I recently visited this place a couple of times because I was attending a meeting nearby. They are located at the Chinatown Gateway Plaza on the 2nd floor. This is the same building that has the satellite city hall office. Parking is either on the street or in nearby lots. There is a municipal parking lot in the same building which entrance is on Bethel Street. Parking is cheap. Both times I went, it was on a Sunday. I found the DAC to be so interesting with the artwork displays from mostly local artists. There is a different exhibit each month and the best part, it's free to visit. They also hold art classes there. The layout of the center is a decent size, white walls, and spacious walking thru. They also have their own restrooms which were very clean. In January, the monthly exhibit was about the WWII internment camp in Waipahu as part of the Honouliuli National Historic Site's 10th anniversary celebration. It was informative & I learned somethings that I never knew before. In March the Hawaii Watercolor Society had a member's showing, which was also an interesting exhibit seeing the beautiful water color paintings. Overall, nice experience to check out. read more

See all

Visited the Downtown Art Center to view an exhibit entitled Contemporary Photography innHawaii 2026. The space was on the second floor and was sorta generic gallery space. Not particularly well laid out with a table right as you walk in. Seemed clunky. Also - I was bugged that the work was not necessarily level...either the pieces were cockeyed or the labels were...sometimes both. And it was also weird that the labels didn't seem to be uniform...with one (maybe 2?) artist(s) having a QR code. Perplexing. The show itself was good...if kinda redundant. read more

What a cute little place to put an art installation! Checked out the "Space Age Life, Future Design 1957-1974" which was "an exhibition showcasing a portion of Tim Apicella's collection from a period in American and European social culture when industrial designers created with optimism, enthusiasm, and bold innovation, producing consumer goods enabled by new technologies such as brightly colored molded plastics, foam, fiberglass, metallics, and synthetic fabrics". Apologies for posting this late because the exhibit was held late January to early February 2026. For us space-age geeks out there, this was a fun exhibit. Will have to keep an eye out for future fun installations at this venue in the future. read more

See all

Artwork in Downtown, Honolulu, Hawaii... Not knowing anything about art, my dentist suggested that I go to Downtown Art Center to ask about a painting that I inherited. She said to "go upstairs". Okay... I found metered street parking and looked for the entrance. Thank goodness - there was a helpful sidewalk sign in the front. I saw the stairs, climbed up, and asked the receptionist about my painting. She didn't know the artist offhand, but showed me how to use Google to learn about photos in the gallery on my phone! Ahhh... That was educational! Thank you for your help in this spacious, bright, clean space! read more

See all

Came for their new center blessing ceremony. It was so fun to see this space now and it's expansion. The ceremony was conducted by an episcopal and native Hawaiian minister. It included a prayer and cleansing & blessing ceremony. So fun to explore the whole upper and lower workplaces and galleries. Hope this gem can withstand the times. Also found out there were jazz performances every Sunday in January and many other events sponsored as well. Check out their website! read more

See all

A great space to come and appreciate art and culture. They usually have different artists throughout the year showcased here. "Fire & Water" is the theme this month - The Hawaiian Islands are the result of these elements. There are benches to sit and relax too. The ladies working are always very nice and welcoming too. Come check it out till December! Free street parking on Sundays and open till 4pm. read more

See all

This is why I love to wander and get lost... Driving has it's benefits I'll never give in but when you go for a stroll you do see things much more vibrant and clearer when you take it slow...DAC or Downtown Art Center is one of them. Located in the same building as the Satellite City Hall and so is the Municipal Parking is right there even the elevator takes you right besides the entrance of both floors. Two floors yup the first floor are beautiful art for sale though you need to ring yourself in to view them I decided to check the upstairs first beforehand and that level needed no request to be let in. What a stunning spacious are filled with all sorts of art I took a few of my personal favorites and left some for you to enjoy which I do recommend as it's totally free admission and I do recommend to visit their Hale Makana gift shop as it's filled with so many beautiful items and as a crafter myself there's nothing more I love than to support the arts. This nonprofit group takes donations which I did drop in the jar and took home some beautiful cards I'll send to someone to brighten their day and is just a great place to casually enjoy the beauty all around you follow them on Instagram @downtownartcenter as they do have events and classrooms as well and bring home a piece of art...support local artists! Thank you! read more

See all

U can take art class once a month acrylic or water color $20 with a group of others it's fun and entertaining staff is very nice We will be back Thank you read more

Hubby and I went the HEART street festival today....We were so fortunate to participate in painting a blank bowl with raku style. So fun, each bowl was so distinctive and fun to paint, for $15.00 per bowl, it was soooo worth it. We painted our bowls (no lines, fast), then went to have lunch. 1 hour later, our bowls were fired, cooled and ready for pick up. They were then wrapped in newspaper to protect our works of art. I wish, i could go back and paint another bowl. read more

See all

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Great art exhibits and artwork for sale. *Admission is free, Donations are welcomed *Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11am - 6pm *Parking available on-site at Chinatown Gateway Plaza municipal lot. Entrance at 1051 Bethel Street Downtown Art Center (2nd floor) strives to teach, entertain, inspire, and inform by creating a home for a wide variety of arts and creative programs. *Scheduled exhibitions and events show casing Hawaii's local artist. *Hosts art and community-related classes and workshops for all age groups from fun filled art classes to self defense classes. *On the first floor there is a arts and gift shop that sells a wide range of artwork by local artists. You will find art, jewelry, sculptures, collectibles and beautiful hand blown glass work by Hugh Jenkins. Open on Tue-Sat, 11:00-4pm. *Website: downtownarthi.organic *Instagram: @downtownartcenter *Facebook: Downtown Art Center read more

See all

An amazing asset to the Honolulu art scene, showcasing the best local artists. The space is spectacular and could easily be used for a unique venue! Handy parking located under the facility and very reasonable pricing...just remember to bring cash. We love attending the 1st Friday events and checking out the ever changing exhibits which switch up monthly. This is a great activity to take out of town visitors to followed by lunch or dinner at one of our amazing Chinatown restaurants. read more

Aloha, DAC is a beautiful collaboration with the City and community to create a wonderful Art Center to display local talent as well as teach to want-to-be local talent. As I'm the latter, I enjoy taking Saturday Art for Arts Sake classes to express myself in other mediums of art. I truly enjoy meandering through each months exhibit of amazing local talented artists works. If you've not been here, you need to make your way down to see each months great display of work. There is a store on the first level that features more local artists and selling on a regular basis, nice. And if you're like me and want to dabble a little, come and enjoy a class. You will be inspired, I promise. Enjoy! read more

See all

Checked out the art exhibit and Mother's Day craft fair. Large art space, albeit a little hard to find off the main road as entrance is upstairs. read more

See all

Need a unique venue for a special event? This gem will blow your guests away! You will meet the most incredible artists, see the best art, while being able to host your ever in an awesome location that has great parking available !!!you won't be disappointed! Best place in Chinatown read more

I heard about the art exhibit "Architects as Artists" at the Downtown Art Center on Nuuanu Avenue, so I took a stroll to visit the art gallery during my lunch break. I couldn't find it at first, passed it, went up and down Nuuanu. It's in the building on the corner of Nuuanu and Hotel on the second floor above the satellite City Hall. The stairs are closed so you'll need to take the elevator up to the gallery space. It is a large, bright air-conditioned space. The lady who was sitting at table on the left side of entry door asked to see our vaccination cards, shared about the exhibit and let us explore on our own. I was impressed by several of the paintings that were done by Hitoshi Hida and Alisa Mills. I also liked the pencil drawings by Michael Unnerstall, especially the drawing of the octopus. My wife liked the paintings done by James Nishimoto. It was a nice mix of media ---- paintings, pencil drawings, sculptures, jewelry, photographs, digital art and wood cutouts. We spoke with one of the photographers (Howard Wolff) who had multiple photos on display from his travels through Asia and South America. We enjoyed our experience at this museum. What a great find right between the business district and Chinatown. The exhibit is free but please leave a donation if you can. I told my coworkers about the exhibit, so they plan to go this week or next week. The current exhibit goes until February 12th. The Downtown Art Center (DAC) is open Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm. read more

See all

I've attended four shows at this clean, spacious art gallery and each one has been exceeded my expectations. It's a friendly community space to meet and talk to the artists who are exhibiting work. It doesn't feel like one of those snobby galleries in San Francisco. There are several wonderful restaurants within the same block too so you can park once and relax with a great meal after you enjoy the art exhibits. By the way, I recommend the chili rellenos at Maria Bonita on Hotel Street. read more