Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House facts for kids
The Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House is a special place in Hawaii. It used to be called The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. Now, it's part of the larger Honolulu Museum of Art. This museum was once the only one in Hawaii just for contemporary art. Contemporary art is art made in our time, usually after the 1960s. The museum had two locations: the historic Spalding House in a quiet part of Honolulu, and another spot downtown Honolulu at First Hawaiian Center. Both places are still open for everyone to visit and enjoy art.
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What Art Can You See at Spalding House?
The museum has a large collection of art. When The Contemporary Museum joined the Honolulu Museum of Art, all its artworks became part of the bigger museum's collection. You can often see these pieces at both the Spalding House and the main museum building.
Many famous artists have their work in this collection. Some of these artists include:
- Vito Acconci
- Josef Albers
- Andy Warhol
- Dale Chihuly
- David Hockney
- Jasper Johns
- William Kentridge
- Louise Nevelson
- Vik Muniz
- Kiki Smith
- Frank Stella
- Kara Walker
- Tom Wesselmann
These artists create many different kinds of art. You might see paintings, sculptures, photos, and more.
The Story of Spalding House and Its Gardens
How Did Spalding House Become a Museum?
The Spalding House is a beautiful old building with lovely gardens. It was built in 1925 as a home for Anna Rice Cooke. She was the wife of Charles Montague Cooke. At the same time, the Honolulu Museum of Art was being built on the land where her old home used to be.
The house was designed by Hart Wood. Later, it was made even bigger. In 1968, Anna's daughter, Alice Spalding, gave the estate to the Honolulu Academy of Arts. From 1970 to 1978, it was used to show Japanese prints.
Later, in 1986, the Thurston Twigg-Smith family turned it into The Contemporary Museum. After some changes inside and adding a new building, the museum opened in October 1988. Besides art galleries, it had a shop, a cafe, and offices.
Who Designed the Beautiful Gardens?
The gardens around Spalding House are also very special. They were first designed between 1928 and 1941 by Reverend K. H. Inagaki. He was a Christian minister from Japan.
Later, in the late 1970s, a landscape architect named James C. Hubbard helped bring the gardens back to life. In the 1990s, Leland Miyano made the gardens even more amazing.
As you walk through the gardens, you can see outdoor sculptures. These include artworks by:
- Satoru Abe
- Charles Arnoldi
- Deborah Butterfield
- George Rickey
- Toshiko Takaezu
- DeWain Valentine
- Arnold Zimmerman
There is also a large painting on a wall by Paul Morrison.
Spalding House is located at 2411 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii. It's a great place to visit and enjoy both art and nature.
Art in Downtown Honolulu: First Hawaiian Center
The former Contemporary Museum also had a smaller art space downtown. This gallery is inside the First Hawaiian Center. This is the main building for First Hawaiian Bank.
This downtown gallery opened in 1996. It often shows art from Hawaii. First Hawaiian Bank helps pay for these exhibits. Now, the art here is chosen by the staff of the Honolulu Museum of Art. This happened after the two museums joined together.
Joining Forces: Honolulu Museum of Art Merger
On May 2, 2011, The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, became part of the Honolulu Museum of Art. This meant it was no longer a separate museum. But don't worry, the art galleries and gardens are still open to the public!
The staff from The Contemporary Museum joined the team at the Honolulu Museum of Art. The director of the Contemporary Museum became a deputy director at the larger museum. The art experts from the Contemporary Museum now work in a new Department of Contemporary Art.
All the art from The Contemporary Museum, which is over 3,000 artworks, moved to the Honolulu Museum of Art. The money and other things the museum owned also transferred. The artworks that moved now have special numbers that start with "TCM."
The building in Makiki Heights, which has about 5,000 square feet of space for art, went back to its old name: "Spalding House." This merger made the Honolulu Museum of Art even bigger and better for showing contemporary art.
