Hawaii’s Woodshow, Na Lā’au o Hawai’i
August 7th – August 29th, 2026 at the Downtown Art Center (second floor), Honolulu
The 2026 Hawaii’s Woodshow™ marks the 34th anniversary of Hawai‘i’s premier woodworking exhibition, presented by the Hawai‘i Forest Association (HFA). This annual showcase celebrates masterful craftsmanship, innovative design, and the unparalleled beauty of furniture and fine woodworking created from Hawaiian-grown woods.
Photo credit: Downtown Art Center, Brad Goda
Youtube: 2026 Hawaii’s Woodshow: Na Lā’au o Hawai’i, by Kyle Metcalf
Hawaii’s Woodshow 2026 Jurors
Tory Laitilla, Representing the Art/Design Community
Tory Laitila is the Curator of Textiles and Historic Arts of Hawaiʻi at the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA). He holds a BA in Art History with a focus on historic costume from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Laitila previously was with the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts and the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives. Of Chamoru heritage and raised in Hawaiʻi, Laitila is an active member of professional and community organizations, including the Costume Society of America. At HoMA, he has curated exhibitions on fashion and Hawaiian history, such as Fashioning Aloha, Ke Kumu Aupuni: The Foundation of Hawaiian Nationhood, and Mauka to Makai: Honolulu Cityscapes of the 1850s.
Nick Koch, Representing the Forestry and Resource Management Community
Nick is a professional forester with extensive experience in managing Hawai’iʻs forests, and is the general manager of Siglo Tonewoods on Hawaiʻi Island. Siglo Tonewoods was formed in 2015 as a partnership with a vision. To conserve, restore, and grow one of Hawai’i’s great assets – the koa – and to continue the musical legacy of koa for generations to come, by ensuring its long-term abundance.
Koa lumber was widely available until the late 1900s and, for a long time, was a by-product of land clearing for agriculture in Hawai’i. After that, it was harvested chiefly and unpredictably from salvage, dead, and dying trees. By 2015, it had become almost impossible to obtain. At this time, Bob Taylor (Taylor Guitars) and Steve McMinn (Pacific Rim Tonewoods) began investigating the “why.” Their idea was to create a continuous supply of wood for instruments by growing and restoring koa forests, and to establish a bridge to these future supplies by carefully utilizing the wood available in the present.
In addition to his work for Siglo Tonewoods, and previously, for Forest Solutions, Nick has served on the Board of Directors for the Hawaii Forest Association, including serving as the organization’s President for a term.
Mats Fogelvik, Representing the Woodworking Community
Designer/artist and woodworker, Mats Fogelvik was born in Sweden in 1959. In 1987, he attended an art and furniture-making school in Stockholm. Fogelvik worked as a teacher for wood shop classes in 1988. His world adventures landed him on Maui in 1991. Since then, he has been a full-time woodworker and furniture maker, participating in Hawaii’s Woodshow throughout the years. He believes wood is a living material, and seeks to bring out the soul within through his work.
Mats co-founded the Maui Woodworkers Guild and for a time served as President. Mats has also served on the Board of Directors for the Hawaii Forest Association.
Innovation + Imagination Student Challenge
An exciting component of Hawaii’s Woodshow is the Innovation + Imagination (I+I) Student Challenge, a division that was initiated in 2017 to introduce students to the diverse world of Hawai‘i woods. Students are challenged to construct artwork using a mixture of donated Hawai‘i-grown wood and other materials of their choice.
The Student Challenge is coordinated by Steven Hill, IDSA, the 3DLab Director at University of Hawai’i-Mānoa School of Architecture. The program exposes students to a hands-on experience of design and production as well as familiarizes them with the value of using locally sourced resources. Schools that have participated in the student challenge include University of Hawai’i-Mānoa School of Architecture, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, Mid Pacific Institute, Maui and Kalani High Schools, Mid-Pacific Owl Robotics, Olomana School, Waiakea High School, and Punahou School.