Significance:
“Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art” brings together a diverse group of artists with one thing in common — they all attended McKinley High School in downtown Honolulu. The focus on place connects artists who would not otherwise exhibit together, expanding the ways we tell histories of art.

Satoru Abe, John Chin Young, Ralph Iwamoto, Keichi Kimura and Robert Kobayashi were students at McKinley between the 1920s and 40s and went on to help define abstract painting and sculpture from Hawaiʻi in the post-World War II period. Raymond Han, class of 1949, became a painter of remarkable still-life compositions. A generation later, Imaikalani Kalahele, class of 1966, emerged as a renowned poet, visual artist, musician and activist from the Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) community. Alongside their works, the exhibition presents those of their art teachers at McKinley — Minnie Fujita, Charles Higa and Shirley Russell — revealing generational legacies and lifelong connections.

Located just down the street from HoMA, McKinley is one of Hawai‘i’s oldest public high schools. Its student population has historically represented a cross-section of Honolulu, including many students from Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities..

Content:
“Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art” charts the history of 20th-century artistic movements in Hawaiʻi and beyond through the work of seven extraordinary artists who emerged from the same high school and three teachers who inspired them.

The exhibition features more than 80 works representing the artists’ participation in a range of different art movements, including surrealism, abstract expressionism, minimalism and pop. Each artist found inspiration in varied experiences following their time at McKinley, with several becoming immersed in the New York art world. Second-generation immigrants Kimura, Kobayashi and Iwamoto all served in World War II at a time when Hawai‘i was not yet recognized as a state. Included in the exhibition are two watercolors created by Kimura during his time in Europe as part of the decorated 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Connecting a very local history with the currents of national and international art histories, “Home of the Tigers” invites the communities of Honolulu to explore their own history in a wider context. 

Companion exhibition:
“Satoru Abe: Reaching for the Sun,” the Honolulu Museum of Art’s first-ever retrospective of the work of McKinley High alum Satoru Abe (American, b. 1926), will be on view Oct. 18, 2024-July 20, 2025. The exhibition focuses on the influential Hawai‘i-born artist’s seven-decade career, revealing how his work has evolved by delving deeply into his recurring themes, motifs and processes. Featuring more than 50 paintings, sculptures and works on paper, “Reaching for the Sun” brings together objects from the Museum’s permanent collection and public and private lenders. Works range from Abe’s early figurative paintings of the 1950s, through his sculptural practice in the second half of the 20th century, to his recent abstract works.

Curators:
“Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art” is curated by Tyler Cann, HoMA’s senior curator of modern and contemporary art, and Alejandra Rojas Silva, HoMA’s works on paper, photography and new media fellow. “Satoru Abe: Reaching for the Sun” is curated by Rojas Silva and Katherine Love, HoMA's associate curator of contemporary art.

Related programs:

Art by McKinley Students on view
The museum will feature work by current McKinley High School students in its Kīna‘u Courtyard. The paintings, drawings and photographs that will be on view were completed in McKinley art classes. HoMA Learning and Engagement staff shared information about the artists in Home of the Tigers with McKinley art teachers Kristi Auyong, Michael Markoski and Eren Padilla. They in turn incorporated the information into their curriculum and asked students to create work inspired by McKinley’s famous art alumni.

HoMA Family Sunday
Celebrating Community with McKinley High School
Sunday, Nov. 17, 10am-2pm
Guests can see the exhibition "Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art," hear musical performances by McKinley students, and make art at Family Sunday! Free admission for Hawai‘i residents. 

Art Talk 
Satoru Abe’s Legacy: A Conversation with John Koga and Kamran Samimi 
Friday, Nov. 1, 7pm • Doris Duke Theatre   
Free with general admission, registration required
Satoru Abe is arguably the most recognized artist working in Hawai‘i today. Hawai‘i artists John Koga and Kamran Samimi discuss Abe’s lasting impact on contemporary art—including their own—in Hawai‘i and beyond. Moderated by curator Katherine Love.

Art Talk
Imaikalani Kalahele: Artist, Poet, Activist
Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2pm • Doris Duke Theatre
As part of programming for "Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art," Kanaka ‘Ōiwi poets and musicians such as Brandy Nālani McDougall come together to honor and celebrate 'Imaikalani Kalahele and his influential work. His art practice draws from personal experiences and ancestral stories, offering a poignant commentary on Hawaiian identity, colonialism, and connection to the land.

Support:
Major support for “Home of the Tigers: McKinley High and Modern Art” is provided by Bank of Hawai‘i Foundation. Additional support is provided by Ward Village/Howard Hughes; Indico Capital; Callan; Judith Pyle and Wayne Pitluck Fund for Contemporary Art; Kosasa Foundation; Kyra Miller & Michael Zeisser; McKinley High School Foundation; Lauren Yoo (Class of ‘98) and Aon Risk Services, Inc. of Hawaii.

Admission: The exhibition is included with museum admission; $25 general admission; $15 for Hawaiʻi residents; free for HoMA members and visitors 18 and under.

Information: www.honolulumuseum.org

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