s outdoor spaces and courtyards, with a focus on creating safe and fun ways for our community to engage with art and creative expression.

Much of 2020 has reminded us all of the importance of community, connection and the power of joy in our everyday lives. In late spring, we will debut an exhibition that speaks to these themes and features a number of interactive artist-designed installations spread across our campus, with emphasis on activating outdoor spaces in new and dynamic ways.

We’ll also be highlighting a number of works from our permanent collection in our galleries, presenting them in a manner that helps our audience further connect with them. In the fall we’ll unveil our “Artists of Hawai‘i” exhibition, postponed due to the pandemic. It will feature the work of 20 local artists and visionaries who will be exploring some of the most important issues of our time, and re-imagining what’s possible for Hawaii through art.

How has the museum experience for visitors changed due to COVID-19 concerns?

The safety of our guests, employees and community is our highest priority, and we have put every effort into making in-person visits safe so that the museum can remain an oasis of art, culture, and respite during these difficult and somewhat isolating times. To socially distance and manage crowds safely, we have implemented timed ticketing and maximum limits in the galleries (with masks on throughout), so viewing the artwork feels more personal and intimate.

We have also started activating the art in our galleries with QR codes that provide additional digital context for those who are interested. … The idea is to blend the at-home and in-person experiences to make the museum much more accessible than ever before, so that we can better serve our audiences and our community.

How is HoMA faring financially amid pandemic impact?

Museums, including ours, and other cultural institutions across the state and country have experienced varying degrees of disruption and challenges caused by the pandemic. The CARES Act funds we were fortunate to receive earlier in the year helped to sustain basic operations (labor, utilities, etc.) during the museum’s temporary closure, which has really helped us on our road to full recovery.

Covering these costs has been a key part of maintaining our collection and online programming … until we can begin to offer some new and innovative programs and events in the new year and beyond. The community has responded positively to us in so many different ways — through membership renewals, donations, online participation, in-person visits — and we are tremendously grateful to everyone who continues to believe in the museum, and in the restorative power of art.

We continue to staff up strategically in anticipation that 2021 will allow us to return to more robust operations and programs.

What are your long-term plans for HoMA?

Together with the board and our employees, we have begun to re-imagine the museum experience across three pillars of the museum’s activity: Art and Programs, People and Community, Campus and Resources. We’re reshaping the ways our guests experience what we have to offer and how they interact with us as a place of reflection, engagement, and gathering — one where people of all ages, demographic backgrounds and experience levels are welcome.

The museum experience we are building together will center around art and education, a people- and community-focused approach to guide all of our efforts, and an uncompromising focus on integrity and quality throughout all levels of the museum. The bottom line is that we will be doing some interesting, exciting, and engaging new things that we hope will convince you and our entire community to join us for years and generations to come.

What’s the status at the(temporarily closed) Honolulu Museum of Art School facility?

… As we enter the spring, we hope to begin introducing hands-on educational offerings at the main campus. Simultaneously, we are undertaking important renovations of the Art School building, and the construction of a new kiln house and glazing studio are underway as we speak. As the pandemic eases in the year ahead and the renovations are completed, we are on track to reopen the studio class experience in the fall.