FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 8, 2026

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 VITAL CONNECTIONS:
ART & THE BRAIN 

HoMA EXHIBITION EXPLORES CREATIVITY AND HUMAN HEALTH THROUGH ART AND BRAIN RESILIENCE PROGRAMS  

WHAT: Vital Connections: Art & the Brain
WHEN: Sept. 12, 2026-Jan. 10, 2027
WHERE: Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S Beretania St., 808-532-8700 

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I—This fall the Honolulu Museum of Art presents Vital Connections: Art & the Brain, a major exhibition exploring the relationship between creativity and human health. On view from September 12, 2026, through January 10, 2027, the exhibition brings together modern and contemporary artworks, immersive environments, and recent neuroscience research to examine how aesthetic experiences can shape emotion, attention, memory, and wellbeing.

Ruth Cuthand (American, b. 1954). PTSD, 2023. Glass beads, thread, backing. Courtesy the Gallery/art placement inc.

Developed by HoMA director of curatorial affairs Catherine Whitney in collaboration with clinicians, neuroscientists and neuro-architects from Honolulu’s Brain Health Applied Research Institute (B+HARI), Vital Connections draws on the latest findings in neuroscience to create an immersive environment in which visitors will learn what art is doing to their minds and bodies as they experience it.

Featuring modern and contemporary art by international and Hawai‘i artists—including works by Bernice Akamine, Ruth Asawa, Chuck Close, Ruth Cuthand, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama and Ming Ren—Vital Connections explores concepts ranging from artistic perceptionsto aesthetic experiences, examining how both can chemically rewire our brains. Audiences will experience the benefits of art by feeling calmed, restored, energized, and immersed in the present, while better understanding the science behind sensory perception, memory, and movement. The exhibition also shares practical methods for building better cognitive resilience through creating and experiencing art.

VITAL CONNECTIONS PROGRAMS
The exhibition is accompanied by a full slate of talks and workshops that B+HARI developed to re-train the brain for enhanced neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve. These workshops involve reestablishing the center of balance through movement using the same neural pathways involved in creating ideas and human intelligence. The workshops focus on specific artworks that act as canvases on which to deepen imagination, cognitive flexibility, and human intelligence. B+HARI was co-founded by Ma Ry Kim and Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa, MD.

All programs are included with museum admission. Registration must be done in advance at honolulumuseum.org/events

Why Art is Good for Your Brain: The Science Behind It
Saturday, Sept 12 • 11am-12:30pm • Doris Duke Theatre
Dr. Hugo Spiers, professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College Londo; neuro-architect and co-founder of B+HARI (Brain Health Applied Research Institute) Ma Ry Kim; and HoMA’s Director of Curatorial Affairs Catherine Whitney discuss how and why art is good for our health.

The Art & Science of Longevity: Creativity and Healthy Aging
Sunday, Nov 8 • 2-3:30pm • Doris Duke Theatre
Find out from three clinical neuro-specialists—Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa, Dr. Brita Aramaki, and Dr. Courtnee Nunokawa—how art is a critical tool to optimize brain health for longevity.

B+HARI SIGNATURE NEUROARTS GALLERY EXPERIENCES
Sept 20, Oct 4, Nov 21, Dec 6
Guests can experience art in new ways through movement exercises and curated hands-on activities led by B+HARI neuroarts specialists. 

Twist Tradition into Life: A Hawaiian Lā‘i Lei Workshop
Sunday, Sept. 20 • 4:00-5:00 p.m. • Kīna‘u Courtyard
The timeless art of lāʻī (ti leaf) lei making is an exercise in beauty, meaning, and mindfulness. In this workshop led by Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Garrett Kam, guests will learn the traditional Hilo twist technique. As participants create their lei, they will experience how the coordinated movements of the hands and eyes engage some of the same brain networks responsible for creativity, focus, fine motor control, visual-spatial awareness, and mindfulness. The rhythmic process of twisting encourages calm attention while strengthening the connection between thought and action.

In Hawaiian tradition, a lei is far more than something beautiful to wear. It is woven with intention, aloha, and the positive energy of its maker—transforming each twist into an expression of care, connection, and presence. This workshop invites people to explore how neuroscience and Native Hawaiian cultural wisdom both recognize that meaningful creation begins with mindful hands, an open heart, and a focused mind. 

Art Can Reveal What Your Body Already Knows
Sunday, Oct. 4 • 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 2:00-3:00 p.m. • Gallery 28
Did you know that your body can gather information through your five senses before you even realize it? This session invites guests to a fun, hands-on experience that connects the mind and body. Participants will explore how the brain keeps us balanced, remembers sensations, and spots patterns. By understanding how the body communicates with the brain, participants will get to experience art in a whole new way—starting not just with what the eyes see, but with how the entire body feels.

Art Can Be Bigger Than Yourself
Saturday, Nov. 21 • 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 2:00-3:00 p.m. • Gallery 28
Awe is not only an emotion. It is a measurable brain and body event. This signature activity creates the conditions for awe to be felt in the brain and the body through works or aesthetic experiences in the exhibition that tap our sense of connection to wider planetary and ecologicalrealms. Participants will learn how to recall awe deliberately. This gallery experience uses the science of awe, wonder, and deep connection to calm the brain. It helps lower stress, opens the mind to new ways of thinking, and quiets that non-stop, chattering voice in the head. Ultimately, it is a practice in letting the vast beauty of the outside world refresh and reshape who we are on the inside.

Art Can Support Finding Your Flo
Sunday, Dec. 6 • 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 2:00-3:00 p.m. • Gallery 28
Being “in the zone” (or a flow state) isn’t about waiting for a sudden burst of inspiration. It is a real brain state in which that critical, doubting internal voice finally quiets down. Itcan occur when a challenge perfectly matches one’s skills and motivations, allowing one to become lost   in what they are doing. 

This experience uses artwork in the exhibition to help participants find and practice balance. By using the science of deep focus, calming the nervous system, and feeling a sense of wonder, Art Can Support Finding Your Flow is designed to show guests what it feels like when the brain is working effortlessly and feels fully alive.

Studio Class: Art for the Mind
Oct. 10-Dec. 19 • 10 sessions • $305 tuition • HoMA School
Increasingly, studies show that making and looking at art is good for your health and longevity. Students can explore art making as a pathway to mindfulness, connection, and personal well-being. Through ink blotting, printmaking, ceramics, mixed-media collage, journaling, and more, participants will engage in a variety of creative experiences designed to explore the relationship between art and well-being. Visits to the exhibition will provide opportunities for reflection and deeper engagement with the ways art can support health and wellness, informed by current findings in neuroscience and psychology. Instructor Carmen Donnerburg, who holds a master’s in clinical psychology and certification as a Qualified Mental Health Associate discovered a love for studio art while completing a minor at Oregon State University, as an intentional form of “forced self-care.” She is interested in helping others explore the benefits of using art as a means to slow down, step outside of thought, connect with emotions, and as means to connect to community for the purpose of creating a greater feeling of personal wellness. 

Artists in the exhibition:
Bernice Akamine, Ruth Asawa, Chuck Close, Henri-Edmond Cross, Ruth Cuthand, Sasha Gordon, David Hockney, John Koga, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Misrach, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ming Ren, Abigail Romanchak, Ellie Schmidt, James Seawright, Peter Sedgley, Viviane Silvera, Jennifer Steinkamp, Thomas Struth, Emmi Whitehorse

About the curator
Catherine Whitney is HoMA’s director of curatorial affairs. As the museum approaches its centennial in 2027, she is overseeing the transformation of HoMA’s permanent collection galleries and injecting new energy and audience-based approaches into its ambitious, diverse exhibition program. She previously was chief curator of the Philbook Museum of Art and held positions at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

About the collaborators

Ma Ry Kim is an internationally known neuro-architect and co-founder of B+HARI. Based in Honolulu and London, her work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, architecture and community health. She is also the founder of I-ON Group, where she advances evidence-based design strategies that integrate neuroscience and social equity. She sits on the Inaugural Advisory Council for the Global Brain Care Coalition, established by the McCance Center for Brain Health at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She was HoMA’s inaugural scholar-in-residence.

Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa is a prominent neurologist and neurointensivist known for his expertise in stroke and neurocritical care, and co-founder of B+HARI. He leads the Neuroscience Institute at the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu and is the division chief of neurology and professor of medicine at the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Heart Assocation.

Dr. Courtnee Nunokawa is a scientific faculty member of B+HARI and a leader in the integration of neuroplasticity and clinical practice. She brings profound clinical depth to B+HARI with her extensive experience serving populations that face high neurological burdens and complex social determinants of health, including veterans and incarcerated individuals. She is board-certified in primary care, lifestyle medicine, and neurofeedback rehabilitation.

Dr. Elim Ng is an architect whose work explores how environmental design shapes human experience and well-being. She views architecture as an artistic and ethical practice that supports comfort, safety, and long-term resilience. She holds a Master’s from Tongji University in Shanghai and a Doctorate of Architecture from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Exhibition organization and funding
Vital Connections: Art & the Brain is organized by the Honolulu Museum of Art. Lead support for the exhibition is provided by Prince Waikiki.

Images available on request.

About the Honolulu Museum of Art

www.honolulumuseum.org

Communications: 808-532-8712

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