Art Galleries in Hilo, HI

“In a time where local artists are being priced out of locations that feature main street visibility, it's awesome to see so many artists featured here! I'm looking forward to coming by this Spring to see what new local work is featured, and would like to talk to you folks about having some of my family's own work hosted there as well (paintings, koa sculptures). This is definitely a highlight of my visits to the 'tav!”

“Once in Hilo is a moderately upscale boutique with hand-made silk blouses, art crafts like koa wood pepper mills and wine stoppers, hand made (hilarious) Filthy Soaps, dish towels, jewelry and huge giant tikis. The tikis are for sale for either 9K or 10K (I forget) but they don't ship them for good reason. If you want those tikis, you gotta show up with your crew and have the help of several men to lift those gorgeous hunks of wood. Tiki carving is becoming a lost art. The lady in the store was super nice and friendly, attentive and gave a lot of history for each item I was interested in but I ended up not buying anything due to being on a budget, otherwise I would have bought that cool steampunk-looking pepper grinder for $125.00, or the amazingly awesome Tidepool Koa Wood Table for $2,650.00.”

“It was such a great experience to pop into this art gallery and workshop, where the owner, Shane, welcomes visitors with so much welcome and enthusiasm. His work’s very unique and modern, and as a Star Wars and Disney fan, I loved his take on blending Hawaiian culture with iconic characters. He also showed us how he makes drawings on his computer screen, and we got a lot of insight into the video game development world and fan art. He’s a radiant person and his happiness is contagious. My face hurt from laughing and smiling so much by the end of my visit :)”

“I used volunteer at EHCC until I left and started working at Safeway for the first time back in 2019 and now this year 2023 I have been doing a musical show for the first time with the hilo education arts repertory theatre (heart) Hilo”

“My new favorite store in Hilo. Tastefully setup with beautiful local art, hand made furniture, and artisanal goodies. I found them online and obsessed over a handmade cookbook holder made from local Ulu wood. I am now the proud owner of said cookbook holder that is a beautiful and purposeful piece of art in my kitchen. The owner Kevin hand makes the furniture and his wife runs the store. They provide a very friendly and welcoming vibe. We plan to commission a handmade piece from them soon!”

“If you want to truly see the Big Island as its wild, awe-some, untamed, and absolutely alive self, Bruce Omori of Extreme Exposure is the person to get you there, both as a guide and through his photography.As a budding extreme nature photographer, I’ve found I do my my best work when my photography is paired with a deep sense of place. I want to truly know a place, feel a connection, and set that free in my shots. You can’t truly know the Big Island (or any part of Hawai’i) as a new arrival/outsider, in my opinion, unless you are invited in through the eyes of someone who knows it fully and deeply in a way that only locals can, and can skillfully immerse you in such a way that you feel like you belong. That skill is incredibly rare (as is being a kind, thoughtful and respectful human without bravado when guiding), but Bruce is a master.During my last visit to the Big Island, Bruce spent two days showing me parts of the island largely inaccessible to outsiders. One of the days was a lava tour; at each stop, his passion for volcanoes and the active history of the island shone through. I was totally nerding out and he was right there with me; you’d never have known he had seen these things a million times. He patiently answered every question, never once rushed me or seemed bored, and clearly was invested in making sure the visit was exactly what it needed to be. I felt like I was spending the day with an old friend. The second day was an exploration of a lesser-traveled part of the island, and was a grand adventure. We had to traverse a small stream crossing on foot to go check out a waterfall, and Bruce let me slowly creep around like a dummy, making sure I didn’t fall on my camera in the water without seeming inpatient or disrespectful, keeping me upright and pointing out stable areas in the water where I could step.The next time I return to the Big Island (which will hopefully be on the regular to see lava!), it will feel like I’m going home, and that is in large part due to the way Bruce shared it with me. If you want the real deal, this isn’t a place to cut corners - and honestly, I’m not sure you’re really going to find an experience like this with anyone else there. Mahalo nui Bruce and Sheryl for bringing me home.”

“I want to give Richard Cunningham a five star instead of a one star, since Richard did an excellent job shipping my art back to Arizona a few years before Covid; I decided to call them again for another job and Richard has already retired, Nick answered the phone, he seemed very professional when he handled my work as well; this time I am shipping my college diploma as well as other professional trainings I have undertaken in the past ten years, all framed; he gave me a discount and said he would have it boxed and ready to go in a week; a week has gone by, I didn't hear from Nick so I called, he said somebody has already picked up the shipments. There is no way that anybody else could pick up my shipments because I haven't heard from Nick who my shipping company would be yet: he said he will e-mail all that info, to me. I didn't receive any e-mail from him, so I couldn't have arranged a pick-up to begin with. As of 6/15/22, I have no further information where my college diploma as well as five professional training certificates ended up after Nick took over the packaging I already paid for on 6/6/22. 6/22/22 Update: Another customer took my packages by mistake and brought my packages back to the gallery, so I submitted a FedEx shipment order online; Anna and Liam coordinated with me via e-mail to get my packages to FedEx office in Hilo as soon as possible. The whole thing took longer than usual to work out, but Liam took care of my stuff at FedEx, which I appreciate very much.”

“Small but well organized art museum/gallery. While we were there, they were displaying local artists specializing in outdoor themes. Their displays do change periodically and the art is available for sale.”

“If you're looking for great art by local artists on the island, this is the place. There is a wide variety of art offered from affordable pieces all the way up to the pricey side. (Photography, stained glass, paintings, bags/hats, book marks, mugs, jewelry, ceramics...etc.) I came here 5+ times and picked something out each time because there is always something new ! + the people who work there are usually the ones that sell there art in there & are VERY friendly.”

“I visited Banyan Gallery while in Hilo. In addition to the beautiful art and jewelry the customer service was great! She is very friendly and knowledgeable not only about the products but the area as well. She gave us great information about the surrounding area and places to visit. I recommend stopping in to buy some beautiful souvenirs and friendly conversation.”

“Great art store in front of the coffee place we were visiting. A bit on the pricey side but you really can't put a price on art. Pieces were one of a kind and unique and simply walking around would amaze you. They had a variety of goodies (stones, jewelry, paintings, sculptures, ...) and the salesperson was pleasant and ready to help”