Governor Josh Inexperienced, M.D. | DLNR NEWS RELEASE: LOCAL ARTISTS SHOWCASE ORIGINAL ARTWORK WITH FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA

DAWN N.S. CHANG
CHAIRPERSON

LOCAL ARTISTS SHOWCASE ORIGINAL ARTWORK WITH FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

September 23, 2025

HONOLULU – Residents and guests are invited to attend a gallery opening on Oct. 4 that may showcase authentic paintings specializing in and exploring the pressing realities of local weather change. The particular exhibit, “Kaiāulu: Rising Together,” will spotlight the work of 4 native artists – Gillian Dueñas, Benjamin Fairfield, Keisha Kanaka and Erin Voss — and can run by the month of October at The Hawaiʻi State Art Museum.

The featured artists have been chosen for the Climate Artist-in-Residence program by the Hawaiʻi State Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission (CCMAC). Artists-in-Residence spend a 12 months immersed in subjects together with land stewardship, vitality effectivity, cultural data and neighborhood resilience. They mentor college students by inventive artwork and work with numerous media comparable to paint, music, textiles and pictures.

“This residency has given me renewed motivation. I have enjoyed collaborating with local elementary schools to have students think through how, where and why everyday products are sourced, consumed and discarded,” stated Fairfield.

Their paintings displays CCMAC’s deeply rooted perception in mālama ʻāina and emphasizes the numerous challenges to the state posed by local weather change. CCMAC’s Climate Action Pathways, a statewide plan developed with in depth neighborhood enter to advertise local weather resilience, additionally offers inspiration to the exhibited works.

• Erin Voss’ work visualizes the idea of ‘ridge-to-reef” planning and watershed considering impressed by the custom of ahupuaʻa land administration, specializing in the impression of urbanization on coastal ecosystems.

• Keisha Tanaka’s pictures, guided by ʻāina and ʻike kūpuna, paperwork the neglected moments that weave the wealthy tapestry of neighborhood after we kākoʻo (help) each other.
• Gillian Duenas’ work discover what Pacific Islander residents of Hawaiʻi think about for a climate-just future in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
• Benjamin Fairfield turns trash into practical musical devices, displaying how issues deemed nugatory can nonetheless have worth and voice.

“We are all experiencing the impacts of climate change here in Hawai‘i,” stated CCMAC Program Manager Udi Mandel Butler. “Art is a powerful way to make sense of these experiences and to create visions for solutions and ways of being on this ‘āina for generations to come.”

Event particulars:

Gallery Opening and Reception

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Capitol Modern – Hawaiʻi State Art Museum

250 South Hotel St., Honolulu

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Admission is free

Media are invited and inspired to attend

CCMAC is partnering with Capitol Modern and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program for the occasion. For extra info, go to: or contact Udi Butler at [email protected].

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RESOURCES

(All pictures/video courtesy: DLNR)

Photographs – CCMAC Artist-in-Residence program 2025:

Media Contact: 

Ryan Aguilar

Communications Specialist

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources

Phone: 808-587-0396

Email: [email protected]