Call for Artists

Hawaii Craftsmen News Release

Hawaii Craftsmen recently announced an open call to artists for our 58th consecutive annual statewide exhibition. This exhibition will be juried by Suzanne Isken, and is open to residents of Hawaii for artworks in the categories of clay, fiber, glass, wood, metal, stone, and mixed media. Entries must be registered online at HawaiiCraftsmen.org.

For Molokai, online registration will run from Aug. 1 to Sept. 2, with jurying taking place on Sept. 10.

Hawaii’s premier statewide exhibition, which has been held annually since 1967, features traditional and contemporary craft from across the state of Hawaii. Hawaii Craftsmen’s 2024 juror Suzanne Isken served as the executive director of Craft Contemporary in Los Angeles from 2011 through 2023 where she led initiatives to support the creation of contemporary craft and build audiences by establishing a large-scale program of hands-on-experiences for the public. In 2019, Isken led the Board of Directors in a new strategic plan that renamed the museum formerly known as the Craft and Folk Art Museum as Craft Contemporary in order to reflect the relationship between materials, processes, and the human hand. Under her direction, the museum presented landmark exhibitions that highlighted the careers of under-recognized craft-based artists. Previously she served a decade as the director of education at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, following 10 years of service as coordinator of school and teacher programs and gallery educator. In addition to contributions to numerous catalogs produced by Craft Contemporary, Isken has authored articles in Academic Medicine, School Arts, and contributed the essay “Art and Cancer in the Public Space” to Driefuss-Kattan’s book Cancer and Creativity. Isken currently maintains a textile art practice.

The exhibition will run from Oct.4 until Oct. 26 at the Downtown Art Center in Honolulu. For More Information contact Christopher Edwards, exhibition chair, at 808-585-1965, or christopheredwards@hawaiicraftsmen.org.