Isaacs Art Center facts for kids
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Exterior view of the Isaacs Art Center
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| Established | 2004 |
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| Location | 65-1268 Kawaihae Road Kamuela, HI 96743 |
| Hawaii Preparatory Academy | |
The Isaacs Art Center is a cool art museum and gallery in Waimea. It's located on the Big Island of Hawaii. This center is run by the Hawaii Preparatory Academy. All the money it makes helps fund scholarships for students at the school.
Besides selling art, the center has a huge collection of art. You can see art from Hawaii, the Pacific islands, and Asia. It even has the world's largest collection of art by Madge Tennent. Many other famous artists are also featured. These include Jean Charlot, D. Howard Hitchcock, and Jules Tavernier.
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What is the Isaacs Art Center?
The Isaacs Art Center is a special place. It mixes its own art collection with pieces borrowed from private owners. You can also find art for sale here. Most of the art on display includes paintings. These are by artists from Hawaii who worked in the early to mid-1900s.
In 2005, the center received many artworks from the Tennent Art Foundation. This made it one of the best public collections of Hawaiian art. This gift included about 30 oil paintings and 40 works on paper by Madge Tennent. Other Hawaii artists in the collection are Herb Kawainui Kane and Lionel Walden.
The Building's Amazing History
The building where the Isaacs Art Center is located has a long and interesting past. It's much older than the art center itself!
From School to Museum
The building was first built in 1915. It was designed to be the Waimea Elementary School. It was about 5,580 square feet in size. This was the first public school in Waimea, a historic ranching town. It was also one of the first schools built in the Hawaiian plantation style. The large size of the school showed that Waimea's population was growing.
We don't know who designed or built the school. In 1916, it opened its doors to students. Many of these students were children of people who worked at Parker Ranch.
A Hospital During Wartime
Between 1942 and 1946, the Waimea Elementary School changed its purpose. It became a temporary hospital for United States Marine Corps troops. These soldiers were stationed in or near Waimea during World War II.
At the busiest time of the war, about 30,000 soldiers were in the area. They were based at Camp Tarawa. Many of these soldiers later fought in big battles. These included the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. These were very important battles in the Pacific part of the war.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
The building was repaired and made new between 2002 and 2004. A major donor named George Isaacs helped a lot with this project. In 2003, the Historic Hawaii Foundation gave an award for the restoration work. The building itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The Isaacs Art Center officially opened its doors in 2004.
Images for kids
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Charles W. Bartlett, Duke Kahanamoku, around 1918
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D. Howard Hitchcock, Cottages Amongst the Palms, 1932
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Jules Tavernier, Kilauea by Moonlight, 1889
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Lionel Walden, Racing Yachts, around 1900
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Theodore Wores, Diamond Head by Moonlight, 1902
