Kamakani Konia named as Art in Public Places director

The Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts has hired Kamakani Konia as its Art in Public Places Program Director. As program director, he also serves as the director of Capitol Modern (the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum).  

“I’m looking forward to expanding on the extraordinary work that the public art programs have been doing. Art is a public resource, and I want to make it more accessible for everyone to participate in,” Konia said.  

“The State Art Museum is a ‘third space’ — a setting for public life, like public parks and libraries,” he said. “It’s a place for community building. As a project manager, I had the privilege of working with staff from the Nānākuli Public Library and was inspired by their dedication to provide a place for the community to gather, share, and learn. Together we were able to provide artwork from the SFCA’s Art in Public Places Collection for the building and commission a beautiful permanent sculpture for the interior (“Mānaiakalani” by Scott Fitzel). What we ended up with was a place that features readily accessible information and a complete contemporary art gallery experience.” 

Kamakani Konia is a Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumn (Bachelor of Fine Arts, printmaking), and a Master’s of Public Administration candidate in Public Administration at the UH College of Social Sciences. This year marks his 10th of working for the State of Hawaiʻi; eight of those years have been at the SFCA, first as an exhibits specialist and then as an Art in Public Places project manager. Konia is the first Native Hawaiian SFCA Art in Public Places program director.