THE SENATE
S.R. NO.
93
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE RESOLUTION
Convening a working group to establish a nonprofit organization recognized by the State to support arts and culture engagement and related initiatives.
WHEREAS, the State has long served as a center for cultural exchange, artistic expression, and intellectual collaboration due to its unique history, cultural heritage, and geographic position in the Pacific; and
WHEREAS, other states have helped empower communities and the people within them by establishing arts and cultural centers that provide for creative residency programming for artists, writers, scholars, and other creators with opportunities and safe spaces to collaborate, develop new work, educate students and aspiring peers, and engage with local communities; and
WHEREAS, such programs frequently bring in creators at the top of their industries and disciplines, including award winning artists, composers, authors, and others, who benefit local communities through public lectures, workshops, and educational programming in partnership with universities, community colleges, schools, and community organizations; and
WHEREAS, the State's arts and culture landscape provides an appropriate setting for an arts and cultural center that supports creative residencies while fostering public engagement and educational programming; and
WHEREAS, some of the most successful models of these kinds of arts and culture centers are quasi-government nonprofit organizations that supplement and support broader government‑run efforts and programs, as these models provide more flexibility and adaptability for private fundraising, management, innovation, and community engagement; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that there is convened a working group to establish a nonprofit organization recognized by the State to support arts and culture engagement and related initiatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group shall be chaired by the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee with primary jurisdiction over arts and culture; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group shall include a representative of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and other members or subject matter experts, to be invited by the Chair; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group shall:
(1) Identify successful arts and culture residency nonprofit models in other jurisdictions;
(2) Examine governance structures and partnership models used by those organizations;
(3) Develop and establish the structure, governance, and operational framework of a nonprofit organization as may be appropriate to provide for arts and culture residencies in the State to connect leading creators in their fields with local counterparts, students, and communities as may be most beneficial; and
(4) Identify potential partnerships with educational institutions, cultural organizations, community groups, and similar organizations in other places; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings, activities, and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2027 and 2028; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts; Chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts; and Chair of the House Committee on Culture and the Arts.
Report Title:
Working Group; Culture and the Arts; SFCA; Reports