Mayor Designates October as Arts and Humanities Month in Honolulu

Mayor Mufi Hannemann will proclaim October as National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) in Honolulu at a special ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m., September 26, in his office.

The proclamation, which will invite everyone to visit a museum, art gallery, or historic site, will be presented to representatives of the arts community, the Hawaii Museums Association, and Alliance for Arts Education.

NAHM is a nation-wide collective celebration of culture in America.  Held every October and coordinated by Americans for the Arts, it is the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation.  The City and County of Honolulu is joining thousands of arts organizations and communities across the nation to celebrate NAHM. 

Mayor Hannemann said, “Arts and Humanities Month gives us all the opportunity to support Honolulu’s artists, performers, museums, and galleries, and to celebrate the often overlooked economic, educational, and civic engagement values that the arts impart in our daily lives.  Supporting and promoting the arts in Honolulu is something we should all take pride in and embrace, particularly given the diversity of our island community and the contributions our many ethnic groups have made to culture and the arts.

“As chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Committee on Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports, we are succeeding in making the arts one of our national priorities and included it in our 10-Point Plan.  With this proclamation, I encourage everyone to embrace the arts and make it an activity to enjoy and share with family and friends.”

NAHM is also a time to remind and encourage organizations of the City’s Adopt-a-Sculpture program.  The program is an opportunity for organizations to express their civic pride by being actively involved in the preservation of public art.  There are more than 80 public monuments and sculptures available for adoption throughout Oahu.  For more information, call the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, at 768-6622. 

Contact:

Tory Laitila, 768-4105

Dymian Racoma, 768-5288