Bishop Museum February 2025Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events

Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shares its February 2025 exhibitions, public programs, and events. A full and continually updated listing can be found on the Museum's website, BishopMuseum.org.

February sees the return of Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025 (HT25), a statewide exhibition of contemporary art from Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and beyond. Bishop Museum is honored to once again be a participating venue, this year featuring the work of nine artists.

February 2025

• Opening Feb. 15, 2025 | ExhibitHawaiʻi Triennial 2025: ALOHA NŌCastle Memorial BuildingIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.The Hawaiʻi Triennial, held every three years, is a statewide exhibition of contemporary art from Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and beyond. Bishop Museum is honored to once again be a participating venue, this year featuring the work of nine artists whose respective practices have a connection to cultural material and are informed by archival collections, including those of Bishop Museum. Interview opportunities during the Media Preview of HT25 at Bishop Museum may include artists J. D. Nālamakūikapō Ahsing, Sione Faletau, Emily Karaka, Kapwani Kiwanga, Brandy Nālani McDougall, John Pule, Tiare Ribeaux, Stephanie Syjuco, and Salote Tawale.*Media Preview Opportunity on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, 1-4 p.m.*Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend an exclusive pre-opening, closed-door Media Preview of Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025. Please RSVP with Lance Aquino via the contact information above.
• Ongoing | ExhibitionKū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early Territorial Hawaiʻi, 1900-1920J. M. Long GalleryIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Kū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early Territorial Hawaiʻi, 1900-1920 delves into the ways Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian people) asserted their presence and sovereignty during Hawaiʻi's early territorial period through cultural and political expressions. Featuring a stunning array of artifacts, including ʻahu ʻula (capes), lei hulu (feather lei), banners, and political ephemera, the exhibit highlights how Native Hawaiians engaged in public ceremony, competitive sports, and political activism to maintain their identity and agency in a time of profound change.
• 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" and "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 | ExhibitLele o Nā Manu: The Splendor and Loss of Hawaiʻi's BirdsScience Adventure CenterIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Lele o Nā Manu: The Splendor and Loss of Hawaiʻi's Birds features 47 exquisite carvings of endemic manu nahele by master craftsman, Haruo Uchiyama. The complete set of historically known Hawaiian honeycreepers will be displayed atop an original mural painted by local artist, Patrick Ching. The exhibit also includes a mural by Dr. Julian Hume depicting prehistoric Kīpahulu Valley, Maui; fossils of extinct Hawaiian bird species; and an interactive game.The opening of Lele o Nā Manu coincides with Ka Makahiki o nā Manu Nahele, the Year of the Forest Birds, a campaign to celebrate and raise awareness around Hawaiʻi's native forest birds.
• Ongoing | InstallationFaith and Philanthropy: Queen Emma Kaleleonālani in EnglandHawaiian HallIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Between 1865-1866, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani departed Hawaiʻi for a year-long journey to England, her first and only international voyage. Her journey had a specific mission: fundraising for the construction of St. Andrew's Cathedral, the seat of the Anglican Church in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Faith and Philanthropy: Queen Emma Kaleleonālani in England highlights research identifying items associated with Queen Emma's travel and fundraising strategies, utilizing objects from multiple Bishop Museum collections to demonstrate not only the richness of Emma's journey, but also the social, religious, and political spaces she navigated as a Hawaiian royal.
• 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.
• Thursdays-TuesdaysPlanetarium ShowsJ. Watumull Planetarium$3 with General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Join 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.2025 Spring Planetarium Shows:
  • "The Hawaiian Sky Tonight"
  • "Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars"
  • "3-2-1 Liftoff!"
  • "Eyes on Island Earth"
  • "Ngā Tohunga Whakatere: The Navigators"
  • "Edge of Darkness"
• February 2025 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 head to align all four directions and discover which stars and constellations are visible this month.
• Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, 4-6 p.m. | EventHawaiʻi Triennial 2025 Member PreviewCastle Memorial Building & Gallery LawnsFree event, exclusive to Bishop Museum Members and their guests.Bishop Museum Members can experience the new Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025 exhibit before it opens to the public! Members can explore the exhibit, meet exhibit curators, and are invited to stay for Museum After Hours. As a special Valentine's Day treat, the first 50 members to arrive at the Member Preview will receive two complimentary tickets for an item at the Highway Inn booth.
• Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, 5-9 p.m. | Public ProgramMuseum After HoursThroughout the Museum campus.$10 pre-sale, $15 at the door for General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Come pau hana with us at Museum After Hours! Explore historic Hawaiian Hall, experience unique programs around our newest exhibition, Hawaiʻi Triennial 2025, and engage with Hawaiian cultural practitioners. This monthly evening event welcomes kamaʻāina and visitors to explore Hawaiʻi's unique and unparalleled cultural and natural history.
• Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, 10-11 a.m. | Public ProgramKanikapila ma KaiwiʻulaNā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian GardenIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.E hoʻokani pila 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."
• Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, 7-8 p.m. | EventNavigating by the StarsJ. 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.Join Bishop Museum Planetarium educators and Hōkūleʻa navigator and Honolulu Community College Hoʻokele Instructor Kaʻiulani Murphy for Navigating by the Stars! Each talk will include an introduction to the night sky and celestial navigation. The February program will feature the Hawaiian star line most prominent this month, Kekāomakaliʻi.
• Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, 4:30-8 p.m. | EventKaiwiʻula Night MarketVisitor Parking 2Free admission.Join us every third Wednesday for the Kaiwiʻula Night Market! It's a new monthly opportunity for our shared community to gather at Bishop Museum. Come enjoy good eats and amazing crafts from our rotating list of local vendors.The Kaiwiʻula Night Market also acts as the Oʻahu pickup site for Grow Aloha. Every month in 2025, reserve a plant online and drop by the Kaiwiʻula Night Market to adopt a native plant for free.
• Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, 5-8 p.m. | Public ProgramGrow Aloha: Plant Pick-upVisitor Parking 2Free with online reservation.Grow Aloha is a hui of plant adoption partners working together to restore Hawaiian plants and our relationships with them in urban areas. Bishop Museum is a proud partner and plant adoption site on Oʻahu. Every month in 2025, reserve a plant online and drop by the Grow Aloha tent at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market to adopt a native plant for free.The Kaiwiʻula Night Market is held at Bishop Museum every third Wednesday of the month.
• Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, 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! Stargazing on the Great Lawn with the Hawaiian Astronomical Society, weather permitting.
• Friday, February 28, 2025, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Public ProgramMālama Hāloa Mahiʻai Kalo Youth ConferenceBishop Museum campusRegistration required. Contact Education@BishopMuseum.org if you have a youth classroom interested in participating. Capacity is limited.The Mālama Hāloa Mahiʻai Kalo Youth Conference is a day for teachers and students to learn more about Native Hawaiian kalo varieties. Participating classrooms will engage with kalo farmers, chefs, and artists, as well as having hands-on activities with kalo.This program is part of the Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium programming.*Media Opportunity*Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend the Mālama Hāloa Mahiʻai Kalo Youth Conference. Please RSVP with Lance Aquino via the contact information above.

Looking past February, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2025:

• March 2, 2025 | 17th Annual Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium
• March 14, 2025 | Museum After Hours: Hōkūleʻa 50th Birthday Spotlight
• March 2025 | New Exhibit – Wayfinders: He Waʻa He Moku, He Moku He Waʻa
• March 2025 | New Signature Gallery – Bishop Museum Keiki Garden
• May 2025 | New Exhibit – Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep
• May 2025 | Celebrate Micronesia Festival

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.