High School students in the Art in Public Places Mentorship did a field trip to the Hawaii State Art Museum (HISAM) in March.

The students met Solomon Enos. He is the artist in charge of a community art installation inspired by phytoplankton and the various zones of the ocean. Assets School students rolled up their sleeves and added their touch to the art. They were amongst over 1,300 people to add dashes and dots to the wall. The dashes and dots represent phytoplankton that grows organically in the ocean. The completed mural wall is a performance piece for the Honolulu Theatre for Youth.

They learned about the Art in Public Places program at HISAM which manages the Art in State Buildings Law. Hawaii became the first state in 1967 to set aside one percent of the construction and renovation costs of state buildings to acquire and commission works of visual art that beautify and humanize the environment. Since then more than 350 one percent programs are active in the United States. 

Students also saw the Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition at HISAM featuring the artwork of high school award winners.

Click here to read more about our Sydney '23 who earned an Honorable Mention Award for her still-life painting titled "Sunflower" from the competitive Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition.

The Art in Public Places Mentorship is led by Assets School art teacher Mark Maresca. His work was also a part of the one percent program when he earned the Acquisition Award from the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in 2003 and in 2005. His painting titled “Lush Landscape” bought by the state in 2005 was displayed in one of the rooms in the State Capitol. His oil painting, "Back to the Future," was chosen to be part of HISAM's 50th Anniversary Exhibition: Hawai'i Change & Continuity in 2015 coordinated by the Hawaii State Foundation of Culture and the Arts.