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Project Mission

The ARTS at Marks Garage (Marks) was founded in 2001 as a result of a City and County Resolution that provided seed funds to establish an incubator arts enterprise program. Marks is a community project that demonstrates culture and the arts are economically viable and are essential to the vitality and quality of life in the community. The ARTS at Marks Garage, a collaborative neighborhood-based arts center, is a key player in the emerging Honolulu Culture & Arts District, which is working to create an aesthetic, social and economic renaissance in historic downtown Honolulu.

The ARTS at Marks Garage is a project of the Hawai‘i Alliance for Arts Education. Hawai‘i Alliance for Arts Education was founded in 1980 as a private non-profit to champion all arts - dance, music, theatre, visual arts. The Alliance is the Hawai‘i member of the national Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, a major program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Statewide membership includes more than 100 organizations and 400 individuals who support the mission and vision of the Alliance.

Project Details

Marks current occupant partners include 8 performing and 4 visual arts organizations and businesses. These partners are the Hawaii Watercolor Society, Hawai‘i Craftsmen, Pacific Handcrafters Guild, PHG Foundation, The Lizard Loft, Hawaii Academy of Performing Arts, Hawaii Shakespeare Festival, Meader Arts, Orig Media, LLC, Smash Box Productions Tim Bostock Productions and Upside-down Dance. These partners offer diverse resources and work closely with surrounding neighbors to serve the community, to create a synergy of economic opportunities, to honor the cultural diversity and to improve the social infrastructure.

During 2003, there were 91 arts events that featured 798 artists, performers and organizations as well as 50 educational outreach programs. These events are co-sponsored by the following entities: Marks partners, independent artists, curators and directors, nonprofit visual and performing arts organizations and K-12 schools throughout the state. Visual art programs include large and small group shows, children’s programs, and Hawai‘i artists’ exhibits, including emerging and established artists. The performing arts include poetry readings, cabaret, dance, improvisation, film and song. Over the year, we noticed that there has been a steady increase in visitors/audience from an average of 1,400 per month to almost 1,964 per month. As an arts incubator, the venue has provided previously unavailable opportunities for emerging artists to further their careers and meet new artistic challenges. Gross revenue from the arts programs at Marks was almost $75,000. Marks continues to receive limited support from City and State Government, local and national foundations and corporations and individuals.

Marks is currently building a model program exemplifying how culture and the arts can help transform lives and build community. Our neighborhood census and police data indicate major incidences of drug abuse, gang violence and racial tension among the diverse ethnic groups. The children and their families need tools and skills to build bridges within the diverse cultures of this urban environment as well as avenues to connect to the larger community in surrounding environs. The arts provide some of the most accessible tools to achieve success. The ‘Ohana Arts Side-by-Side program includes master artists who offer lecture demonstrations and hands-on activities for the housing residents. These lessons are followed by field trips to museums, galleries, theatres and arts performances, not normally accessible to this population. Working with many in the community to develop these programs will ensure their appropriateness and effectiveness. Marks has received much support for the development of this educational and community building program.