The mission of The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu is to provide the excitement of discovery through interaction with contemporary visual, performance, and media art and artists in a unique Hawaiian setting. The Museum seeks to develop a public appreciation and understanding of contemporary art through exhibitions and educational programs.

Description:
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, is the only museum in the state of Hawai‘i devoted exclusively to contemporary art. TCM provides an accessible forum for provocative, dynamic forms of visual art, offering interaction with art and artists in a unique Island environment.

TCM presents its innovative exhibition and educational programs at two venues: in residential Honolulu at the historic Spalding house, and downtown at First Hawaiian Center. In addition to preserving art from 1940 to the present, the Museum also maintains and presents the historic Spalding house and gardens for the enjoyment and enrichment of Hawai‘i’s residents and visitors.

The Contemporary Museum is nestled in 3.5 acres of sculpture and meditation gardens called Nu‘umealani (heavenly terrace), for which the museum won the American Society of Landscape Architects Millennium Award for preservation.

Completed between 1928 and 1941 by Reverend K.H. Inagaki—a local minister with a love for landscape architecture—the gardens were designed to provide a place to retreat, meditate and experience the harmony of nature. Gardens, which include a tropical terraced garden, sprawling lawn, walking paths and places to sit, are open to the public during museum hours.

History:
The Contemporary Museum began in 1961 in the News Building in downtown Honolulu and presented changing exhibitions of predominantly Hawai'i artists. In 1988 the museum relocated to the scenic 3.5 acre Alice Cooke Spalding estate, originally built in 1925 for Mrs. Charles Montague Cooke. The interior of the building was renovated and transformed into a modern museum facility. The preserved exterior maintains a subtle blending of Asian and island features - tiled roofs, Molokai sandstone walkways, and windows reflecting garden views.

Contact person: Sheryl Kramer, Volunteer & Special Projects Coord., (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (808) 536-5970

Address:

2411 Makiki Heights Drive Honolulu, HI 96822 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.tcmhi.org

Directions:

From the East: 1. Take ramp onto I-H1 WEST - go 1.7 mi 2. Take exit #23/LUNALILO STREET onto LUNALILO ST - go 0.2 mi 3. Turn Right on PIIKOI ST - go 0.3 mi 4. Turn Right on MOTT-SMITH DR - go 0.9. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: Bus #15 Pacific Heights, 1 minute walk