Maui Public Art Corps
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KAHULUI, MAUI

In April 2022, Jocelyn Romero Demirbag and Dean Tokishi - each raised in Kahului - participated in our Hui Mo‘olelo program, led by kumu Leilehua Yuen. Upon completion, they were paired with cross-generational mentors for an audio-recorded talk-story session. Professional artists were then asked to submit a proposal bringing these stories to life through a work of public art. Upon selection by a community jury, artists entered a period of project development to infuse proposals in Kahului history, culture and sense of place -- ultimately resulting in a freely accessible work created through community engagement.

Led by director Richard O'Connor and his Brooklyn-based animation team at Ace & Son Moving Picture Co, these talk-story audio recordings were interpreted as short, animated films and unveiled during a free, public event at the historic ʻĪao Theater on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022. Aunty Kahoiwai also performed a reading from her developing book inspired through this process. (READ) A free traveling exhibit including this work was on view at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Pā‘ina Market from January 5 - March 31, 2023. 
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Kahoʻiwai Belsom, Attorney + Jocelyn Romero Demirbag, Ed.D., Director of Development, Maui Nui at The University of Hawaii Foundation
Excerpt HERE
​Full Recording HERE
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Coach John McCandless (aka Johnny Mac) + Dean Tokishi, Ocean Resources Specialist, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission
Excerpt HERE
Full Recording HERE

ARTWORK

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Click for film
The Receding Waters
Names begin with material conditions. By understanding the history of our names, we gain the power to preserve and elevate them. This film uses tactile graphics to explore those links.

Inspired by ʻōlelo noʻeau #1932: Kuʻu ēwe, kuʻu piko, kuʻu iwi, kuʻu koko. (My umbilical cord, my naval, my bones, my blood.)
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Artist: Natalie Greene is a multidisciplinary artist interested in traces, in-betweens, edges, and kaleidoscopic color palettes and graphics. She uses rhythm and pacing to tell a story. She is currently at work on a short animation about starfish fossils. Originally from Oregon, she now lives in New York City in an apartment with a window facing a black ash tree. ​
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Click for film
Dive
For this film we wanted to take the point of view of the narrator/diver. We imagine their experience immersed in the sea, experiencing the great and the small. To conjure submersion we employed monochromatic watercolor and charcoal-inspired line work with heavy shadows and light.

Inspired by ʻōlelo noʻeau #613: He iʻa no ka pāpaʻu, he loaʻa wale i ka hopu lima; he iʻa no ka hohonu , noho i ka ʻeaʻea. (Fish of the shallows are easy to catch with the hands; but fish of the depths keep the fisherman wet with sea spray.)

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Artist: Rose Stark is an experimental animation artist who has screened works at festivals worldwide. Rose got her undergraduate degree in film and traditional animation from the Pratt Institute. Her undergraduate thesis film “LGFUAD” was awarded Best Undergraduate Animation at the prestigious Ottawa Animation Festival in 2010. She has worked on both commercial and documentary animation projects in addition to her independent short films and sculpture. Rose received her Master of Fine Arts from the Ohio State University in 2018 and continues to make work in Portland, Oregon where she lives in a very old house with her family and 2 hounds. ​

STUDENT ARTWORK

In November 2022, we partnered with the Maui Satellite Job Corps Center to offer a free Hui Mo‘olelo workshop. Art Corps' Kelly McHugh-White shared these kūpuna audio recordings with students and encouraged them to interpret one as a work of visual art. Under the guidance of teaching artist Jana Ireijo, the group spent two hours learning about different mediums -- from charcoal and pastel to watercolor and acrylic -- and created their own piece, to be on display at the December 20 ʻĪao Theater event. Together, the fine artwork and animated films offer a new means of connection to the knowledge keepers of our community as well as the inspiration to share, preserve and remember stories about this special place. Click any image below or scan the individual QR codes to hear their own artist statements, which were shared with the larger group. 

PROJECT TIMELINE

  • 2/24/23: Project film released providing an overview of public artwork projects dedicated to Kahoʻolawe, Kahului and Lānaʻi City
  • 1/5/23: Install traveling exhibit at University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Pā‘ina Market, on view through March 31
  • 12/20/22: Public art/ animation unveiling at ʻĪao Theater in Wailuku (Maui)
  • 12/19/22: "SMALL TOWN * BIG ART presents Hui Mo‘olelo Film Fest at Wailuku’s ʻĪao Theater" (Maui Now)
  • 12/10/22: "Join Us! Two Public Unveilings Coming in December" (eNews)
  • 12/3/22: "SMALL TOWN * BIG ART presents Hui Mo‘olelo Film Fest at Wailuku’s ʻĪao Theater" (Maui Now)
  • 12/1/22: Artwork delivery deadline to Maui Public Art Corps
  • 11/15/22: Save-the-Date distributed via ST*BA eNewsletter
  • 11/14/22: Free student workshop at Maui Satellite Job Corps Center led by teaching artist Jana Ireijo + Kelly McHugh-White
  • 11/9/22: Community consultation with Aunty Kahoiwai Belsom + Jocelyn Romero Demirbag (VIEW)
  • 9/27/22: ‘Ōlelo No‘eau meeting with Sissy Lake-Farm, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society + Kepā Maly, Cultural Historian & Resource Specialist + Shelly Preza, Executive Director of LCHC + Kelly McHugh-White of Art Corps (VIEW)
  • 9/16/22: Artist announcement and call-for-photographs that align with talk-story recordings.
  • 9/13/22: Project development kickoff meeting with selected artist Richard O'Connor + LCHC + Art Corps.
  • 9/2/22: Community panel meeting to review all complete public art applications.
  • 7/12/22: RFP is released with an August 15 deadline.
  • 4/28, 5/5, 5/13/22: Kumu Leilehua Yuen meets with Hui Mo‘olelo cohort to prepare them for intergenerational talk-story/ storytelling sessions.
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Aunty Kahoiwai & Jocelyn
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Snippet of Dean & Uncle Johnny's story
​ʻĪao event photos
  • Home
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