STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2330

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2765

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Higher Education and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 2765 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HONOLULU BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL ARTS EXHIBITION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate $250,000 as a grant to the Honolulu Biennial Foundation to fund an international arts exhibition.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Biennial Foundation, galerie 103, Summit, Na Mea Hawaii, and twenty-three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the Honolulu Biennial 2017 is an international arts exhibition created to engage the rich cultural diversity of Hawaii and celebrate contemporary visual art from the Pacific, United States, and Asia.  Your Committee recognizes that there are very few exhibition opportunities for local artists, and that local artists deserve greater exposure and opportunities to broaden their market reach.

     The Honolulu Biennial is modeled after biennial arts festivals held around the world that have profound artistic, cultural, community-building, and economic impacts on the cities that host the festivals.  Such festivals have transformed host cities into thriving art hubs and attracted an influx of cultural tourists.  Strengthening the potential economic impact that the $250,000 grant in this measure can have, it was demonstrated to your Committee through testimony that the Honolulu Biennial that launches in 2017 is projected to welcome 42,500 visitors to the State and have an economic impact of over $49,700,000 on the local economy.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2765 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education and the Arts,

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BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair