Hilo Art Museum facts for kids
The Hilo Art Museum (HAM) was a special place in Hilo, Hawaii, where people could enjoy and learn about art. It became a non-profit organization in April 2007. The museum was part of groups like the Western Museums Association and the Hawaii Museums Association. In 2007, HAM opened Education Centers. These centers offered art classes, workshops, and special art shows. The museum's main building closed in December 2007. After that, only a few classes were held in a donated space during 2008.
Amazing Art Collections
The Hilo Art Museum had a permanent collection of original artworks. These included pieces by famous artists like Huc-Mazelet Luquiens, Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring, Jack Sudlow, and Salvador Dalí. Many other artists also had their work displayed there.
The museum also had a special exhibit. It featured art that shared important stories about history and human experiences. This exhibit included a rare signed print by Picasso and works by other significant artists.
Another unique part of the museum was its Teaching Collection. This collection had hand-painted, life-sized copies of famous artworks from around the world. These copies were very important for teaching children on the island about art. Since Hawaii is far out in the Pacific Ocean, many island families had not seen these famous artworks in person.
Where to See the Art?
The Hilo Art Museum showed some of its collection at the Keaau Fine Arts Center. This center was located at 16-643 Kipimana Street, in the Shipman Industrial Park, in Keaʻau, Hawaii.
How the Museum Started
In April 2007, an artist named Ted Coombs, who lived in Hawaii, began to make his dream come true. He wanted to create a general art museum in Hilo, which is Hawaii's second-largest city. He reached out to others who shared his dream, and together they formed the HAM Board of Trustees. They started looking for a location and for art to fill the museum's collection.
Before finding a permanent home, the trustees decided to open the museum in the historic Hilo Iron Works building. This building had been home to the "Art in the Iron Works" gallery. That gallery had a great art education program, which was given to the museum when it took over the facility in the summer of 2007.
Art donations started to arrive. These included an original drawing by Picasso, works by Willem de Kooning, Suzanne Dix, and Dale Chihuly. The first money for the museum came from the trustees, Ted Coombs and his family, Stephen Davey, and from people who became museum members.
In January 2008, the Hilo Art Museum began a plan to open small exhibit centers across the Island of Hawaii. The Keaau Fine Art Center was one of these. It showed parts of the main collection and had changing exhibits.
In February 2009, the museum's Director, Stephen Davey, organized an exhibition at the Hilo Palace Theater. It featured works by Italian artist Mirko. These paintings and ceramic pieces showed images that honored Hawaiian culture.
By June 2009, the museum had closed its doors.
Why the Museum Closed
The Hilo Art Museum Education Center closed in December 2008. The Hilo Art Museum is no longer a member of the American Alliance of Museums. It also never met the requirements to be officially recognized by that organization.
