Join us as Hawai‘i Craftsmen celebrates more than 40 exciting years of supporting quality contemporary craft in Hawai‘i.

Your participation supports Hawai‘i Craftsmen’s commitment to provide quality programs for Hawai`i artists. With generous volunteer efforts, our 2007 signature programs, ‘Aha Hana Lima, Raku Ho‘olaule‘a, Fiber Hawaii and the Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition, once again brought international artists, local professionals, and member artists together to learn and share.

In 2008, our Board of Directors and Executive Director continue to focus on maintaining Hawai'i Craftsmen signature programs, celebrating history, and looking to the future.

Through the generous support of government and private foundation grants, Hawai‘i Craftsmen has been able to continue to provide our community with successful programs. However, these grants vary considerably from year to year and do not cover growing administrative costs such as rent, insurance and accounting expense or replacing aging office equipment such as computers and printers.

We’re not alone. The 2006 Hawai‘i Community Foundation Report shows that while industry growth is generally strong, with job (21%), wage (32%) and number (31%) increases, nonprofit revenue has not kept pace with cost of living increases and Arts organizations have actually decreased in number. Funding and cash flow remain the biggest challenges with the high cost and limited availability of space becoming a major challenge, especially in the Arts and Humanities. Hawai‘i Craftsmen is lucky to have had leadership who were ahead of the curve when they envisioned an art center home and worked to make The ARTS at Marks Garage a reality. We have a home, but our rent has more than doubled this year and other administrative costs, while moderate by industry standards, are increasing also.

Your involvement is vital to continue to make Hawai'i Craftsmen a success. We are increasingly dependent on your individual contributions to improve member services and to cover basic office operations. Your contribution to Hawai‘i Craftsmen, in any amount, is critical to our future and tangibly recognizes the value of our programs. We welcome all contributions and suggestions for guaranteeing our future financial sustainability and another 40 years serving the Hawai'i art community.