A panel discussion about the Hawaiian Hall renovation project at the Bishop Museum will air on 'Olelo, Channel 53, at 7 p.m. tomorrow and on July 26.

The program is one in the series, "Ho'oulu Lahui Aloha — To Raise A Beloved Nation." The round-table talk is sponsored by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, major donor to the renovation project.

Panelists include Isabella Abbott, chairwoman of the museum's Collection Committee and Wilder professor of botany emerita, University of Hawai'i- Manoa; Glenn Mason, president of Mason Architects Inc.; and DeSoto Brown, archivist and renovation project committee member.

Computer access to OHA/ 'Olelo programs is available for those who live on the Neighbor Islands and do not receive Channel 53. To access 'Olelo, go to www.olelo.org at 7 p.m. on the show date. Click on Viewers. Click on NATV Channel 53.

For more than a century, some of the most sacred and beloved treasures of the Hawaiian people have been housed in Hawaiian Hall. Completed in 1903, this building complex, with its volcanic stone exterior and extensive use of native koa, is considered a masterwork of late-Victorian museum design. Over time, however, the building's historic interior had deteriorated, and its exhibits, which reflected different years of museological, intellectual, and interpretive approaches, had become outmoded.

In July 2006, the museum launched a $21 million restoration project aimed at restoring the hall to its architectural glory, while at the same time installing elevators and air conditioning to ensure modern comforts. The project will also modernize the hall's interpretation, bringing multiple voices and a Native Hawaiian perspective to bear on the museum's treasures.

Financial support has been provided by the state; the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Kamehameha Schools and Frear Eleemosynary Trust. Also: the J.M. Long, Vera M. Long, Geist, Cooke, Strong and Atherton; Bank of Hawaii; A&B and Hawaii community foundations, as well as many private donors.

The hall is expected to reopen in summer 2009.