Bishop Museum April 2024 Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum shares its April 2024 exhibitions, public programs, and events. A full and continually updated listing can be found on the Museum's website, BishopMuseum.org. For more information on any of the items listed herein, please contact Lance Aquino with Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc.

April sees the return of the Science & Sustainability Festival to Bishop Museum's campus. This signature event brings together Museum scientists, educators, cultural practitioners, and community partners to highlight the ongoing work needed to protect our precious biodiversity and build a sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.

March 2024

• Ongoing | ExhibitionCorned Beef & KaloJ. M. Long GalleryIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Corned Beef & Kalo features Pisupo lua afe (Corned Beef 2000) by Michel Tuffery, and KALO by Bernice Akamine. The exhibition brings together two iconic works of contemporary art to consider how artists make visible issues related to agricultural subsistence, environmental sustainability, and everyday life where food imports and structured land use intertwine.
• Ongoing | ExhibitLalo: Science and Conservation in the Northwestern Hawaiian IslandsScience Adventure CenterIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Lalo: Science and Conservation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands tells the cultural and scientific significance of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) as the kūpuna islands of Hawaiʻi. The exhibit features "The Ongoing Legacy of Coral Reef Exploration," "The Lalo Plastic Story," as well as 2D and 3D digital experiences that allow visitors to view terrestrial and underwater scenes and experience them as a series of immersive storylines about PMNM.
• Ongoing | InstallationFifty Years of Life: ʻUmeke from King Kalākaua's JubileeHawaiian HallIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Fifty Years of Life: ʻUmeke from King Kalākaua's Jubilee introduces three ʻumeke (bowls) that were gifted to King David Kalākaua for his 50th birthday on Nov. 16, 1886. The case also features a bust of Kalākaua made by sculptor Allen Hutchinson.
• Ongoing | InstallationsCampus MuralsThroughout the Museum campus.Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Bishop Museum's outdoor murals provide an immersive art experience that bridges traditional culture, creative expression, and indigenous perspectives. The initial round of murals was completed in 2021 in conjunction with the special exhibit POW! WOW! The First Decade: From Hawaiʻi to the World, and was expanded in May 2023 during the Hawaiʻi Walls Mural Festival in Kalihi. The additional murals were inspired by the Kalihi community, local histories, and Bishop Museum's cultural and scientific collections and resources.
• Fridays-TuesdaysPlanetarium ShowsJ. Watumull Planetarium$3 with General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum MembersJoin us in the J. Watumull Planetarium at Bishop Museum to connect with the environment and peoples of the Pacific region, the expanse of our universe, and the stories we pass on from generation to generation.2024 Spring Planetarium Shows:
  • "The Hawaiian Sky Tonight"
  • "Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars"
  • "Hidden Pacific"
  • "Ngā Tohunga Whakatere: The Navigators"*

  *Weekends and holidays only.

• April 2024 Sky Map | Online Resource (also attached to this release)Free downloads for personal use.You and your ʻohana can try your hand at backyard astronomy! The monthly Sky Maps from our J. Watumull Planetarium show the sky above Hawaiʻi from about 8-10 p.m. HST. Hold the Sky Map above your heads to align all four directions and discover which stars and constellations are visible this month.
• Saturdays-Mondays, noon and 2:30 p.m. | ShowMeet Me at the Hot Spot: Lava Melt DemoScience Adventure CenterIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Join us in our Hot Spot Theater to learn about volcanoes and the creation of the Hawaiian Islands. Don't miss your chance to touch different lava rocks and explore the natural wonder of volcanoes in this unique show. See real molten lava poured out of our 2,000°F furnace!
• Friday, April 12, 2024, 5-9 p.m. | Public ProgramBishop Museum After HoursThroughout the Museum campus.$10 pre-sale, $15 at the door for General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Come express your artistic spirit at Museum After Hours! Surround yourself with the beauty of Bishop Museum and enjoy good eats, live music and art, and make your own art with experiences curated by Free Spirits Hawaiʻi.
• Saturday, April 13, 2024, 10-11 a.m. | Public ProgramKanikapila ma KaiwiʻulaNā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian GardenIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.E hoʻokani pila pū kākou! Join members of the ʻUkulele Guild of Hawaiʻi in our Nā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden. Bring your ʻukulele or borrow one. Learn new techniques, share moʻolelo, or just enjoy the music as ʻUkulele Guild of Hawaiʻi leads guests through selections from "He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook."
• Friday, April 19, 2024, 7-8 p.m. | EventThe Stars TonightJ. Watumull PlanetariumCapacity is limited, and registration is required. $10 General Adult, $7 General Youth. Children 3 and under are free but will be expected to share a seat with an adult or guardian. 50% discount for Bishop Museum Members.Come study the stars, travel across the Earth and into our solar system, and share stories with us in our J. Watumull Planetarium! The Stars Tonight is a live evening program designed for all ages, and each month will have its own theme and activities. Each show is followed by stargazing on the Great Lawn with the Hawaiian Astronomical Society, weather permitting.
• Saturday, April 20, 2024, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Public ProgramScience & Sustainability Festival 2024Throughout the Museum campus.Reduced admission — $5 for kamaʻāina and military with ID.The Science & Sustainability Festival brings together Museum scientists, educators, cultural practitioners, and community partners to highlight the ongoing work needed to protect our precious biodiversity and build a sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.Festival highlights include keiki activities; pop-up talks and other special presentations; access to the Museum's latest exhibitions; and more than 30 community partner activity and information booths!
• Saturday, April 27, 2024, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Public ProgramNiho ʻOki Workshop with ʻŌlohe ʻUmi KaiGulab and Indru Watumull Atrium of Hawaiian HallRegistration is required. $50 registration fee includes materials.Learn to create a niho ʻoki under the guidance of ʻŌlohe ʻUmi Kai. Niho ʻoki are Hawaiian shark tooth utility knives, traditionally used for food preparation, wood carving, hair cutting, and stripping bark for kapa. No prior experience is necessary.This workshop is a part of the Living Culture Program.

Looking past April, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2024:

• May 25 | Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red (exhibition)
• June 6-16 | 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC) at Bishop Museum
• June 15 | Celebrate Micronesia Festival 2024
• July | Faith and Philanthropy: Queen Emma Kaleleonālani's Visit to England, 1865-1866 (installation)
• Summer 2024 | Updates to Science Adventure Center installations
• Oct. 5 | Kū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early-Territorial Hawaii (exhibition)
• Fall 2024 | Kāhuli Festival 2024
• Fall/Winter 2024 | Updates to Science on a Sphere ("SOS") Rotunda exhibit

Bishop Museum also holds Daily Programs for all guests, as well as in-person J. Watumull Planetarium shows. Its Signature Galleries include Hawaiian Hall, Pacific Hall, Picture Gallery, Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kāhili Room, Nā Ulu o Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden, Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center, and Campus Murals. For more information, please visit BishopMuseum.org.