Hawai‘i Nei Art Exhibition

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Hawai‘i Nei Art Exhibition

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A juried art exhibition celebrating the native species of Hawaiʻi Island from Nov 6 - Dec 10

Hawai‘i Nei is an annual juried art exhibition featuring native species at the Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center in Hilo. This community geared event is open to all residents of the Island of Hawai‘i. Children and adults are encouraged to submit works of art featuring the plants and animals native to our island. This event seeks to raise awareness of Hawaiʻiʻs unique environment and increase participation in the arts. A portion of the proceeds generated by art sales during the exhibition will go towards funding native species protection and management as well as environmental education programs.

10/22/2026

Come celebrate our native species! Join us on Friday November 6th from 4pm-7pm for the opening of the 18th Annual Hawai‘i Nei Art Exhibition at Wailoa Center in Hilo!

Enjoy live music, keiki activities, and light refreshments as we bring together art, community, and conservation to celebrate Hawaiʻi’s unique native flora, fauna and habitats.

The Exhibition will be on display from November 6 - December 10. Wailoa Center is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday from 9am-4pm and Saturdays from 10am-2pm (closed on State holidays and Thanksgiving weekend, 11/26 - 11/29).

10/02/2026

Friendly reminder! Entries for this year's exhibition are due exactly 1 week away from today! All submissions must be submitted by Friday, October 9 at 11:59pm (HST). Check out our website for all the details on how to enter.

Artwork by Lorraine D’Anna
Morning Visit With An ʻElepaio

Artist Statement: I paint because I can’t not paint! Presently working in oils and watercolors in my studio or out painting Plein Air. I am influenced by Impressionistic paintings, present and past. Light, color and fleeting moments. I feel a deep connection to nature and the beauty of Hawaiʻi Island. Recently I visited the Hakalau National Forest Wildlife Refuge. How wonderful to see all the seedlings growing to help restore the forest for the birds. The balance of nature inspires creativity; it presents a sense of harmony and balance. What a beautiful island we live on with rare endemic birds on the slopes of Mauna Kea. How could you not see the wonder! Birds carry messages of hope, wisdom and the capacity to overcome challenges by rising above adversity. It makes sense that these birds would have morning tea with us as they are the first to wake up and celebrate the day. The ʻElepio is the first to call out. I decided to visualize an unusual encounter and combine my love for birds with a cup of tea. Something fun to think about.

09/02/2026

We are very excited about this year's jury team! For the adult divisions, we have Emily Catey Weiss and for youth Erzsi Kuba Palko. Swipe to check out their bios as well as their juror statement. Also! Don't forget all artwork entries are due online Oct 9th ⏰

Artwork by Erzsi Erzsi Palko
Nā manu o Hawaiʻi nui kuauli (2024)
Limu, I See you (2023)
ʻĀkepa, Home in Their ʻŌhiʻa Tree (2022)

07/01/2026

We’re excited for another year celebrating the beauty and diversity of Hawaiʻi Island’s native species. This fall marks the 18th Annual Hawaiʻi Nei Art Exhibition 🥳

Artwork registration is now open! Hawaiʻi Island residents of all ages, including youth, are invited to submit original artwork that highlights the native flora, fauna, and habitats of Hawaiʻi Island. Selected work will be exhibited at Wailoa Center from Nov 6th to Dec 10th.

Entry Deadline: October 9th

Artwork in any medium is welcome. Entries must:
-Feature a native Hawaiʻi Island species (endemic or indigenous)
-Be original work
-Created within the past 4 years
-Not been previously shown at Wailoa Center

We highly recommend including an artist statement that shares more about your work and your relationship with the species depicted. For complete guidelines and registration details, visit our website (link in our bio). Can’t wait to see what's in store for this year's exhibition!

Puʻu Koa risograph print by Devyn Park

05/29/2026

Koa
By Heather Westbrook
Digital illustration

Artist Statement: As an artist, I am deeply inspired by the natural world and the quiet stories it tells through form, pattern, and texture. My work explores the intersection of nature, design, and perception—how we see, how we connect, and how we are moved by the environments around us. With a background in photography and a lifelong relationship with the outdoors, I approach my art as both a visual storyteller and an adventurer. My creative journey began in Michigan, drawing Disney characters as a child, and has evolved through years of exploration—from the backcountry trails of the mainland to the rich cultural landscapes of Hawai‘i, where I have lived and worked for over 10 years. In 2023, I founded HW Designs to merge my dual passions: art and nature. Through digital illustration, I seek to highlight the beauty in the overlooked, offering viewers a fresh perspective rooted in wonder and curiosity. Inspired by the Hawaiian quilt, my designs reflect this mission—each repeating pattern contains a story, a reflection of place, culture, and connection. Koa celebrates Hawaiʻi’s koa tree, a keystone species of upland forests. With the koa bug, ʻAkiapōlāʻau, and ʻAlawī woven into a kaleidoscopic-like tapestry, the design reflects strength, resilience, and the ecological and cultural balance sustained by this vital tree.

05/01/2026

Wiliwili of Waikōloa
By Camren Cambra
Acrylic

Artist Statement: The subject of this painting is dear to me because of the journey I have had with this plant under my kumu hula, who taught me how to gather the beautiful seeds and make lei. Highly endangered and largely unsung in popular media, I want people to appreciate the alien beauty of the wiliwili and care about its preservation. Wiliwili is endemic to the high elevation dry forests of Hawaiʻi. This painting depicts a single flower in full bloom, illuminated by the sun, against a deep cerulean midday sky.

04/24/2026

Kilo Pilina
By Kait Young
Watercolor

Artist Statement: This watercolor painting showcases Māmaki (Pipturus albidus), standing tall against cloudy skies. Pulelehua (Vanessa tameamea) dance nearby. One butterfly stands out against a bright blue break in the clouds while the other camouflages itself on a Māmaki leaf, where it finds shelter and nourishment. This painting is framed in a solid wood Koa frame (not pictured) hand crafted by me. Pulelehua feeds on the sap of the Koa tree. This piece showcases the relationship between 3 native Hawaiian species: Māmaki, Pulelehua, and Koa, which is why it is titled “Kilo Pilina”. I am an admirer of the interconnectedness of nature, it has always been my greatest muse. I looked upon the Māmaki plants in my garden while painting this piece, to get the patterns, colors, and identifying characteristics as accurate as possible. Gardening and creating art are my passions, and they truly go hand in hand. I hope my artwork inspires others to mālama i ka ‘āina, to respect and care for the land.

04/17/2026

Untitled (Koa)
By Ajna Joy Ch'iu Lichau
Sumi ink and 23k gold leaf on BK Rives cotton paper

Artist Statement: After a several years with my hands in the soil actively cultivating and taking care of a small and young native forest of ‘Ō̄hiʻa Lehua and Koa, my appreciation for each plants’ details and shapes in their leaves and flowers inspired me to want to translate a moment of their essence to paper. I wanted to create images using simple materials that didn’t need the harsh chemicals of photography. Through my experimentation and process, I came to these current art works on paper: Flora prints/Hawaiian native & canoe plants and Dew Prints/Imagined Landscapes. Unlike monotypes or monoprints, no plates or images on a smooth non-absorbent surface is used in my process of making these very spontaneous pieces on paper; however, I do use tools such as plant materials (i.e. leaves, flowers, fibers, pollen), paper, water/dew, dust and fabric to remove sumi ink from the paper while simultaneously leaving an imprint. With my Flora prints, it’s a slow overnight process that I cannot see or predict knowingly. It takes over 24hrs from making the piece to being completely dry for me to see what has become of it. Not all pieces make it to my table where I add the concluding layers of gold leaf. Initially I was attracted to adding gold leaf to these pieces to add light and a resemblance of water. The physical properties of gold touch on the long and deep history of economic value, cultural significance throughout the world and the biological theory that humans are drawn to shiny objects because of our ancestral need to find water. The origins of sumi ink go back over 2,000 years beginning in China. My ancestral connection to China is very obscure and has mostly been lost through my family's disconnection through our history and each other. From my experimental use of these historical, simple and refined materials, I hope to offer a fresh perspective from my process of making these pieces that offer a visceral experience while being grounded with details of familiarity from plants of this beautiful ʻāina.

Address

200 Piopio Street
Hilo, HI
96720

Website

http://www.hawaiineiartexhibition.org/

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