THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	36
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the state of hawaii to convert the third floor of the  no. 1 capitol district building, located at 250 south hotel street, into PORTIONS OF THE HAWAII STATE art museum by 2016 AND to convert the fourth floor of the no. 1 capitol district building into PORTIONS OF THE HAWAII STATE art museum by 2018.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (HSFCA) was founded in 1965 by the Legislature, stating as its mission "to promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawaii"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM) opened under HSFCA on November 3, 2002, to an enthusiastic reception across the State, including the proclamation from then-Governor Ben Cayetano that the "people of our State will now have a unique place in the Capitol District where their own art is displayed, taught, practiced and passed on to the children of Hawaii"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Legislature established the Art in Public Places Program in 1967, making Hawaii the first state in the nation with a percent-for-art law to access one percent of all state building construction costs for public art funds; through this state fund and the generosity of various benefactors, the Art in Public Places Program has grown to include an impressive collection of 5,739 rotational artworks; and

 

     WHEREAS, existing exhibition space currently allotted to HiSAM galleries only accommodates 287 of these pieces, with an overwhelming 1,800 pieces remaining unseen in storage, while as of January 3, 2013, the remaining 3,652 pieces circulate through various government offices; and

 

     WHEREAS, the site and structure containing HiSAM boast unique and fascinating political-economic histories, embodying Hawaii's cultural trajectory to exude a monumental sense of place best appreciated by visitors who are allowed to access the building as a whole, beyond merely the second floor; and

 

     WHEREAS, this unique history began in 1872 when John Mott-Smith and Charles Coffin Harris, American politicians serving in Hawaii's cabinet under King Kamehameha V, convinced the Legislature to fund Hawaii's first hotel, named the Royal Hawaiian Hotel by the King, and assigned to the premises now home to HiSAM; and

 

     WHEREAS, this original Royal Hawaiian Hotel was converted to a YMCA facility in 1917 and used by the military during World War I; however, by 1926 the building had become infested by termites and was torn down and rebuilt in a "U" shape with a swimming pool in its courtyard, in the Spanish Mission style, by the firm Emory & Webb; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1987 American hotel developer Chris Hemmeter spent $11,000,000 to acquire the building for his company headquarters, invested $29,000,000 on renovations, and sold the building to the Japanese BIGI Corporation in 1990 for $82,000,000; and

 

WHEREAS, during the 2000 legislative session, Governor Cayetano convinced the Legislature to purchase the building for $22,300,000, to be used for government purposes, including a public art gallery encompassing the second floor; and

 

     WHEREAS, an informational kiosk, gift shop and popular café were added to the building's ground floor in 2005 to provide residents and visitors alike with a complete museum experience and to showcase the local art and culture of Hawaii, free of the admission tickets charged by other museums; and

 

     WHEREAS, HiSAM now includes four galleries: a central sculpture lobby on the second floor, a permanent painting and sculpture exhibition on the Ewa wing of the second floor, a rotating series of temporary exhibitions on the Diamond Head wing of the second floor, and an open air sculpture garden in the courtyard surrounding the ground floor swimming pool; and

 

     WHEREAS, HiSAM regularly opens its doors and grounds for spectacular musical, dance, and acrobatic performances on the first Friday of every month and other special occasions to engage the community through holistic exposure to visual art, music, and movement; and

 

     WHEREAS, these events create for the public an encompassing sense of place dedicated specifically to the arts ‒ a unique environment that would be substantially enhanced by a more thorough incorporation of the entire building; and

 

     WHEREAS, HiSAM now hosts the multidisciplinary museum education program "Art Bento," a compact and cohesive opportunity for public and charter school students from kindergarten through sixth grade statewide to experience the galleries as "learning laboratories" where artworks catalyze inquiry-based student learning in literacy, visual, and performing arts; and

 

     WHEREAS, the interactive museum component of this educational program is now limited to the space afforded by the "I Love Art" gallery, a substantial corner of the Diamond Head gallery of HiSAM, which is not acoustically or visually isolated from the rotating art displays and thus does not allow school groups to communicate at likely volumes without disturbing other museum visitors; and

 

     WHEREAS, HiSAM currently lacks an auditorium of ample size for lectures, musical performances, tapings, or interactive presentations allowing students to create art; and

 

     WHEREAS, HiSAM adds a unique and irreplaceable element to Hawaii's array of historic and cultural sites, for it is the State's only public art museum and the only visitor locus prioritizing the creations of local artists whose stories convey the cultural legacy of Hawaii as experienced by the community; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that the Department of Accounting and General Services be urged to convert the third floor of the No. 1 Capitol District Building, located at 250 South Hotel Street, into exhibition, administrative, and/or educational space within the Hawaii State Art Museum no later than 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services be urged to convert the fourth floor of the No. 1 Capitol District Building into exhibition, administrative, and/or educational space within the Hawaii State Art Museum no later than 2018; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Comptroller, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Hawaii State Art Museum; Capitol District Building