Jessica Y.
Yelp
If you're like me and looking for fun things to do on a Friday or Saturday evening as Hawaii slowly starts to ease up on its restrictions, then paying a visit to the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMa) should be at the top of your list! I've had my eye on this socially-distanced event for a while now, and the boyfriend and I finally found a free weekend to pay a visit. Every Friday and Saturday evening through September 1st, HoMA is opening its doors to the public for its "Summer Nights" series, which includes extended museum hours, a evening full of art-gazing, live music, and good vibes.
The boyfriend and I arrived right at 5:30pm, we were temp. checked at the gate before purchasing our tickets. The kind woman working the front informed us of all the fun there was to be had that evening which included: free guided tours, live music in the grassy lawn, a live DJ in the cafe (the cafe was open for cocktails and dinner as well), and even an art class/workshop in the gift shop.
If you're a Hawaii resident, admission to the museum is $10, and your admission gives you access to the ENTIRE. Museum. Don't underestimate this place like I did... What I thought would've been a 1-2 hour walk through of the museum turned into almost a 3.5 hour adventure, discovering EVERYTHING the museum has to offer. Currently they have a few exhibits on display for the summer that will rotate through the various wings of the museum.
Overwhelmed by everything happening, the boyfriend and I decided to tackle the museum in sections from back to front. We checked out the contemporary installation before heading upstairs to check out the Hawaii exhibit that featured work of local artists and Hawaii inspired works of art. The bar was calling our name, so of course we had to stop for a bevy in the cafe where we hung out and enjoyed the music samplings of Aloha Got Soul before making our way through the rest of the museum. We checked out the gift shop, where this week's art workshop was a pottery class. We eventually made our way through the rest of the permanent exhibits, including art of the world.
The courtyard, cafe, and gift shop were the busiest areas of course... but we were very surprised to see that the museum and exhibits were pretty empty. Although a little eerie at times (I blame myself for watching too much Warehouse 13), this was the perfect experience for social distancing indoors (and with AC). More often than not, the boyfriend and I were the only two in the entire exhibit/room at a time. Of course with the occasional walk through of security guards that made their way through.
I will admit that we had a great interaction with on of the security guards during our time in the Japanese art wing. The kind man was friendly and very knowledgeable on many of the items and pieces in the museum. He shared countless stories of his time as a security guard at the museum, and all that he has witnessed and experienced; from meeting various curators to some of artists he was a treasure trove of knowledge. My best advice if you're not on a guided tour: smile, be friendly, and say hello to those that pass through. You'll never know what sort of cool bits of information someone may share!
All in all, I had a great time. My boyfriend, who is not a huge art enthusiast might say otherwise... If you're looking for a chill evening in the middle of Honolulu, HoMA's Summer Nights series, might just be what you're looking for.
