Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 4, 1 April 1999 — ISHOP MUSEUM The state museum of natural and cultural history [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ISHOP MUSEUM The state museum of natural and cultural history

By Manu Boyd N ITS 1 10-year history, the Bernice P. Bishop Museum at Kaiwi 'ula in Honolulu has grown by leaps and bounds, but not without growing pains. Recent layoffs at the fiscally strapped institution have raised tough questions. Are the museum's invaluable collections taking a back seat to pre-packaged main-

land travelhng exhibits? Is the research arm of the world's largest cultural and natural history museum on Hawaiian and Pacific ethnology overshadowed by puhlie programs and facihty rentals? Are the sacred artifacts of the Hawaiian people receiving proper care° Despite hard times and cutbacks. Bishop Museum remains committed to its mission to "stimulate awareness

and appreciation of our natural and eultural world with emphasis on Hawai 'i and the Pacific." Durmg the reign of King Kalākaua. the original single-room stone structure was erected by Charles Reed Bishop on the kiawe-strewn campus of the Kamehameha School for Boys, in memory of his wife. the remarkable Princess Berniee Pauahi. Mr. Bishop, a New Yorkborn financier. also founded what is now First Hawaiian Bank. Patterned after typical Victorian-style museums where panes of glass separated "curiosities " from oghng onlookers, the Bernice P. Bishop Museum initially was home to heirlooms bequeathed to Pauahi by her cousin Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlam and Dowager Queen Emma Kaleleonālani. For years, the museum's primary tar-

get audiences were tourists and elementary school students who would visit for a day and not return for years. Today, the museum welcomes thousands of patrons back with concerts, cultural programs, new exhibits and discounted admission for kama'āina. But the more than $1 million in ticket revenue is not nearly enough to keep the collectionsbased museum and world-renowned research facility afloat. Even if admis-

sions and membership doubled, the museum could not be self-sufficient. With a current operating budget of $11 milhon, approximately half of whieh is personnel-related, the museum rehes heavily on the puhhe and private support. Annual legislative appropriations enahle the museum to receive matching grants, vital to its survival and integrity as a research hub. A eommon misconception is that Bishop Museum is linked to the multihillion dollar Bishop Estate. In actuality, it is entirely separate, as Pauahi's estate is solely for the support of the Kamehameha Schools. The private trust of C. R. Bishop, whieh includes land holding in Waipi'o Valley, contributes little to the museum's growing needs. A volunteer board of directors over-

sees the museum's operations, and hires a director/president to manage the institution. Since 1984, Dr. W. Donald Duckworth, an entomologist ffom Tennessee, has held the museum's top post. During his tenure, the museum has grown considerably - in staff, exhibit space, research and public programs. The museum closes the 20th centur\' as the "Bishop Museum Corporation," whose holdings include not only the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, but the Hawai'i Maritime Center and the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Kona. In 1988, under Duckworth's leadership, Bishop Museum received the designation of "State Museum of Natural and Cultural History," and a $2.5 million appropriation. In 10 years, this sum has dwindled to less than $400,000, yet more people are visiting the museum than ever. According to Marketing Director Kula Abiva, the museum is streamlining its operations. Like other non-profit corporations, it is reorganizing and downsizing to stay open. A year ago, nearly 240 employees served the museum. At this writing, 200 remain, a few of them reduced to part-time status. From researchers to custodial staff, these remaining positions are critical in preserving the eol-

lections. With increased interest in Hawaiian language, eulture and history, the museum's library and visual collection patronage has soared over the t>ast decade.

Public hours have been somewhat limited, and the onee free service now requires a $3 usage fee. Steeper fees apply to other scientific research areas impeded by staff cutbacks. But those expecting a freeze on museum expansion might be surprised. A mammoth grant from NASA (Nahonal

Aeronautics and Space Administration) will change the landscape of the museum significantly, with the emergence of the Science Center complete with a new planetarium and Imax theater, with projected eomplehon in 2001. In its path, the Jabulka Pavihon, built in the early 1980s and the shghtly older Atherton

Hālau are scheduled for demohtion later this year. The NASA grant is restricted, and cannot be used to support other areas of the • museum. The bottom

line depends on an annual legislative appropriation. After all, the state makes continuous referrals to the museum, particularly in the area of research. Bishop Museum has a lot of work to do, for the good of Hawai'i nei and the world. E ola 'o ka Lani e Pauahi Lani Nui. ■

— 8M1 \

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In the early 1980s, Jubulka Pavilion, adjacent to the planetarium, changed the facade of the museum at Kaiwi'ula. This year, it will be demolished, making way for the NASA-sponsored Science Center (pictured below) complete with lmax Theater.

The Bishops toured the United States and Europe where Pauahi's love for museums was inspired.