"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

~ Twyla Tharp Choreographer and Dancer

Background

Art Explorium was established in 2012 through the vision of founding board members Taiji & Naoko Terasaki and Nate Smith. As parents, these three art-lovers recognized that children benefit greatly from creative outlets and access to the arts. With art programs being reduced in many schools and communities, our founders decided to create a non-profit organization that allows children to immerse themselves in the creation of art. A generous grant from The Terasaki Family Foundation allowed Art Explorium to become a reality.

In the beginning, the Terasakis simply organized art workshops for friends and community members in their own yard. They set up chairs and tables on the grass and brought in local artists for guidance. Of course the kids dove right in, and everyone agreed that this type of activity met an important need in our community. Then a space in the eclectic Kaimuki neighborhood became available that had the potential to become a wonderful art studio where youth could try out painting, drawing, sculpting and more. Our founders decided to incorporate environmental sustainability into our programs, and that Art Explorium should incorporate things we consider “trash�? as an art medium (used corks, bottle caps, containers, ribbon, etc.). This would prevent more items from going to the landfill and give these objects a second life through art.

Art Explorium opened its doors to the public in late 2012 after renovating the Kaimuki space, setting up a 501(c)(3) non-profit, getting input from many community members, and collecting a whole lot of trash! Now we just need a little help from you to tell the rest of our story…