Announcements
Mai Kinohi Mai: Surfing in Hawai‘i
# Mai Kinohi Mai: Surfing in Hawaiʻi
Bishop Museum exhibition explores the culture, science and art of surfing
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum presents a new, original exhibit that explores surfing's history and its ongoing technical and cultural developments. "Mai Kinohi Mai: Surfing in Hawai'i" invites visitors to explore surfing as a culture, an art, a sport and a way of life. Drawing from the richness of Bishop Museum's collections, the exhibit will display the oldest surfboards known to exist, some owned by Hawaiian royalty, as well as archival photos and manuscripts, an immersive media experience, a surfing simulator, and other interactives that examine the science of surf. "Mai Kinohi Mai" will be on exhibit in the Castle Memorial Building from Dec. 14, 2019–May 03, 2020.
"'Mai Kinohi Mai' will have arguably the greatest collection of historic and storied surfboards ever assembled in one place," said DeSoto Brown, Bishop Museum historian and exhibit curator. "With the sport being confirmed for the 2020 Summer Olympics and continuing technical advancements, there's no better time to offer this comprehensive look at surfing's past and its direction for the future."
Mai Kinohi Mai translates to "from the beginning," showing how it was in Hawai'i that surfing reached a pinnacle of cultural development, and it was from Hawai'i that it spread to the rest of the world. The oldest surviving traditional Hawaiian surfboards will be on exhibit with other rare surfing treasures. Visitors will be awed to be in the presence of surfboards that once belonged to such towering figures as Rell Sunn (the "Queen of Mākaha") and Duke Kahanamoku, who is largely credited for popularizing the sport internationally. Also shown will be a surfboard belonging to Carissa Moore—three-time women's world champion and current contender for a spot on the USA Olympic surf team, in addition to a board belonging to 2016 and 2017 men's world champion John John Florence.
Rare memorabilia and historic photos will help to tell the story of surfing from its roots in traditional Hawaiian culture to its expansion as a worldwide phenomenon. And one entire room will feature projection screens showing a mix of classic and current surfing scenes, cinematically creating the immersive experience of actually being in the waves.
Visitors can try their hand at surf forecasting with an interactive display showing how and where swells are generated in the Pacific Ocean, challenging users to predict the size of the waves when they reach the Hawaiian Islands along with which shores and surf breaks will be affected. A surfing simulator dubbed the "Surf-O-Lator" will offer a playful way to learn about the mechanics of surfing. Through scientific explorations of the sport, attendees will learn about the vital necessity of preserving the ocean's health in the face of global warming and pollution.
"Mai Kinohi Mai: Surfing in Hawai'i" is generously supported by Duke's Waikiki. Additional support is provided by First Insurance Company Hawaii and Subaru Hawaii. Bishop Museum also thanks its advisory committee members for their work on this exhibit: visual artist Pākē Salmon; surfing cultural practitioner Tom Pohaku Stone; Tammy Moniz with Moniz Family Surf, and Faith Surf School; Ian Masterson, "the surf professor"; and surf historian and author John Clark.
Bishop Museum Admission, Parking & Hours
General Admission
Adults: $24.95 Seniors (65+): $21.95 Youth (4–17): $16.95 Children (3 and under): Free
Hawai'i Residents, Hawai'i College Students & Military with ID
Adults: $14.95 Seniors (65+): $12.95 Youth (4–17): $10.95 Children (3 and under): Free
Children age 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
Planetarium
Planetarium shows are an additional $2.95 per person per daytime show; free for members with ID.
Parking
$5 per car per visit; free for members with sticker.
Hours
Open every day from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
Bishop Museum Café by Highway Inn offers a limited menu of Hawaiian plates, poke bowls, sandwiches, and snacks from 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. daily. Museum members receive a 10% discount with their membership card.
About Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawaiʻi’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide. Bishop Museum hosts a restaurant and gift shop on campus, Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn and Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi.