When people think of Maui Public Art Corps, many picture a mural. And yes, murals are part of our story. They’re beautiful, familiar and easy to spot. But murals are just one chapter in a much larger book we’re writing together. The real heart of what we do beats quietly, in small rooms, with small groups of people who show up not always knowing the full “why”. That’s where Hui Mo‘olelo begins.

Hui Mo‘olelo isn’t a training or a class, not really. It’s more of a commitment, a gentle rite of passage that asks something vulnerable from you: your presence. Over three two-hour gatherings, small cohorts — usually no more than ten people, learn not just how to tell stories, but how to listen for them, how to hold space for them, and how to be changed by them. People arrive curious but unsure. Why meet three times? Why not just get instructions and carry on? But as the sessions unfold, something shifts. You find yourself telling stories aloud to near-strangers, and in doing so, you realize how much generosity storytelling actually takes. And when the time comes to sit down with a recording partner (a family member, a kupuna, someone whose story might otherwise fade), you’re ready, not because you memorized a checklist, but because you’ve learned to listen from a place of respect and courage.

When these intergenerational stories are gathered, Maui Public Art Corps doesn’t file them away. Instead, we work with a team of editors who carefully choose short excerpts—just two or three minutes, from each recording. These become the seed for a different kind of creativity: public art. Artists from around the world listen to these community voices and vie for the chance to bring them to life through murals, performances, experiences, installations and more. It’s important to understand: these aren’t “artist projects.” They’re community projects. The artist is just one part of the puzzle.

Hui Mo‘olelo is co-owned, every step of the way. The teaching artists who guide the cohort. The cohort members who show up and lean into discomfort. The intergenerational partners who trust us with their stories. The artists who listen deeply before they create. And, just as critically, the hundreds of community members who join the process along the way, from deciding where these artworks should happen – where they can transform spaces into places that feel like they belong to all of us, to hosting open workshops that develop each proposal into a work deeply rooted in sense of place. 

Right now, we’re looking for those spaces. We’re asking you to help. Do you know a park, a plaza, a walking path, or an overlooked corner in your neighborhood that feels like it could hold a mural, a pop-up performance, a community workshop? We’re seeking places across Maui County—public spaces, or privately-owned spaces open to the public (POPS), where new stories can be planted in 2026. You can nominate a site or suggest your own through a short survey we’re collecting now. Think of places that are accessible, open, welcoming, and not tied to the benefit of a single business or home. Places where people pass through without needing to spend a dollar. Places that could mean something more.

This is why public art exists. Not to decorate, but to make our neighborhoods more livable. To create spaces that invite conversation, curiosity, connection. To make visible the stories that hold us together.

If you feel curious about joining our next Hui Mo‘olelo cohort, know that what we’re asking isn’t small, but it is simple. We’re asking for your voice, your time, your presence. And in return, you’ll help carry forward the stories that shape Maui’s future.

Because Hui Mo‘olelo is more than murals. It’s about people. And we hope you’ll join us.

Preserving Our Stories at the Library of Congress: Through our collaboration with StoryCorps, all Hui Mo‘olelo recordings are published to the StoryCorps Archive and preserved at the American Folklife Center (AFC) of the Library of Congress, ensuring availability to future generations of researchers and historians. These recordings are processed and securely stored by StoryCorps before being transferred to the Library of Congress for long-term preservation. While the StoryCorps collection at the Library is currently a closed collection and not accessible to the public on-site, you can access these interviews through archive.storycorps.org/user/mauipublicart and archive.storycorps.org/user/stba. By participating, we are contributing to a growing national archive that reflects the diverse voices and experiences of people across the United States.

On June 11, 2025, Maui Public Art Corps' Hōkū Pavao led a community engagement session in support of Solomon Enos’ mural project inspired by the moʻolelo of Uncle “Gaby” Gouveia and Pualani Enos. Rooted in kuleana—our shared responsibility to care for one another, our stories, and our ʻāina, an intimate gathering at Kahului's Maui Family YMCA brought together community members, hula dancers, and Uncle Gaby himself to reflect, move, and connect.

Uncle Gaby shared deeply personal reflections on life, legacy, and love through the story of the manjiro, a moʻolelo passed down from his father and Uncle Earl. His words opened hearts, prompting spontaneous sharing among participants—stories of healing, memory, and the quiet power of affection. Live mele and hula deepened the moment. The group danced to “Puamana” and “Koali,” performed by Uncle Gaby, and offered a surprise hula to “Mele ʻOhana” as a gift back to him—an emotional exchange that brought the room together as one ʻohana. Uncle Gaby’s grandson, Waepua, was also present, and the shared aloha lifted what had started as a difficult day into something joyful and unforgettable.

As participant Luana Paahana reflected, “That experience may change our papa and individual’s lives. The lessons on life and ʻohana and the hug touched me deeply and many others, for sure.”

This gathering served as a powerful reminder that kuleana is not just duty—it is listening, dancing, remembering, and loving. It is healing through story.

Learn more about this project: mauipublicart.org/gaby

Public art is often seen as the final product—a mural on a wall, a sculpture in a courtyard, a performance unfolding in a public square. But Maui Public Art Corps understands that the most meaningful public art begins long before the artwork takes form. It begins with community, with conversation, and with a deep and intentional connection to place.

That connection is at the heart of Hui Mo‘olelo, a storytelling-based public art initiative developed in collaboration with the County of Maui that centers the voices, experiences, and cultural knowledge of our local community. This June, we invite you to become a part of that process through two free, carefully designed community engagement events that continue to grow from the stories and relationships built in past Hui Mo‘olelo programs.

On Monday, June 16, we’ll gather at Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for Talk-Story on the Land, a guided walk led by Scott Fisher, Director of ʻĀina Stewardship at Hawaiʻi Land Trust. This refuge, located within the moku of Wailuku, is more than a beautiful landscape—it is layered with the histories of ancient Hawaiian villages, restored fishponds, sacred sites, and native species brought back through years of dedicated stewardship. Scott Fisher, a past Hui Mo‘olelo participant and long-time advocate for ʻāina-based learning, brings these stories to life in a way that honors the intricate relationships between people and land. By walking this path together—listening, observing, and asking questions—we cultivate a deeper understanding of what it means to belong to a place, and how that understanding can shape art that truly reflects the soul of our community.

This gathering also supports the development of Pua Liʻiliʻi (small flowers), a new site-responsive performance by acclaimed Native Hawaiian choreographer Christopher Kaui Morgan. Christopher’s work, part of our Hui Mo‘olelo: Lei Pua ʻAla program, is deeply tied to the land, culture, and identities that have shaped Hawaiʻi, including those of our queer communities. His work offers an interpretation of the stories of Hōkū Pavao, Francis Taua, Sean-Joseph Takeo Kahāokalani Choo and William Haʻo. This connection between place and performance reminds us that boundaries are not always as defined as we imagine; Waiheʻe is not separate from Wailuku, but a vital part of it.

Then, on Thursday, June 19 from 9 to 11 a.m., we invite you to Maui Nui Botanical Gardens for a Lāʻau Lapaʻau Garden Tour & Philippine Plant Medicine Workshop led by Hui Mo‘olelo storytellers Namea Hoshino and Nicolita “Nicki” Garces. Set among more than 60 thriving varieties of Hawaiian kalo, this hands-on, story-rich workshop offers a rare opportunity to learn about both Hawaiian and Philippine healing traditions through the lens of two cultural practitioners deeply rooted in their communities.

Namea, raised in Lahaina and trained in Hawaiian Studies, has led years of cultural workshops on kalo and its role in Hawaiian identity and resilience. Nicki, a queer Filipinx healer and activist from Kalihi, shares traditional Hilot practices and plant wisdom passed down through generations. Together, they embody a multi-layered sense of place—one that honors lineage, survival, and transformation. This gathering informs the creation of a new Hui Mo‘olelo mural at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College by international artist Jay Gilleard, also known as Cbloxx. The mural will reflect the story of master stone carver Uncle Hōaka Delos Reyes, as recorded by Anuhea Yagi, and contemporary queer histories shared by Nicolita and fellow storyteller Ashley Ancheta Galacgac. It’s a piece that holds both tradition and identity in balance—and it begins with community.

By joining us for either or both of these events, you’re not just learning about the stories behind a work of art—you’re participating in the process of honoring them. You’re helping us remember that art is not just for us, but of us. Not just on the land, but of the land. And that our public spaces can carry meaning when they are shaped by the people who know them best.

We hope you’ll RSVP, show up, and add your voice to this growing tapestry of place-based storytelling and shared creation. These moments of connection are what make public art truly public—and deeply personal.

View our entire June 2025 lineup at https://mailchi.mp/mauipublicart/june2025