Hawaii State Art Museum

Capitol Modern, the official Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, is a free public art museum run by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in Honolulu's historic Capitol District, next to ʻIolani Palace and the State Government. It opened as the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and was renamed Capitol Modern. Its exhibitions come from the State's Art in Public Places Collection and from student exhibitions. The Spanish-Mission style building has Italian scrollwork modeled after the Davanzati Palace in Florence, and original tile work survives on the first and second floors. The ground-floor Sculpture Garden, once a recreational area with a large swimming pool, is now an urban oasis with pathways and nooks for reflection. Admission is always free and needs no advance tickets, and the museum keeps evening hours for First Friday and other events. Do not touch the art, leave food and drink outside, and check bigger items at the information desk. There is no parking on site, so use metered street parking or a nearby lot. Wheelchair and stroller access is by the walkway at the Richards Street gate entrance, there are elevators on each side of the lobby, and there is no cafe on site.