Bishop Museum May 2024 Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shares its May 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.

May sees the opening of the Museum's new exhibition, Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red, on May 25, 2024 in the Castle Memorial Building.

May 2024

• Starting May 25, 2024Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic RedCastle Memorial BuildingIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red is the first exhibition of its kind to gather together material culture of Oceania and articulate the multiple uses and understandings of a single color: RED.In Hawai'i, red is significant. It is present in both everyday and sacred objects, in 'ōlelo (speech) and mo'olelo (stories), and in the names and classifications of nature and place. This exhibition aims to explore how red signifies beyond color. Hues of red transform into notions of redness, notions that color the expression and comprehension of warmth, kinship, rarity, trauma, wealth, power, sacredness, sovereignty, anger, excitement, and beauty.Ka ʻUla Wena originates in Hawaiʻi, but we reach out to embrace our cousins across the vast Moananuiākea.### Media Preview Opportunity on Thursday, May 23, 2024, 1-4 p.m.Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend an exclusive pre-opening, closed-door Media Preview of Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red. Please RSVP with Lance Aquino via the contact information above.Interview opportunities include:
  • Bishop Museum Education Programs Manager Kapalikūokalani Maile
  • Bishop Museum Exhibit Designer DeAnne Kennedy
• 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.

• Saturday, March 30 – Monday, May 27, 2024Planetarium PassportAvailable at Shop Pacifica.Blast off with your Planetarium Passport! In celebration of the J. Watumull Planetarium's Spring Show Schedule, the Planetarium and Membership teams are coming together to launch a new way for you to enjoy our shows and your Membership benefits this spring!Earn a stamp after every Planetarium show you attend. Return your completed passport to Shop Pacifica and be entered to win a prize package. Museum Members start with two free stamps and receive free daytime tickets and discounts on evening shows at the Planetarium.
• May 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 head to align all four directions and discover which stars and constellations are visible this month.
• Friday, May 10, 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.Bishop Museum is bringing back the beloved program series Traditions of the Pacific, featuring Nā Akua Ākea Oʻahu: Traditional and Contemporary Expressions of Ulana ʻIeʻie.Join us for a one-night-only showcase and panel discussion highlighting the work of the Kona, Oʻahu cohort of haumāna (student) practitioners who embarked on a yearlong weaving journey to create kiʻi akua hulu manu under the direction of Lloyd Harold Kumulāʻau Sing Jr. And May Haunani Balino-Sing.May's Museum After Hours is presented in collaboration with the Bishop Museum Association Council, the supporting council for Bishop Museum Members, to celebrate the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
• Saturday, May 11, 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."
• Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 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 May program will feature the Hawaiian star line most prominent this month, Kaiwikuamoʻo.
• Friday, May 17, 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, May 18, 2024, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Public ProgramKōkō Pūʻalu Workshop with ʻŌlohe Umi KaiAtherton HālauRegistration is required. $50 registration fee includes materials.Learn to create kōkō pūʻalu under the guidance of ʻŌlohe ʻUmi Kai. Kōkō pūʻalu are knotted net carriers used for carrying a wide variety of items, including ʻumeke and ipu wai in both traditional and contemporary contexts. No prior experience is necessary.This workshop is part of the Living Culture Program.
• Friday, May 24, 2024, 5-9 p.m. | EventKa ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red Grand OpeningCastle Memorial Building and Gallery Lawns$15 General Admission. $5 for Bishop Museum Members.5-6:30 p.m. — Exclusive Members Preview6:30-9 p.m. — General Public PreviewExperience our newest exhibition, Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red, with a special evening of celebration! Enjoy live performances within the exhibition space and explore Ka ʻUla Wena with exhibition curators.Museum Members can enjoy an exclusive preview of Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red an hour before it opens to the general public.Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red is an original Bishop Museum exhibition that explores manifestations of red in the landscapes, memory, and created expressions of Oceania. Ka ʻUla Wena originates in Hawaiʻi, but we reach out to embrace our cousins across the vast Moananuiākea.
• Saturday-Sunday, May 25-26, 2024 | EventKa ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red Opening WeekendCastle Memorial BuildingIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Come celebrate the opening of our newest exhibition, Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red, with special programming throughout Opening Weekend. Stay tuned for event details.Ka ʻUla Wena: Oceanic Red is an original Bishop Museum exhibition that explores manifestations of red in the landscapes, memory, and created expressions of Oceania. Ka ʻUla Wena originates in Hawaiʻi, but we reach out to embrace our cousins across the vast Moananuiākea.

Looking past May

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

• June 6-16 | 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC) at Bishop Museum
• June 15 | Celebrate Micronesia Festival 2024
• July 19 | 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.