9/23/25 – LOCAL ARTISTS SHOWCASE ORIGINAL ARTWORK WITH FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

LOCAL ARTISTS SHOWCASE ORIGINAL ARTWORK WITH FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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HONOLULU - Residents and visitors are invited to attend a gallery opening on Oct. 4 that will showcase original artwork focusing on and exploring the urgent realities of climate change. The special exhibit, "Kaiāulu: Rising Together," will highlight the work of four local artists - Gillian Dueñas, Benjamin Fairfield, Keisha Kanaka and Erin Voss - and will run through the month of October at The Hawaiʻi State Art Museum.

The featured artists were selected for the Climate Artist-in-Residence program by the Hawaiʻi State Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission (CCMAC). Artists-in-Residence spend a year immersed in topics including land stewardship, energy efficiency, cultural knowledge and community resilience. They mentor students through creative art and work with various media such as paint, music, textiles and photography.

"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," said Fairfield.

Their artwork reflects CCMAC's deeply rooted belief in mālama ʻāina and emphasizes the significant challenges to the state posed by climate change. CCMAC's Climate Action Pathways, a statewide plan developed with extensive community input to promote climate resilience, also provides inspiration to the exhibited works.

• Erin Voss' work visualizes the concept of 'ridge-to-reef" planning and watershed thinking inspired by the tradition of ahupuaʻa land management, focusing on the impact of urbanization on coastal ecosystems.
• Keisha Tanaka's photography, guided by ʻāina and ʻike kūpuna, documents the overlooked moments that weave the rich tapestry of community when we kākoʻo (support) one another.
• Gillian Duenas' paintings explore what Pacific Islander residents of Hawaiʻi imagine for a climate-just future in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
• Benjamin Fairfield turns trash into functional musical instruments, showing how things deemed worthless can still have value and voice.

"We are all experiencing the impacts of climate change here in Hawai'i," said 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 details:

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 encouraged to attend

CCMAC is partnering with Capitol Modern and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program for the event. For more information, visit: https://climate.hawaii.gov/art/ or contact Udi Butler at [email protected].

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

Photographs - CCMAC Artist-in-Residence program 2025:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wjefjfmksaa37f6k6tav4/APpJ7Mi6a28KZEVTpv_IFmI?rlkey=aa8ba8zo1ovl2vz57xwppw7d2&st=64wobkvq&dl=0

Media Contact:

Ryan Aguilar

Communications Specialist

Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources

Email: [email protected]