Listening First: A New Public Art Project in Wailuku

Public art isn’t about decoration. It is a living conversation that reshapes how we see ourselves and one another, and how we ground our shared sense of place into the public realm. At its best, public art emerges from the voices of a community, not from a single creator; it is protocol before product, place before performance, and connection before concept.

That is the spirit animating a forthcoming pop-up performance in Wailuku rooted in intergenerational talk-stories from Hui Mo‘olelo — Maui Public Art Corps’ signature storytelling and public art program created in partnership with the County of Maui. The performance's creative spark comes from two deeply resonant Hui Mo‘olelo recordings: Uncle Eugene Kaho‘ohanohano and Aunty Marjorie Kahalaomapuana, each in conversation with teaching artist (and son) Francis Tauʻa. But the performance is only a beginning; a place where we gather to listen together, reflect together, and talk story about who we are and where we come from.

Hui Mo‘olelo (a gathering of stories) began as a community-rooted effort to capture lived experience through intergenerational talk-story recordings. Participants engage in workshops and then sit with kūpuna and neighbors to record narratives that anchor identity to specific places across Maui County. More than memories, these recordings are raw material for public art that foregrounds voice, memory, culture and aloha. 

Over recent years, Hui Mo‘olelo has grown from a local storytelling initiative into a dynamic public art reservoir that informs murals, exhibitions, animated films, utility box art, mele, and performance. Currently, our Hui Mo‘olelo: Kahului exhibit at Queen Ka'ahumanu Center provides open access to talk-stories through portraits and QR-linked audio, inviting broader engagement and prompting visitors to listen before they interpret. 

Artist Lee Cataluna’s working draft script Tasty Crust draws on the cadence of everyday talk — breakfast conversations where Marjorie and Eugene share “small kid time” memories in Happy Valley and Waihe‘e, reflecting on childhood, care, work, respect, and Maui’s evolving landscape. Critically, the performance is not an auteur’s soliloquy, but rather a shared site of exchange. Her role is to be a vessel for the stories and community ties that have already been revealed through Francis' participation in Hui Mo‘olelo. The voices of he and his parents are not “inspiration” in the abstract; they are the living source material from which the performance must grow. Any adaptation of these stories must honor their nuance, rhythm, and care for place and people.

The community is invited to help shape this performance in two key ways:

1. Host a Workshop: Organizations, cultural groups, and community hubs are invited to gather for read-throughs, feedback sessions or hands-on arts activities that share your own depictions of what was heard in the recordings. These sessions foster dialogue between storytellers, place-keepers, and the performance team. 
2. Take the Survey: Contribute to how the performance is structured, staged, and understood by sharing reflections through this brief survey. 

What Public Art Means in This Context

Public art in this community-driven model is:

• Rooted in Place: Anchored in the lived stories and memories of kūpuna, families, youth, and residents.
• Dialogic: Always a conversation, never a finished object, the art invites response and ongoing participation.
• Transformative: Helping communities see their histories and futures as interconnected. 

To the people of Wailuku, let this project shape the breath of a community remembering itself and its shared hopes for the future. 

Note: While this specific project is no longer moving forward, we remain committed to honoring the community stories highlighted throughout this process. We extend our sincere gratitude to the artist for their beautiful proposal and collaboration.