AHA! Art Immersive Exhibit

AHA! Art Immersive Exhibit 

Jurors: Adare, Stephanie Riordan, and Bob Danhieux Douglas

This exhibit celebrates disabled artists and art created by them. Participation is limited to disabled artists and to ALL artists whose work depicts disabilities.

Sponsored by Full Life, Abled Hawai'i Artists (AHA), Hawaiʻi Island Art Alliance (HIAA) and the Hawai’i State Parks.

Must be a Hawai'i State resident. Open to 2D, 3D and video artists. No AI generated artwork.

First entry free for Hawaii Island students.

Exhibition Dates: July 3 - August 6, 2026 at Wailoa Center

Submission Deadline: June 9, 2026

AHA! Art Immersive Exhibit

Jurors: 

Adare

Stephanie Riordan

Bob Danhieux Douglas

Sponsored by Full Life, Abled Hawai'i Artists (AHA), Hawaiʻi Island Art Alliance (HIAA) and the Hawai’i State Parks.

Abled Hawaiʻi Artists (AHA) celebrates the spectrum of creativity and advances inclusive arts entrepreneurship. The AHA! Art Immersive, a month-long exhibition at the Wailoa Art Center, honors the Americans with Disabilities Act. Full Life, AHA’s fiscal and primary event sponsor, is a local nonprofit dedicated to empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live happy, self-determined lives.

Open to all Hawaii 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: July 3 - August 6, 2026 at Wailoa Center

Submission deadline: June 9, 2026 (5:00 PM HST)
Artist notification: June 12, 2026 (4:00 PM HST)

Accepted Artwork Drop-off:

• Wailoa Center: Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 10:00am-1:00pm
• Kona (Kona Frame Shop Parking Lot)*: Friday, June 26, 2026 at 10:00am (artwork dimensions for transport cannot exceed 40"x40" including packaging)

The exhibition opens: July 3, 2026
Opening reception: July 3, 2026, 5:00pm - 7:00 pm
The exhibition closes: August 5, 2026

Artwork Pick-up:

• Wailoa: Friday, August  6, 10:00am-1:00pm
• Kona (Kona Frame Shop Parking Lot)*: Friday, August 6, 10:00am

*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.  

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 June 12, 2026.

Shipping Details for Off-Island Artists

IMPORTANT: Read ALL Shipping Requirements and follow all instructions carefully.

Off-Island work must be received by Friday, June 26th 2026.
Artists are financially responsible for shipping, insurance and handling to and from Wailoa Center. 

You MUST include the following items in addition to your art inside of your shipping packaging. These are a requirement and may not be omitted from the packaging.

1. A Prepaid Return Shipping Label (USPS or FedEx)
2. $10 Handling Fee per each accepted artwork that is shipped to Wailoa Center for the exhibit.
3. Accepted shippers are USPS and FedEx. (UPS no longer services the Wailoa Center.)
4. A detailed description on how to unpack and repack your artwork..
5. Your artwork will be returned in the same packaging it was shipped. Please use packaging containers or crates that are sturdy, of professional quality, and can be reused in return shipping.
6. NO styrofoam or other peanuts may be used in packing.
7. Please research shipping costs for your 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 Statements: 
 

Adare

Adare (they/them) is a disabled, trans artist and community educator trained at the San Francisco Academy of Art University and the Atelier School of Classical Realism. Their portrait work—created with oil, gold leaf, metallic pigments, pyrography, and soot—focuses on revealing the inner light of diverse subjects. Living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Adare has adapted their studio practice to honor both creativity and disability. As founder of the Kīpaipai Art Studios, they provide accessible art classes for adults. Adare brings lived experience, artistic rigor, and a deep commitment to inclusion to the AHA! Art Immersive Show.

Stephanie Riordan

Stephanie is the Senior Director of Patient Programs at the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases and lives in Maryland. She leads national initiatives that uplift the rare disease community through creative expression, education, and advocacy, including the Rare Artist program and the #RAREis Scholarship. Stephanie created the Foundation’s “Creating Without Limits” art accessibility guide and expanded arts-based mentorship opportunities for rare disease creatives. She guided Rare Artist to receive the 2024 Cam Busch Arts in Health Award from the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH) for building resilience through the arts and was named to Arcadia University’s 40 Under 40 list for her leadership and impact. In 2026, she will debut the first Rare Artist gallery installation at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Stephanie also coaches Rare Artist awardees as they prepare to share their stories with lawmakers during Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill. Living with an invisible disability and a rare neurological condition herself, she believes that art is one of the most powerful forms of communication and connection and is committed to creating accessible, welcoming spaces for artists with rare diseases and disabilities. She is also a ceramic artist who finds profound meaning in the healing power of art.

Bob Danhieux Douglas

Bob seeks artworks that not only celebrate disability but also thoughtfully showcase perspectives that are uniquely shaped by lived experience. He is particularly interested in work that communicates insight, resilience, complexity, or nuance—offering viewers a way of seeing the world that might otherwise remain unseen.

Bob believes that an artist’s statement is an essential component of the work, as it provides context, intention, and voice. A strong statement can deepen understanding, illuminate process, and clarify how personal experience informs the artwork, allowing the piece to resonate more fully with its audience.

He is a deaf artist with generalized anxiety and panic disorders.

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.

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

• Off island artists (please research shipping costs).
• Open to any media (2D, 3D, video, etc).
• 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 10 years.
• 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