The Public Artist: Process & Collaboration

​In the world of community engagement and space planning, the debate between traditional Art-in-Public-Places programs and the rising trend of Public Art is gaining momentum. Both approaches seek to infuse creativity into our communal landscapes, but they do so in fundamentally different ways. Since our beginnings, we've closely explored the nuances and key distinctions between these two approaches, shedding light on why Public Art has become a catalyst for more meaningful, sustainable, and community-centric transformations.

In essence, Public Art is more about engaging and involving the community, while Art in Public Places is about enhancing public spaces with permanent or semi-permanent art installations. Both are vital components to a thriving arts community. Maui Public Art Corps focuses on participatory, public art that connects people, places and stories through each works' process of development. 

Here, Maui Public Art Corps featured artist Stephen Henderson sheds more light on his process and collaboration as he meet with one of the storytellers whose words he will be presenting in musical form this Sunday, November 5, 2023:

We found his spreadsheet so enlightening, that we created a bit-sized graphic for public consumption (click to be directed to his detailed logic model):

After our talk-story above, Stephen followed up with the lyrics to one of the five pieces that he will be sharing at the performance, to which Adaptations Dance Theater will choreograph and perform to simultaneously:

Mele ‘o Kanahā

E hele kakou i ke kahakai
He’e nalu me na manu kokoke
Ka nalu nani ‘o Kanahā
Ka nalu nani ‘o Kanahā

E hele kakou i ke kahakai
Kūkulu loko me na i’a kokoke
Ka loko i’a ‘o Kanahā
Ka loko i’a ‘o Kanahā

E hele kakou i ke kahakai
Hoe wa’a me na mano kokoke
E hoe wa’a ma Kanahā
E hoe wa’a ma Kanahā

E hele kakou i ke kahakai
Kanu i ke kalo me na keiki kokoke
Ke keiki kalo ‘o Kanahā
Ka lo’i kalo o Kanahā

Ha’ina ia mai ana ka puana
Mālama ʻāina me na ‘ohana kokoke
‘Ohana ‘aina o Kanahā
‘Ohana ‘aina o Kanahā

The artist goes on to share the following:

"I first heard the talk story between Aunty Sally Ann Delos Reyes and Lopaka White when I was approached as a candidate to provide a musical narrative to a collaborative public art piece about Aunty Sally Ann and rooted in themes and messages that she inspires us to all live for.

I have the honor of listening to her stories, of learning from them and interpreting them into musical form.

Sally is a hero, a true water woman, a lifesaver; she is a mother, a grandmother, a sister, and a source of generational mana’o from her makua from her home in Pū‘ukoli‘i  on the west side of Maui stretching to the far reaches of Na Moku ‘o Hawaii and the surrounding Pacific Ocean. She’s traveled everywhere, flies planes, dances hula, dives through deep water, swims channels, surfs huge waves, saves islands, knows the resident sharks, protects the coastline, is a legendary canoe paddler and cares deeply for her ‘ohana, her community and her island home.

Aunty Sally - your graciousness, great love, humility, goodness, and bravery inspire me in every way. I hope with my heart that this brings you Joy and reflects the Joy you bring others back to you. Hau'oli lā hānau."

We hope to see you at this poignant performance this Sunday. Details HERE.