Puʻuhonua Society

Puʻuhonua Society is a Native Hawaiian women-led non-profit organization based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Active at the intersections of contemporary art, traditional cultural practices, environmental stewardship, and transformational education, Puʻuhonua Society creates opportunities for Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi-based creatives to express themselves and engage with diverse audiences. Through six interwoven initiatives, we support those who serve as translators/mediators/amplifiers of social justice issues within communities. Our primary efforts include: Aupuni Space an artist-run gallery, venue, and studios; Hoʻākea Source, a Regional Regranting Program Partner of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Hoʻomau Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina, a cataloging and public programming partnership aimed at preserving and making accessible Nā Maka o ka ‘Āina’s vital moving-image archive of over 6,000 tapes; KEANAHALA, an inclusive and collaborative weaving program that perpetuates the Native Hawaiian practice of ulana lauhala, pandanus weaving; KĪPUKA, a makers’ space and educational environment offering a series of classes and workshops that are focused around the transmission of ancestral knowledge and material practices; THE MUʻUMUʻU LIBRARY, a volunteer-run community closet, workspace, and gathering place; and NiUNOW!, a cultural agroforestry movement affirming the importance of niu and uluniu, coconut and coconut groves to the health and wellbeing of Hawaiʻi and its peoples.