Isaacs Art Center is part of Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA), an independent coeducational school for kindergarten through 12th-grade students.
Its permanent collection includes Madge Tennent oil paintings and early 19th- to early 20th-century Hawaiiana (adzes, poi pounders, feather lei, lauhala hats and more). Also displayed are works for sale primarily by artists who lived or currently live in Hawaii.
They represent a wide range of genres, from watercolors and photographs to prints and ink drawings.
Net proceeds from sales support HPA’s scholarship fund.
The 5,580-square-foot redwood-and-Douglas fir building was constructed in 1915 as Waimea Elementary School, the area’s first public school. In 2002, it was moved to its present location about a mile away.
The following year, it was placed on the State Register of Historic Places, and in 2004, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Restoration work was completed in March 2004, and the center opened a month later.
Its namesakes are George and Shirley Isaacs, Waimea residents who were the major donors for the building’s move and restoration.