A new exhibit at the Honolulu Museum of Art seeks to inspire people with a look back in time.

Ho‘oulu: The King Kalākaua Era is a collection from the Hawaiian Kingdom dating back to the reign of King David Kalākaua from 1874 to 1891.

“We hope people are inspired. We were certainly inspired. We hope people visit this history and think about Hawai‘i’s modern era with a new lens,” Healoha Johnston, curator of the Arts of Hawai‘i, explained.

Johnston says that many of the pieces have been out of public view for a long time, some never before displayed.

At the time, cosmopolitanism was a thriving philosophy in the islands, and it was expressed through art by combining indigenous and introduced materials, concepts, and techniques.

“It’s wonderful to be able to bring [the pieces] together and share a story that relooks at King Kalākaua’s time as a time that was innovative, experimental and thriving with wonderful ideas,” Johnston said.

The museum says the exhibition challenges ideas about tradition, modernity, and culture in Hawai‘i.

Ho‘oulu: The King Kalākaua Era