On a sunny Thursday morning in Pāʻia, community members, cultural leaders, artists, and public officials gathered at the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill for a moment of gratitude and celebration. Together, we blessed and unveiled a new large-scale mural painted by artist Efren Rebugio Jr.; a work of art shaped entirely through listening, deep collaboration, and a shared commitment to place.

Every public artwork commissioned by Maui Public Art Corps & the County's public art program begins with a local voice. This mural was inspired by a Hui Moʻolelo ("gathering of stories") audio recording between oceanographer Dr. Andrea Kealoha and her father, Sheldon Kealoha. Their conversation wove together generations of family memories tied to Pāʻia’s shoreline and fishing traditions.

Selected through an open artist call process, Efren Rebugio Jr. spent months immersing himself in these histories, meeting with cultural practitioners, community leaders, and longtime residents to expand that initial spark into a broader portrait of Pāʻia’s enduring relationship between people, land, and ocean.

"This mural is about all of us and the role we each play in caring for the places and the communities we call home," Efren shared during the ceremony. "I’m grateful to have been a vessel for even a small part of this knowledge."

The morning blessing was led by Kahu Wayne Higa of Kaʻahumanu Church, with cultural leadership and emceeing by Sissy Lake-Farm. Attendees heard moving remarks from community leaders, the artist, and the storytellers themselves. County of Maui Deputy Managing Director Erin Wade spoke to the power of place-based art in building strong community bonds:

"Public art helps transform shared spaces into places of connection. When we invest in artists, culture, and community voices, we invest in belonging. This mural demonstrates how the County’s public art program can honor local history while creating opportunities for people to come together, learn from one another, and imagine the future of Maui together."

For Dr. Andrea Kealoha, seeing her family's stories rendered on such a grand scale was a reminder of our collective responsibility to the future.

"My hope is that we don’t just preserve these stories, we live them," Dr. Kealoha reflected. "That the values of family, culture, and community continue to shape Pāʻia so that years from now our future generations will look back on our time and say that we honored the legacy we inherited."

Hosted by the Pāʻia Sugar Mill and the Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (MAMA), the unveiling also marked an exciting transition for the site itself — from a historic center of plantation industry to a modern hub of education, innovation, and community gathering.

"The buildings matter, the history matters, but it’s the people and the stories that give this place its soul," said host Wayne Thibaudeau. "Our hope is that the mill will once again be a place where people can create, build, learn, and work together."

This commission was made possible through the County of Maui’s public art program—a public-private partnership between the County of Maui and Maui Public Art Corps. Special thanks to Kahu Wayne Higa, Sissy Lake-Farm, Efren Rebugio Jr., Erin Wade, Dr. Andrea Kealoha, Brian McCafferty, Wayne Thibaudeau, and all the community members who lent their voices and hearts to this project.

Visit the Mural: The artwork is now officially open for public viewing at the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill (300 Baldwin Ave). We invite you to visit, reflect on the stories embedded within, and celebrate the rich history of Pāʻia. To learn more about the Hui Moʻolelo project and listen to the original story that inspired the art, visit mauipublicart.org/kealoha. 

Every place has stories that shape it. Some are passed down around dinner tables, some are remembered while walking familiar streets, and others live deep in the memories of those who have called a place home for decades.

Perfect Days is a new collection of animated film shorts by acclaimed animator Richard O'Connor and Ace & Son Moving Picture Company that brings those stories to life. Inspired by conversations recorded through Hui Moʻolelo: Lāhainā, the films transform lived experiences into public artworks that celebrate the people, places, and relationships that continue to define Lāhainā.

Hui Moʻolelo is an intergenerational storytelling initiative presented through the County of Maui Public Art Program in partnership with Maui Public Art Corps. Together, this public-private partnership serves as Maui County's Local Arts Agency, as recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each year, community members participate in an intensive Hui Moʻolelo training before pairing with elder kamaʻāina and longtime residents to record meaningful talk-story conversations that preserve local history, culture, and sense of place while inspiring future public art across Maui County.

Many of the storytellers featured in Perfect Days participated in the program's most recent Lāhainā-focused cohort, led by Kaliko Storer, whose thoughtful mentorship helped cultivate a new generation of story collectors and community stewards.

The stories inspiring this collection come from conversations featuring Trinity Scalan, Kyla Nahoʻoikaika, Nayah Smith, Kanoelani Kenolio, Hōkū Delatori, Noelle Storer, Cornelio Bancaco Jr., Tom Fujita (Lahainaluna High School Class of 1962), and Dean Tokishi of the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission. Together, they reflect a wide range of experiences, from childhood memories and family traditions to environmental stewardship and deep connections to ʻāina and ocean.

For Maui Public Art Corps, the recordings are more than scripts to be illustrated; they are invitations to listen. Richard O'Connor's team began by immersing themselves in each conversation, identifying the emotions, imagery, and moments that resonate most deeply before translating them into hand-crafted animation. Throughout production, the creative process remains rooted in dialogue, allowing the films to evolve through continued engagement with the community. That collaborative process extends well beyond the original storytellers.

As Perfect Days enters production, Maui Public Art Corps is inviting classrooms and community groups to become part of the creative process. Participants will listen to selected excerpts from the Hui Moʻolelo recordings and create original drawings inspired by what they hear. These drawings will be shared with the animation team as a source of inspiration, expanding the circle of authorship and helping shape the visual language of each film. Participants are invited to listen carefully, imagine freely, and respond creatively. The resulting artwork becomes another layer of interpretation—another voice contributing to the final public artwork.

This approach reflects Maui Public Art Corps' philosophy of public art. Public art is not simply art placed in a public space. It is created through a public process, rooted in a sense of place, and developed in direct dialogue with the community. Perfect Days embodies each of these principles, demonstrating how storytelling, listening, and artistic interpretation can come together to create works that belong to everyone who helped shape them.

The completed films will premiere in August 2026 as an immersive multi-screen installation, offering audiences an opportunity to experience Lāhainā through the memories of those who know it best. More than animated films, Perfect Days represents an ongoing conversation that reminds us that our stories are among our most valuable cultural resources. Because the most meaningful public art isn't created for a community. It is created with one.