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Honolulu Academy of Arts
Rating Details »
Categories: Tours, Art Galleries, Museums [Edit]
900 S Beretania StHonolulu, HI 96814
(808) 532-8700
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
29 reviews for Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts is a must see for anyone interested in Japanese Woodblock prints. Their collection is extensive - they have one of the largest collections of Hokusai, including the famous 36 views of Mount Fiji (a special exhibition of these will be running from 9/24/09 to 1/3/10.)
In addition to the Hokusai prints, they have prints from Charles Bartlett and Elizabeth Keith who studied woodblock printing in Japan under Watanabe Shözaburö during its revival in pre WWI Japan.
Beyond the woodblock prints, the rest of the collection has a lot of gems - I was happy to see a Diego Rivera, a few Childe Hassams, an amazing Whistler portrait scattered throughout the galleries.
I also loved the Chinese garden and the various Chinese sculptures around the courtyards of the musuem.
The museum bookshop has a lot of unique items and a good selection of postcards and cards from their collection.
Last details - admission is $10 and a steal in my opinion considering the high quality of the museum's collection. If you are staying in Waikiki, the #2 or B Express bus will take you right in front of the museum for only $2.25.
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I took my students to an Egyptian exhibit here within the last eight years. I was on their website and came across this:
"Admission:
Free for all Honolulu Academy of Arts members, children 12 and under accompanied by an adult and Hawaii-based teachers."
And then this:
Free days
*Bank of Hawaii Sundays: Third Sunday of the month, 11 am-5 pm.
* First Wednesday of every month. Is that for everybody?
I'll make it a point to come back here more frequently now, with my DOE ID.
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The museum is beautiful both during the day and during art after dark. Membership for students is only $20 and lasts a year.
I also recommend going to the Shangri-La, one of Doris Duke's homes in Diamond head. It's beautiful, but you have to plan ahead and make a deposit and reservation.
Going to try the lunch at the cafe.. hear it's amazing
I love this museum. Whenever I'm in Honolulu, I go to the museum. They've had a lot of good exhibits -- most recently I attended the Bhutan exhibit. It was phenomenal!
I've seen several foreign movies at the Doris Duke Theatre and have also gone on the Shangri-La tour of the Doris Duke Estate. If you haven't gone to her estate, you absolutely must make time to do it.
The folks that work and volunteer are always very knowledgeable and helpful. And, if you're looking for a nice lunch spot, you need to try their cafe.
First time to the Doris Duke Theater, which I didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago. What a gem! The theater is just gorgeous - it is just 1 screen, and movies rotate regularly (like every week), but for the price - it's a steal (however, ticket prices are going up starting July). Also, I noticed a flier for family-friendly movies that seemed to be going on regularly on the weekends.
I was really impressed. If you happen to find a movie you like (most of the stuff has a foreign or independent flair to it) - you must check it out.
FYI - the entrance of the theater is not through the Honolulu Academy of Art - it's flanked by white gates and located on Kinau street, so FYI. Also, parking can be a little tough (I think they have a lot that is open for the evening showings, but the night we went coincided with a huge event at the gallery, so no luck there).
*BEST CAFE/LUNCH SPOT ON OAHU*
All I have to say is that their food is YUMMY and it makes me smile! I was a customer from 2007-2008.
I love cafes! My day job was walking distance from HAA and I'm not complaining! My manager took me here for my birthday lunch and we also came back for my coworkers birthday too! I love the outdoor seating, the simple waterfall, art and everything on the menu is YUMMMMY!
I love the ham sandwich... which is strange because I don't like ham... but the way it's served... I always seem to order it. Comes with fresh veggies and avocado! I love their berry cobler dessert with vanilla ice cream! perfect! Everything I seen ordered looked soo pretty and no one I came here with was disappointed. I even brought my mom and grandma here when they came to visit me on Oahu for lunch... and they loved it. Everyone I come with (older then me) loved the ice tea here. Everything is fresh and the ambiance is perfect... can't even tell that you're in the heart of the city. From salads to sandwiches... and desserts! mmm!
I would come here for lunch everyday if I could! Price is ok. The only down fall is the hours... I think it's open for 3 hours just for lunch... and parking is kind of a b****. But parking sucks everywhere in town. Bathrooms are ok... lots of stairs.
If you love fresh food, art, outdoor/indoor seating, want to relax and talk about the good life in Hawaii and you haven't tried their cafe... you must! Leave the kids home, because I notice this place is for the artsy fartsy people... who seem to not work during mid day and I don't see kids here. This is the best cafe/lunch spot on Oahu!
5 stars... from me! Count me as a fan! I miss you HAA!
I was a member of the Academy for a few years and it's nice to walk around the museum and go eat right after. you have the artistic vibe that flows into lunch ...Good Stuff...Fresh ingredients and unique culinary creation
What to do on a rainy day? Visit the Honolulu Academy of Arts - it is a WONDERFUL place to spend your time - rainy day or otherwise.
The building itself is fantastic - Mediterranean style, built in the late 20's. It almost feels like you are viewing art in someone's house. The galleries are all in separate but connected buildings, and between each gallery is a lovely courtyard that you can spend some time in, contemplating the day.
I was able to latch onto one of the free docent tours, showing highlights of the museum. It was a great way to get oriented to the many works there and learn a little of their backstories.
You will see everything from ancient Asian art to modern works from all over the world. The collection is extraordinary, large but not overwhelming. There is a nice gallery with Hawaiian art and artists, including "the Lei Maker" which is the museum's signature piece. Special exhibits like Japanese woodblock and Chinese textiles are well done and worth your time.
They have a theater with special films showing - check the schedule - there was a cult 60's film showing when I visitied.
The cafe was closed on Sunday, but I read good things about it and it had a lovely setup.
At just $10 admission, it is one of the least expensive ways to spend the day in Honolulu, aside from going to the beach, and it is well worth every cent. Highly recommend.
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YAY!
living in hawaii most of my life, i've never been here until last week for the monthly Art After Dark event. i was a little bummed about having to pay to get in but in afterthought, it was completely worth it! knowing that i would have to pay $10 to get in, i opted to get the annual student pass for $20 which would get me into any event held at the Academy of Arts along with all of the Art After Dark events for the rest of the year. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! the regular rate (non-student)) is $45 which ain't so bad either if you love this place as much as i do!
the academy had some kind of live entertainment setup in all of the various courtyards around the museum along with bars and food stands. in the main courtyard, they had brazilian dancers and a brazilian dj. In another, they had a spanish basque singer. And yet in another, they had a french burlesque singer. It was fun bouncing around in between courtyards and picking up a new cocktail in between. drinks were a little on the expensive side but it can be expected in downtown honolulu.
the only thing lame about Art After Dark is that it ends at 9pm. BOOOO!!!! but there are usually a few after-parties to hit up. i learned to just follow the hot guys out the door and see where they're going. make sure they don't see you, it's only stalking if they catch you... ;)
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I'd have to hunt some folks down if this place averaged any less than five stars (as of now, 20 reviews, averages five stars).
HAA so awesome. I wish I could live there. They always have badass exhibits and the grounds are so lovely with green courtyards and water fountains. Super beautiful photo ops.
There permanent collection is awesome, too. Separated by region and religion, well organized (for the most part), clean. I love the Chinese, Iranian, and Indian sections.
We didn't get to see it, but they were advertising for Planet B-Boy in their theater. They play classics, too like, SIngin' In the Rain and West Side Story and foreign films like Once Upon a Time in Corea and vintage independent films like Surfing For Life by Brown (but not that Brown).
Photography is only allowed outside. So the courtyards and there is a lot of outside sculptures.
We paid $5 student rate.
Parking is gay. You have to park at the Blaisdell for a small fee. But you can walk through Thomas Square. Thomas Square used to be nice. Its kind of infested with homeless now. But the old banyan trees are lovely. We parked at Ward and hiked all the way to the museum. Its not that far.
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This has always been a great place to eat. I had not eaten there in 15 years and just went back about 4 years ago. Shame on me. I live two streets up from the Academy. Lovely atmosphere, the food is well prepared, great taste, fresh lovely salads. Really worth the time and effort to go. Great for when friends are visiting from out of town or just a nice get together for lunch.
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We've just eaten here for lunch today, it was wonderful! What I've eaten was half a Turkey sandwich w/ soup, which was really good:) Happy camper! My bf eaten the most popular dish he was really satisfied with that and he also ordered soup, too! I've forgotten what he ordered it looks like a fajita sandwich and it came with a good salad:) You MUST order the dessert especially the mousse and the apple w/blueberries in it, its so good! I highly recommend everybody going to this wonderful place! Our waitress name is Jasmine, you must ask for her she is great:)
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My FAVORITE museum. They had the most amazing special exhibition on famed woodcut master Charles Bartlett. He is a world-renowned artist, and I go ga-ga over everything he does.
Since I know next to nothing about woodcut art, I followed my husband around. Being a fabulous woodcut artist himself, he knew all the ins and outs of that particular art form and was eager to share his knowledge of the artist with me.
I was simply amazed at the special showing, which consisted of several dozen blocks, all put in order to show the process of making one beautiful print. It was absolutely incredible how much detail and thought goes into one woodcut print. And the results of Bartlett's hard work is stunning.
The museum itself is a wonderful place to wander around for hours. Their cafe is quite good, albeit not affordable for the starving artists out there. I tend to spend far too much money at the gift shop, which holds a super sale after Christmas and has plenty of cards and tchotchkes to fawn over. On top of all of this fabulousness, the staff is friendly, helpful, and available if you should have questions.
Aside from the special exhibits they hold from time to time, they are home to the jaw-droppingly vast James A. Michener Japanese woodblock print collection. Also, their regular permanent collection includes many of the masters, including Whistler, Sargent, Cezanne, and my personal fave, Vincent Van Gogh.
His paintings are hypnotic. I could stare at one of his pieces for hours on end and STILL not see every detail of what his mind was thinking when he layered the paint on the canvas.
That's kinda like the Academy of Arts, too...layers and layers of beautiful surprises and amazing revelations.
James Bartlett: http://www.hanga.com/w...
James Michener: http://www.honoluluaca...
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I've been here a few times in elementary school and never really understood anything, nor did I appreciate art back then. I recently went for a project in my ART101 class.
I went on a slow weekday so I had all the time in the world to look at the artworks. The funny part is they use motion sensors for the lighting in each gallery so I'd be busy writing information about a certain art piece and the lights would just completely go out on me till I moved again. That gets pretty scary where there's huge marble statues of Mary and stuff in the same room.
I really enjoyed how everything is right there and not much is roped off so you can look at the very fine details of the art.
I'm not sure how often they change around the galleries but my art teacher told me they do.
The tricky part is getting around the place. All the galleries aren't connected so you really have to befriend the map they give you when you first walk in. I actually got lost a few times trying to find a gallery.
You also can't bring in big bags. I had a tote bag that they made me lock up in a locker but they let me take my valuables. And if you need to write things while in the galleries you're only allowed to use pencils, no pens are allowed.
Absolutely impressive museum with a wonderful collection of paintings, prints, sculptures and other kinds of art. There are courtyards where you can enjoy a relaxing and peaceful time.
One of the exhibitions that I paid for was the Japan to Europe Impressionism one a few years back. Oh man....what a fantastic feast for the eyes.
Their gift shop is pretty neat. There's something for everybody and I absolutely love the unique jewelry they sell.
I also enjoyed the Doris Duke Theatre where I attented a Chinese film festival. The films that they showed were REALLY good.
Ahh good times. ~__~
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The Honolulu Academy of Arts art museum features a beautiful collection of truly enjoyable art. The Asian art collection is particularly impressive.
When I was a kid, I liked to draw and paint, so my parents also sent me to art classes offered for children here. My mom, being the proud and extra supportive parent she is, would take all of my crazy art work, paintings made with tempera and drawings made with pastel crayons, and proudly display them throughout the house. This was ages ago, of course, but the Honolulu Academy of Arts to this day continues to offer art classes for youth and adults.
I promise you, you will like the Honolulu Academy of Arts museum collection much better than you would like BKW's Mom's collection.
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WOW!! What can I say, we got Rock star parking, it was free entrance day for some reason. Something about the first Thursday after a full new moon and jellyfish invasion or something like that.
I must say this place was a total treat! From soup to nuts this museum really has it all. From olde-skool to new works from some really sick-o's, uh I mean "talented-new-artists".
All kidding aside, the wealth and breath of selections in this collection are a true treat. Just enough "island" material and artwork not to bore you with, right side by side with the old masters. Vincent Van Gogh & Whistler just to name a few BIG names.
A true treat and worthy of many repeat visits.
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A great museum, very skilled at presentation.
Also, do not miss Doris Duke Theater (under the museum); I've caught some great & hard to find movies here. Excellent lineup.
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Not the biggest museum, but good great exhibits, esp the Asian Gallery. Nice buildings
Great place. Among the incredible collection of East Asian Art (one of the biggest in the US) are little surprises like paintings from the impressionist movement (I was surprised to see their Monet) to more recent sculptures.
A great place to go and relax, they often have nights where there's free food and music to be had.
Also check out their other activities, I've been there to blow glass before too.
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The Academy of Arts was a big part of my life growing up. I used to go there with my mom (she was an art major).
In elementary school I received 2 years worth of scholarships to go to their summer art courses. It was great working with different mediums like clay or ink print. I especially liked sitting on the "rocks", man-made of cement, in the middle of the asian fountain-garden. There's fish in the lily pond. The kids in my classes used to stick their pencil erasers in the water and be amazed that the fish would try to eat them!
My favorite piece in the museum is located in the modern art section. It's a set of metal rods, possibly 10 feet tall (seemed impossibly tall when I was a kid), that one could gently touch to cause the rods to bend and hit each other. The resulting sound is eerie and just so GREAT! Gotta try it. I hope it's still allowed.
The cafe has really good food. I especially appreciate the salads - they seem so fresh and wonderful. The cafe also can do private parties quite well at the museum. It's a fun location, very close to the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
There's a theater at the back of the museum that shows various types of fiction or non-fiction films. My mom turned me on to going there when she took my siblings and I to the showing of the "World's Funniest Commercials".
Parking is pretty good on the street as long as it's not during rush hours. There's also a small lot in the back.
Check it out! It's been too long since I've been there myself...
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This is really bad, but here's a piece of advice to you alcoholics: get the yearly membership, and go to all the events and new exhibitions. Why? because they serve wine (aka "vino") and other alcoholic beverages. So, you spend about $100 to go to many, many exhibitions and just drink your loss back.
Anyways, when I went they were displaying Japanese/French art - I forgot what the title was. They also opened the entire gallery up, which they rarely do. Some of the art pieces range from disturbing, to hypnotic, to confusing... Walking from room to room will expose you to the full spectrum of human emotion - with a willing mind that is. I'm not sure if that was the experience for me as a result of the alcohol, but it was definitely worth it.
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Beautiful museum.
Check out the Art After Dark events as well! http://www.artafterdar...
They are geared for the young to older professionals in Honolulu.
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I love the feel of this museum.
It's such a treat to take in the feel of old Hawaii. I remember growing up and coming to this museum, and loving the atmosphere of the museum. The location resides within the former house of philantropist Anne Rice Cooke. The lavish look of the museum is something to behold in and of itself. The Spanish architecture is a wonderful delight for historical nostaglia of Old Hawaii: I, myself, am a huge fan of Spanish architecture and it's affluence in Hawaiian history. I wish more bulding around the city would try to coincide with the spirit of this type of elegant and open architecture; kinda like the Ala Moana Center and Harbor Court have done. Anyhoo, I digress.
I love how they expanded and remodeled areas over the years. The efforts have really paid off, and the museum feels so even more expansive than before.
The exhibits are varied and come all over the world. Representing everything from America to the South Pacific to Asia and on, the exhibits are well composed. I love the flow that the exhibits have with the space.
The Academy also offers classes and workshops as well. I took a fantastic drawing class at the Art Center across the way.
Within the expanded Pavillion, there is a cafe that you could have lunch at. It serves a variety of sandwiches, salads, pasta, and soups. It's a pretty good place to relax and enjoy a light lunch.
You can also check out the Doris Duke Theater. Here you can check out a variety of independent or foreign films being featured. It has great sound and seating capacity. It is one of the best theaters on the island.
Perusing through this museum is both quite tranquil and interesting: definitely worth coming to.
beautiful property and the galleries are situated perfectly within the museum between lush courtyards and hiding places to relax and live your life.
art after dark is held the last saturday of the month ( http://www.artafterdar... ) and THAT is also a super enjoyable evening. it's early enough to be your friday night pupu and late enough to jet home after work and change into your favorite artsy-fab outfit.
loving the academy.
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My favorite art museum in the state of Hawaii! You can go when the weather is beautiful and go through the various rooms and come out onto the courtyard and enjoy the warm weather or take a break and enjoy a cup of tea in the outdoor cafe. A MUST if you need a break from the beach. It is rarely crowded and it is a shame that this museum remains such a hidden gem to most of the tourists, but then again, it also keeps it less crowded than some of the blockbuster shows that large museums on the mainland use to entice the locals with.
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I suspect this museum gets overlooked by many tourists and locals alike. I myself rarely visited it while I grew up outside of Honolulu. However, it is really a fantastic museum that is well worth the trip. Besides the fact that it has a very impressive art collection (especially the Asian art collection), the building itself is a very peaceful and beautiful oasis--I just love the courtyards in between the galleries! If you want a break from the beach or shopping, definitely check this museum out.
This museum is on par with some of the better mainland museums. The building itself is unique and beautiful, and their Asian and Pacific collections have got to be among the best in the world.
An extraordinary museum with an extraordinary collection.
So many highlights; The beautiful Chinese courtyard, and galleries. Extraordinary Japanese screens. The India collection. A Monet, VanGogh, Cezanne, and the most beautiful Henri Fantin Latour that I have ever seen, Vase of Peonies.
After 25 years, they keep surprising me with things in their vast collection.
If at all possible, take a day or two and visit the wonderful Academy.
