15th Annual Abstract Only! 

Juror: Glenn Yamanoha

Abstract art only! Artwork must be non-representational.  No recognizable figures, objects etc. All media welcomed in 2D, 3D and digital media. 

New this year:

• Abstract Only will be participating in an exchange with the Shanghai Artists Association.
• Along with juried Hawaiʻi artworks, the Annual Abstract Only exhibit will feature artwork from selected artists from the Shanghai Abstract Artists Association.
• Accepted Hawaiʻi artists and artworks from this exhibit will have the option to selected to show their works in Shanghai in December 2025.
• Due to the exchange the 2025 Abstract Only is only open to Hawaiʻi residents and kamaʻāina.

Sponsored by Hawaiʻi Island Art Alliance (HIAA) and the Hawai’i State Parks.

Must be a Hawai'i resident or kama'āina. Open to 2D, 3D and video artists.

Monetary prizes will be awarded.

First entry free for Hawaii Island Students.

Note: Maximum of five entries per artist, with $20 non-refundable entry fee for each submittal.

Important Dates

Exhibition Dates: August 1 - August 28, 2025 at Wailoa Center

Submission deadline: July 1, 2025 (5:00 PM HST)
 

Artist notification: July 5, 2025 (4:00 PM HST)

Accepted Artwork Drop-off:

• Wailoa Center: Saturday, July 26, 2025 from 10:00am-1:00pm
• Kona (Kona Frame Shop Parking Lot)*: Friday, July 25, 2025 at 10:00am (artwork dimensions for transport cannot exceed 40"x40" including packaging)
• Off Island work: must be received by Friday, July 25. (Please see Shipping Details section below for more information)

The exhibition opens: August 1, 2025
Opening reception: August 1, 2025, 5:00pm - 7:00 pm
The exhibition closes: August 28, 2025

Artwork Pick-up:

• Wailoa: Friday, August  29, 10:00am-1:00pm
• Kona (Kona Frame Shop Parking Lot)*: Friday, August 29, 10:00am
• Off-Island: Artworks will be shipped by September 8

*Kona pick-ups and drop-offs are in parking lot outside of Kona Frame Shop (73-5619 Kauhola St.) DO NOT contact folks at the the Kona Frame Shop to make arrangements. Please contact Wailoa Center. More info upon acceptance to the exhibit. 

Submitting Artwork

To enter participants must have or create a Café account. All images to be uploaded to their portfolio in Café. The maximum file size that will be accepted is 5 MB. For this call we highly recommend submitting high quality images with the longest edge at 1200 pixels, sRGB, jpeg.

A bio and artist statement is highly recommended, 300 word limit.  

Accepted artists will need to provide a high resolution image of their artwork (up to 30 M pixels), a black and white artistʻs photo and a short artistʻs statement/ bio (less that 300 words). They will be included in the exhibit documentation as well as an exhibit book. 

Image Requirements: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media/

Preparing Images for Download: https://www.callforentry.org/preparing-your-image-files-for-upload/

Photographing your work: https://www.callforentry.org/photographing-artwork/

Entry Fees: 

$20 non-refundable entry fee per each submission. Maximum of five entries per artist. All images or videos must be submitted digitally and will be judged by jurors based upon files submitted.

Hawaii Island Student Discount. To encourage more local students to participate in the shows at Wailoa, HIAA has decided to offer a free first entry student discount for all HIAA-sponsored calls. This discount is available to all full time Hawaii Island students grade school through college, and can be redeemed using code 'HIStudent'. We hope this initiative will increase student participation in the shows.

Acceptance:

Artists will be notified by July 5, 2025 .

Shipping Details for Off-Island Artists

Off-Island work must be received by Friday, July 25, 2025. 

• Artists are financially responsible for shipping, insurance and handling to and from Wailoa Center. 
• No styrofoam or other peanuts.
• Packaging will be reused for returns and must be of a professional quality. 
• Detailed instructions for how to unpack and repack are highly encouraged. 
• Packages MUST include a prepaid return label. 
• A $10 handling fee per artwork will be collected upon acceptance into the show.
• Accepted shippers. USPS and FedEx. UPS no longer services Wailoa Center. 
• Please research shipping costs for the artwork prior to entering.
  
  Shipping Address:
  WAILOA CENTER
  200 Piopio St. 
  Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Sales:

For any work sold, 75% of sales goes to the artist and 25% goes to HIAA for support of artists, art opportunities and exhibitions at Wailoa Center. 
 

Juror Information: 
 

Glenn Masao Yamanoha (b. 1954, Haleiwa, O’ahu) was raised in the sugar plantation town of Waialua on the North Shore of O’ahu. He attended Seattle Institute of Arts studying graphic design and earned his BFA in painting from the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1988 he traveled to Japan on a Monbusho (Japanese Ministry of Education) Scholarship to Kyoto, Japan and did independent studies through Kyoto Shiritsu Geidai (Kyoto City University of Arts) in Katsura, Kyoto. His soujourn to Japan and Okinawa was a transformative period in his life, discovering his roots and experiencing Japan, especially the inspiring gardens and temples in Kyoto.

Primarily a painter, his goals in Mokuhanga was to achieve painterly effects through woodblock printing. He has experimented with alternative techniques and unconventional tools. 

His mentors include Jacob Lawrence (Seattle, WA), Richard Steiner (Kyoto, Japan), Waichi Tsutaka, (Kobe, Japan) and Tadashi Sato (Lahaina, Maui).

Yamanoha resides in Volcano, Hawai’i and has taught art at Hawai’i Community College, Kamanā Senior Center in Hilo and Volcano Art Center.
 

Prizes: 

Monetary prizes will be awarded.

About Wailoa Center:

Located in Piʻopiʻo and the Wailoa River State Recreation Area, Wailoa Center is Hawai’i Island’s largest venue for showcasing the work of local and international artists. With exhibits that change monthly, the two galleries within Wailoa Center offer opportunities that provide inspiration and exposure to artists and community members alike. The Wailoa Center is free and open to the public.
 

About Hawaiʻi Island Art Alliance: 

Founded in 2015, Hawai`i Island Art Alliance (HIAA) is a non-profit organization supporting and inspiring art and culture in our community. HIAA is a completely volunteer-driven, whose current Mission is to concentrate on the support and production of a variety of happenings at the Wailoa Center. 

HIAA sponsors juried and non-juried exhibits, educational and cultural programming at Wailoa Center throughout the year.  

HIAA hopes to positively impact the art and cultural community on Hawaiʻi Island through our contributions at Wailoa Center.

Application Requirements

• Completed Portfolio on CAFE with 1 - 5 artwork samples.
• Submission fee: $20 per entry (non-refundable).
• Artist Biography and Statement.

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to Hawaii State residents and kama'aina (please research shipping costs).
• Open to any media (2D, 3D, video, etc) within the genre of abstract.
• No reproductions or AI generated or assisted art will be accepted.
• 2D works must be no larger than 7’ tall x 9’ wide’; 3D works must not be taller than 10' or wider 6' feet.
• Artwork must have been created in the past four years.
• Artwork can NOT have been previously exhibited at Wailoa Center.
• This exhibit will be displayed in a State Parks facility, thus artwork with sensitive subject matter (i.e. nudity, offensive religious or political statements, and or violence) may be juried out.
• If accepted, all work MUST be gallery quality installation ready to hang or be easily installed.
• If you have any questions regarding you or your artwork's eligibility, please contact Wailoa Center at (808) 933-0416 or dlnr.sp.wailoacenter@hawaii.gov