Inspiration Hawaii Museum
900 Richards Street, Honolulu 96813
Inspiration Hawaii Museum
900 Richards Street, Honolulu 96813
Recent Events
People from Hawai'i Inspired the World.
Inspiring the world!
Bette Midler
Born 1945 in Honolulu
Global Entertainer
4 Golden Globes
3 Grammy Awards
3 Emmy Awards
2 Tony Awards
Dwayne "Rock"Johnson
Raised in Honolulu
Global Entertainer
Steve Case
Born 1958 in Honolulu
Internet Pioneer
CEO of AOL
Jennifer Doudna
Raised in Hilo
Nobel Prize
Chemistry 2020
Honolulu Little League
World Series Champions 2022
Fashion RUNWAY January 18, 2025
work that Inspired
Patsy Mink
Was born in Maui in 1927. Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink was the author of Title IX, that opened up educational opportunities for women and girls throughout the United States in 1972. Her work in reforming education helped change America. Patsy Mink was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964 and she was the first Asian-American to run for U.S. President in 1972.
Artist John Chin Young
John was born in Honolulu in 1909, his parents immigrated from China. He took art classes at McKinley High School. After graduation, he opened his own gallery on Bethel Street in downtown Honolulu. To supplement his income he painted signs for local businesses and sold art supplies to local painters. He quickly became one of Hawaii's best-known artists. His work exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Israel Kamakawio‘ole
Israel was a Native Hawaiian musician and songwriter who's "FACING FUTURE" album was the first from Hawaii to go platinum selling over 1 million CDs in 1993. "OVER THE RAINBOW" was #1 on Billboard and has over 1 billion views on YouTube.
Young Talent
Evan Nagao
Child prodigy
National Yo Yo Champion
2022 & 2023
Punahou 2014
Child prodigy
Child prodigy
At age 4, Evan shows Jay Leno on the Tonight Show how to Yo Yo.
Matty Hiroto Inaba
16 year-old teen from Waimea, Hawaii is the 2022 Rubik Cube North American Champion.
Hawaii Preparatory Academy 2025
Jack Rabanal
National Breakdancing Champion
"B Boy Hi Jack" from Kaimuki.
In Philadelphia, August 26, 2023
Democracy Hall
Barack Obama
Daniel K. Inouye
Barack Obama
President USA
Punahou 1979
Sun Yat Sen
Daniel K. Inouye
Barack Obama
President China
Iolani 1882
Patsy Mink
Daniel K. Inouye
Daniel K. Inouye
U.S. Representative
Maui H.S. 1944
Daniel K. Inouye
Daniel K. Inouye
Daniel K. Inouye
U.S. Senator
McKinley 1942
EXPLORERS HALL
Ellison Onizuka
Ellison Onizuka
Ellison Onizuka
Space Shuttle Astronaut
Konawaena H.S. 1964
Charles Veach
Ellison Onizuka
Ellison Onizuka
Space Shuttle Astronaut
Punahou 1962
Nainoa Thompson
Ellison Onizuka
Nainoa Thompson
Hōkūléa World Voyage
Punahou 1972
Military Hall
Samuel Armstrong General
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
Samuel Armstrong General
Punahou 1859
442 Infantry Regiment
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
Samuel Armstrong General
World War II
Eric Shinskei General
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
Kauai H.S. 1960
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
Tammy Duckworth Lt. Colonel
McKinley 1985
Inclusion Culture
Reverend Abraham Akaka
Reverend Akaka insisted that the Aloha State had moral and spiritual contributions to make to the nation and the world.
Hawai‘i Leis at Selma
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the Hawaii State Legislature in 1959. "As I think of the struggle that we are engaged in in the South land, we look to you for inspiration and as a noble example, where you have already accomplished in the area of racial harmony and racial justice, what we are struggling to accomplish in other sections of the country, and you can never know what it means to those of us caught for the moment in the tragic and often dark midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, to come to a place where we see the glowing daybreak of freedom and dignity and racial justice.”
JFK used Hawai‘i as example
President Kennedy selected the 1963 US Conference of Mayors meeting
in Honolulu to announce his new Civil Rights Bill for America. The racial harmony found in Hawaii was held as an example that the rest of the country should follow.
"This island (state) represents all that we are and all that we hope to become." -- President John F. Kennedy, Honolulu, June 1963.
Multiethnic and Multiracial
Brook Mahealani Lee, Miss USA and Miss Universe 1977
(Being Miss Universe) "is about being open to a lot of different cultures. I've been to thirteen different countries in a year, and wherever I go, they think I'm that ethnicity. So it's about being able to accept people for whatever they are. In Hawaii, we're like that by nature. I'm Hawaiian, Korean, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese. So they all had to
get along for me to be born!" -- Brook Mahealani Lee, Miss Universe, on The Oprah Winfrey Show 1998.
Inclusion: Kumu Hina
Inclusion: Kumu Hina
Hinaleimoana Wong
Educator and filmmaker on the history of transgender inclusion in the Native Hawaiian culture.
Her 2014 award winning documentary KUMU HINA was shown all over the United States and internationally in Berlin, Toronto, Tokyo and Beijing.
Hawai‘I trailblazer
1850
The Hawaiian Kingdom boasted the highest literacy rate in the world.
1852
The Hawaiian Kingdom outlawed slavery in its constitution. Any slave that arrived in Hawai‘i would be emancipated.
1867
At the Worlds' Fair in Paris, Hawai‘i was one of 30 countries with an exhibit. The Hawaiian Kingdom was the only Pacific government to be represented at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
1881
World Tour of Hawaiian King David Kalākaua. The 281-day trip gave Kalākaua the distinction of being the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe. He visited the Emperor Meiji in Japan, had an audience in Rome with Pope Leo, was a guest of Britain's Queen Victoria, visited President Chester Arthur at the White House and spent time with Thomas Edison in his laboratory in New Jersey.
1967
Hawai‘i became the first state in the nation to adopt the "Percent for Art" law. This visionary legislation sets aside one percent of all state building constructions costs for the acquisition of works of art. This law gave art in public places and has been followed by other states.
1970
First state to decriminalize abortion.
1972
First state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment for Women.
1974
First in the nation to provide near universal health care.
1993
Hawai‘i State Supreme Court was the first judiciary in the world to rule in favor of same-sex marriage.
2015
First state in the country to require 100% renewable energy.
MUSEUM History
The City
In 2015, Gloria Borland was serving on the City's Neighborhood Board for Aliamanu, Foster Village, and Salt Lake, when she came up with the idea for a new museum near the Arizona Memorial and Aloha Stadium. Gloria grew up in Hawaii and spent decades in Washington DC, a city smaller than Oahu with over 70 museums. This new Inspiration museum would change Hollywood stereotypes about people from Hawaii. Residents living in neighborhoods surrounding Aloha Stadium supported the vision for a new museum that would inspire residents and visitors. Grassroots support for the new museum spread throughout Oahu in 2016. The museum was included in the City's Final Plan published in July 2017 for Transit-Oriented Development at the Halawa Rail Station near Aloha Stadium.
The State
In 2018, the State announced redevelopment plans for Aloha Stadium. In 2019, the State announced plans for a New Entertainment District to surround Aloha Stadium. Development plans for Aloha Stadium and the New Entertainment District was delayed in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
After waiting five years for the Aloha Stadium entertainment site, the Inspiration Hawaii Museum decided to search for an alternative location. In 2023, the museum found an amazing historic
building in downtown Honolulu. The Inspiration Hawaii Museum is planning to open in early 2025. Stay tuned for more details. Subscribe to our mailing list below.
Economic Impact from Museums
Almost twice as many people visit American museums than attend all major league sporting events and theme parks combined!
- 67% of all U.S. leisure travelers visit a museum. These travelers spend 60% more on average than other leisure travelers.
- The typical museum devotes 75% of its education budget to K-12 students. Museums also receive millions of online visits each year.
Source: American Alliance of Museums.
Museum Advisors
Paul Kosasa
Paul Kosasa
Paul Kosasa
Paul Kosasa is the President and CEO of ABC Stores a retail chain of 75 stores and 1,900 employees. The first store was founded by his grandparents in Kaimuki in 1917.
- Chairman Hawaii Symphony Orchestra,
- Chair Waikiki Business Improvement District,
- Board, Central Pacific Bank
- Board, Hawaii Community Foundation.
- Board, Hawaii Food Industry Association
- Japanese American National Museum
Melanie Ide
Paul Kosasa
Paul Kosasa
Former President & CEO of the Bishop Museum. Architect and Museum Designer with 30 years experience developing museums around the world. Principal at Ralph Appelbaum, the world's largest museum exhibition design firm.
- Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
- Museum of Natural History, New York
- Clinton Presidential Library
- Obama Presidential Center
-Japanese American National Museum, LA
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle
- Musee du Quai Branly, Paris
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- New York Public Library
Tim Johns
Paul Kosasa
Gloria Borland
Former President & CEO of the Bishop Museum. Current President & CEO Zephyr Insurance. Chief Consumer Officer Hawaii Medical Service Association, Chief Operating Officer Damon Estate, VP & General Counsel AMFAC.
Chair Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources.
- Board, Hawaiian Electric Company
- Board, Polynesian Voyaging Society
- Board, Kualoa Ranch
- Consuelo Foundation
- Chair, Host Committee IUCN 2016,
- Host Committee, APEC 2011.
- Trustee Parker Ranch Foundation.
Gloria Borland
Lance Keawe Wilhelm
Gloria Borland
Founder & President
Inspiration Hawaii Museum.
Founder www.WeTalkStory.me
Founder www.GlobalVillageNetwork.LIVE
Founder Charter School with Chinese Immersion in Washington DC.
Executive Producer -The Business Owners with Gloria Borland TV series on PBS nationwide underwritten by THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
- Founder & CEO Netless Web Wireless
- Campaign Director Ross Perot for President
- LEGAL TIMES newspaper for lawyers.
- Founder & CEO National Travel Magazines.
- DC staff U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye.
Lance Keawe Wilhelm
Lance Keawe Wilhelm
Lance Keawe Wilhelm
Founder & CEO Wilhelm Group.
Former Trustee Chair of Kamehameha Schools.
Managing Principal Irongate.
Senior VP Kiewit.
Board Member Hawaii Pacific University.
Board Member YMCA.
Michael Carroll
Lance Keawe Wilhelm
Lance Keawe Wilhelm
Partner at the Honolulu law firm Lung, Rose, Voss, Wagnild. His practice areas include real estate and construction litigation, complex business and commercial litigation, and land use.
Former member Manoa Neighborhood Board.
Pilialoha Lee Loy
Pilialoha Lee Loy
Pilialoha Lee Loy
Former Trustee and Chair of the State of Hawaii Employee Retirement System (public pension fund) currently with a $20 billion portfolio. English teacher at Aliamanu Middle School for 45 years.
- Board of Directors HSTA.
- Board Hawaii Education Association
Myles Shibata
Pilialoha Lee Loy
Pilialoha Lee Loy
Former Chairman of the Board of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce 2022-2023.
- Principal at MSS Consultancy
- Vice President Philanthropic Services at Hawaii Community Foundation
- President Grove Farm Land Company
- Chief Operating Officer- Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Poipu Bay Gold Course
- Executive Westin Hotels and Resorts, Oahu/Seattle/Philippines/Maui/Kauai
EVENTS Advisors
Troy Gravatt
Troy Gravatt
Troy Gravatt
Troy is the owner of Your Event Solutions, and will enhance the museum's event planning operations. His clients include Outrigger Hotels, Blake Entertainment, Kapolei Commons, Oahu Country Club, Howard Hughes, Kualoa Ranch, Cirque du Soleil and Central Pacific Bank.
Andrew Lee
Troy Gravatt
Troy Gravatt
Andrew is an engineer and brings his expertise to organizing the historic building's facilities for the museum's new event business. He is the past president of JCI Hawaii and the Honolulu Chinese Jaycees and on the board of Chinatown 808.
Allan Fang
Tanya Yamanaka
Tanya Yamanaka
Allan is the owner of Small Potato Photography with his studio located in Moiliili. He brings his technical expertise in sound and video to the museum's new event business. Allan is a board member of the Honolulu Chinese Jaycees.
Tanya Yamanaka
Tanya Yamanaka
Tanya Yamanaka
Tanya is the owner of Seven Eyes Consulting. She is with the Chamber of Sustainable Commerce.
Communications Advisors
Imiloa Borland
Imiloa Borland
Imiloa is a published writer, public speaker, and movement leader. She has been involved with creating the museum since its inception, collaborating with her mother and giving the youth viewpoint. Imiloa is managing the Hawaiian Fashion Designers exhibit.
Imiloa was Punahou's Holokū Queen in 2020 and gave the 2024 graduation speech at the New School in New York City.
Enki Grimsley
Imiloa Borland
Enki grew up in Aiea and has lived in Tokyo and New York City. He graduated from Punahou in 2020 and recently earned a degree in Economics from the New School and studied photography and communications at the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Enki is managing communications with high-profile people featured in our exhibits. He is an advisor for the museum's social media.
Creative place
Creative place
We are providing a place for young people to develop and strategize their careers.
Our Sponsors
We Are Getting ready
900 Richards Street
Built in 1927, the old HECO building at 900 Richards Street is near Iolani Palace and the old Post Office. The Inspiration Hawaii Museum is located on the ground floor lobby.
Contribute
Please help us finish building our exhibits.
The Inspiration Hawaii Museum, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (3) c.
Your donation is tax-deductible.
Mail check to: Inspiration Hawaii Museum, Inc.
P.O. Box 2693
Honolulu, Hawaii 96803
Phone: 808-312-4111
