Education and Public Programs

Museum Education

Art Bento @ HiSAM Art Bento @ HiSAM is a multi-disciplinary museum education program of the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (HSFCA). The program theme is "Responding to Art". The Hawai'i State Museum (HiSAM) is used as a learning laboratory for kindergarten through sixth grade public and charter school students. Works of art on display in the museum galleries are used as a catalyst for inquiry-based student learning in literacy, visual and performing arts. These artworks are part of the HSFCA's Art in Public Places Collection. Program activities begin in the classroom with a professional development session for teachers. A Teaching Artist (ATP) from the HSFCA's Artistic Teaching Partners Roster leads the session. Using reproductions, the ATP models techniques and strategies to elicit student responses to artworks currently on view in the museum. The learning experience continues with a pre-visit to the classroom with the ATP again facilitating a question and response conversation with students and beginning a standards-based lesson. Next is the museum visit, during which students participate in an inquiry-based guided tour in the HiSAM galleries and experience viewing original artworks. They also engage in an arts lesson with their Teaching Artist, and explore art concepts through hands-on activities in the "I Love Art Gallery". Art Bento culminates in a post-visit lesson in the classroom. Students reflect on the museum experience, review concepts and vocabulary, exhibit or perform products created, and reflect on the artwork they have made. Art Bento is a compact and cohesive educational experience linking classroom learning with the museum and the wider world. Each segment reinforces the last, and together they help students and teachers to realize a sense of connection and essential understandings through the arts. Applications for participation in this program go out in the spring to all principals of public and charter schools on O'ahu. If you have questions, please call HiSAM Educator Susan Hogan at 586-9958, or email hisameducation@gmail.com.

Group Tours

Guided group tours, for up to 20 people, are available upon request. Please allow up to four weeks in advance when scheduling a group tour. For more information or to request a guided tour, call (808) 586-9958.

   Photo: Docents learning from artist Kathleen Kam in HiSAM galleries

School Tours

• Tours for Kindergarten and First Grade students are 30 minutes long.
• Tours for Grades 2 – 12 are 45 minutes to one hour long.
• Tours begin on the hour or half-hour. A maximum of two docented school tours can be conducted at one time. Self-guided tours for can be planned by teachers (with informational materials from HiSAM).
• We require one adult chaperone per ten students.
• Please allow time to check backpacks, large bags and water bottles at the second floor security desk.
• There is no charge for admission.

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Docents serve as your guides in the museum, but discipline is the teacher’s job. Make sure to review our museum rules with your classes before your visit. It is also helpful to review the rules upon your arrival to the museum.

General Rules for School Groups

• Please do not touch the artwork, or lean on walls or pedestals.
• Keep an arm’s length of distance between your body and all artworks.
• No food or drinks are allowed in the galleries.
• No running or playing in the galleries.
• No ink, please. If making in-museum assignments, please make sure students have pencils and paper for activities. Drawing is allowed, but do not use walls, pedestals or cases to write on. Clipboards are available at the security desk.
• Flash photography is not permitted.
  

I Love Art Gallery

HiSAM's I Love Art Gallery invites visitors to become familiar with the language of art. The "Elements of Art" are explained using pieces on view in the museum as examples. This hands-on education gallery features exhibits that invite exploration through touching, observing, exploring, thinking, and reading for visitors of all ages.

Contact

For more information, or to plan a docent-led school tour, a self-guided tour, or teacher information packets, please contact Susan Hogan, Museum Educator, at (808) 586-9958, or via email at susan.m.hogan@hawaii.gov. To plan a tour, please have the following information ready: proposed date and time, grade level, and the number of students and adults in your group. For information regarding HiSAM's interdisciplinary Art Bento Program click here. Applications are accepted in late spring. Mahalo.

HiSAM Public Programs

First Friday

A First Friday Downtown Gallery Walk is scheduled every first Friday of the month, from 5-9 p.m. Downtown museums and galleries, including the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, open their doors for an evening featuring exhibitions, artist demonstrations, and performances.

Second Saturday

HiSAM's Second Saturday features hands-on art activities presented by professional artists and arts organizations. For some events demonstrations and/or performances in the galleries are also slated. This monthly family-focused public program has something for all ages.

Galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and activities take place from 11 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. Past events have featured weaving, ceramics, watercolor, quilting, ink brush painting, multi-media sculpture, and more!

Photo: Maka making

Art Lunch - Last Tuesday of Every Month at Noon

HiSAM's Art Lunch noontime lecture series features presentations by notable artists and cultural practitioners. Presenters include recipients of SFCA Awards Recipients in all disciplines. Lectures take place from noon to 1 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month in our first-floor Multi-purpose Room. Bring a brown bag lunch and join us.