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January 28, 2025
Reflection on 2024
Shangri La Snapshots
Reflection on 2024
Aloha,
Shangri La and the entire Doris Duke Foundation team extend our immense gratitude for your ongoing support of our center in Honolulu. Guided by our mission to foster a more creative, equitable, and sustainable future in the Pacific and beyond, 2024 was a year of dynamic growth and transformative learning.
Here are a few highlights:
LEADING THE PACIFIC CENTURY
During the Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC), the world’s largest celebration of Pacific Islanders held in Hawai‘i for the first time, Shangri La had the privilege of hosting multiple events for its 13th iteration including:
The Māori Royal Family Reception in celebration of Mana Motuhake (Māori Independence). Our esteemed guests were graced with performances by Artist-in-Residence Taimane alongside Rachel Look. Grammy-nominated, O‘ahu-born Josh Tatofi made a surprise appearance and sang some of Aotearoa’s favorite hits.
Western States Art Federation (WESTAF) held a special convening with the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts representing leaders’ voices from humanities councils across the Pacific including Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and our islands of Hawai‘i.
The Young Pacific Leaders Reception united 24 nations from across Moananuiākea in the culmination of this cohort sponsored by the Department of State during FestPAC. Launched in 2013, YPL is the U.S. government’s flagship initiative to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific.
CONVENING CONVERSATIONS
In 2024, nearly 15,000 people participated in Shangri La’s tour program through our partnership with the Honolulu Museum of Art. Over 500 students were hosted through educational visits, providing a unique introduction to Islamic art and culture.
The center held over 40 convenings and events, including those previously mentioned and:
The Equitable Futures Fellowship, in partnership with the East-West Center, brought together 16 leaders representing 14 countries from a broad range of cultures and backgrounds to explore techniques to empower unheard voices and resolve inequity in many forms, including gaps in income, healthcare and education across the Indo-Pacific region.
A talk-story in collaboration with Hawaiʻi’s Civil Beat featuring Dean Baquet, former executive editor of The New York Times, and Hawai‘i Public Radio’s President and CEO Meredith Artley, sparked transformative dialogue surrounding journalism and the value of local investigative reporting.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Doris Duke Visionary Voices: Women, Creativity, Power presented a special panel discussion featuring Vera Zambonelli, Dr. Akiemi Glenn, Amy Hill, Jalene Kanani Hitzeman and Maura Fujihira. Honolulu Magazine published a cover story championing the work of these inspiring female leaders in our community.
Moore Aloha Charitable Foundation’s "Queens of Queensbreak" event brought together 40 young women, including many surfers, along with empowering speakers. Mahalo to our panelists: Chef Robynne Maii, Chelsea Peck, JT Ojerio, Kelia Moniz and Meghan Lee. See the event recap here.
Recognizing the profound impacts of AI, Shangri La presented a series of events on the topic. "Charting the Future: The Second Order Effects of AI" in partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation and Aspen Digital convened industry leaders in August to explore the ways AI may shift how we live, learn, work, communicate and relate to one another. Earlier in the year, in partnership with the AI Policy and Governance Working Group and the Institute for Advanced Study, Alondra Nelson moderated "AI in the Open: Responsible Innovation for Access, Accountability and Discovery," an enlightening talk exploring policies to maximize AI’s benefits while protecting public interest.
CONNECTING HAWAIʻI TO THE WORLD
In 2024, we launched our video series Transformations filmed against the stunning backdrop of Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) and Shangri La’s Playhouse. The series explores themes of leadership, passion and purpose from change-makers like Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore, civil rights advocate Wade Henderson, former Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly Lowe. Catch episodes on Shangri La’s YouTube channel and subscribe to stay inspired!
We celebrated a milestone with the appointment of renowned Kumu Hula Victoria “Vicky” Holt Takamine as our Native Hawaiian Cultural Advisor, more deeply integrating Native Hawaiian practices, values and traditions into Shangri La’s programs and events. Kumu Vicky was awarded the Gish Prize this past December, a prestigious honor recognizing individuals who push artistic boundaries, drive social change and inspire future generations.
CONTRIBUTING TO THE ARTISTIC VIBRANCY OF HAWAIʻI
We celebrated creativity through our 8x8: Source Exhibition showcasing 16 Hawaiʻi-based visual and performing artists who explored topics like sustainability, ancestry and cultural resurgence. See their works featured here. We capped off the closing of the program with a showcase performance at Capitol Modern.
We also hosted two dynamic Artists-in-Residence: Persian American electronic music producer ASADI + Xye in April, and four-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Taimane in June. ASADI + Xye were inspired to compose and create a series of performances across our center, including a collaboration with Taimane. Taimane recorded music throughout our campus, creating cross-cultural connections with the collections and spaces of Shangri La.
Continuing our commitment to nurturing Hawaiʻi’s creative community, we partnered with ʻOhina Labs to mentor emerging filmmakers, connecting fellows with top industry professionals from Disney Animation Studios and Marvel, receiving coaching on their craft, leading to pitches for an opportunity to bring their stories to the screen.
I am honored and humbled to play a part in advancing our mission with our dedicated team—as we create new ways for our center to convene, connect and inspire our diverse communities.
Throughout 2025, you can anticipate bold new programming bridging our local community with global conversations, more exciting residencies, and an elevated tour experience for all of our guests. There’s so much more to come from Shangri La!
From our ‘ohana to yours, here’s to building an incredible 2025.
Mahalo piha,
Ben Weitz, Executive Director, Shangri La Museum