A Mural for Uncle Gaby
Solomon @ Ka’a Ike Building; Jay @ Kupaa Building; SEVEN @ Pilina Building
In June 2025, Maui Public Art Corps will produce three large-scale murals at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College in collaboration with the Maui Historical Society and the County of Maui through our Hui Moʻolelo program. Each mural is grounded in a story collected from the community — stories that speak of subsistence fishing, healing through plant medicine, and modern queer identity.
These murals are not just for the public, they are by the public. Each work is being designed through a collaborative process that includes community consultations, storytelling sessions, study of ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, and public workshops to help refine the artists' initial concepts into communally imagined artworks.
These murals are not just for the public, they are by the public. Each work is being designed through a collaborative process that includes community consultations, storytelling sessions, study of ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, and public workshops to help refine the artists' initial concepts into communally imagined artworks.
|
In 2023, Uncle “Gaby” Gouveia and Pualani Enos recorded a talk-story as part of our Hui Mo‘olelo program.
Professional artists from across the globe have submitted proposals to translate this story as a work of public art. Upon selection by a 2025 community panel, artist Solomon Enos entered a period of project development to infuse his proposal in Kahului history, culture and sense of place -- ultimately resulting in a freely accessible work created through community engagement. This page serves to track the progress of this public art project, which will be unveiled by June 30, 2025 on the campus of University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Listen to the story that has inspired this artwork: • Full Recording HERE • Excerpt HERE |
From the Artist
The interview that had the biggest impact on me, and this was a difficult choice as I listened to them all, is with Uncle Gaby Gouveia & Pualani Enos. There is a quintessential Maui flavor of sweetness, and both deep and broad cultural immersion. From fighting chickens with boxing gloves, to Uncle Gabby being invited to play catcher by the Kepani Uncle, to the advocacy for Hawaiian language, all the bases covered, home run!
It is with deep gratitude and aloha that I present this offering to create artwork for the wider Maui community. It was wonderful to listen to every one of the oral histories in this section, and I laughed out loud as often as I was brought to tears. It gave me such a dense “kūlolo” level of understanding of Maui’s ancient and contemporary history, and of my own family as a Honolulu “Enos”.
(My idea) is to create one or more trompe l‘oeil murals, where we take a wall and paint it as if it is not there. Instead, we see approximately what would have been there 30, 40, 50 or even 500 years ago. Here I can only do an approximate concept image as there are innumerable possibilities, but just for this example, we see through a wall and into and out of a hale from a time long ago.
It is with deep gratitude and aloha that I present this offering to create artwork for the wider Maui community. It was wonderful to listen to every one of the oral histories in this section, and I laughed out loud as often as I was brought to tears. It gave me such a dense “kūlolo” level of understanding of Maui’s ancient and contemporary history, and of my own family as a Honolulu “Enos”.
(My idea) is to create one or more trompe l‘oeil murals, where we take a wall and paint it as if it is not there. Instead, we see approximately what would have been there 30, 40, 50 or even 500 years ago. Here I can only do an approximate concept image as there are innumerable possibilities, but just for this example, we see through a wall and into and out of a hale from a time long ago.
|
Artist Bio: Enos' works reveal extraordinary talent with an adept ability to synthesize, articulate and shed light through a wide variety of artistic perspectives including oil/acrylic paintings, book illustrations, outdoor/public murals, Augmented Reality, mixed-media sculptures and game design. His creative process is a layered, yet versatile craft anchored to the curiosities of storytelling mixed with his own sensibilities. It is focused on equity and partnership building and holistically tailors itself to each unique context, elements and environment that presents itself.
In essence, Enos' artistic expressions contain maps to the embedded narratives centered around cultural best practices from Hawai'i's past fused with contemporary and global sciences and wisdom where the future of Hawai'i, it's people, and its resources are harmoniously woven together. By maximizing healthy, regenerative, collaborative pathways and (eco)systems we collectively support global justice, peace and sustainability |
Community Consultations
Uncle Gaby Gouveia, Pualani Enos, Jocelyn Romero Demirbag and Michael Takemoto
|
Sissy Lake-Farm
|
Project Timeline
- 5/13/22: Pualani completes Hui Mo‘olelo training under Leilehua Yuen
- 12/2023: Pualani captures talk-story recording with Uncle Gaby
- 3/1/25: 2025 RFP is distributed with a 3/31/25 proposal deadline
- 3/31/25: Solomon applies for Hui Mo‘olelo program
- 4/11/25: Public art project panel reviews & artist vetting complete
- 4/14/25: Issue artist contracts
- 4/22/25: Artist orientation & ‘Ōlelo No‘eau meetings (WATCH)
- Ongoing: Community consultations & storyteller meetings hosted by MPAC
- 5/2/25: Uncle Gaby Gouveia, Pualani Enos, Jocelyn Romero Demirbag and Michael Takemoto Community Consultation with Solomon Enos (WATCH)
- 5/7/25: Distribute press release #1
- 5/8/25: "Large-scale murals coming to UH Maui College through community-driven art project" (Maui Now)
- 5/8/25: eNewsletter artist announcement + mural survey (READ)
- 5/13/25: Deadline for preliminary mural design stakeholder review
- 5/13/25: Hoe wa‘a with Uncle Gaby at Nā Kai 'Ewalu Canoe Club, Kahului
- May & June: Hands-on community engagement activities (will include kanakapila with Uncle Gaby and mural tours with Hōkū Pavao)
- 6/9/25: Final design review
- 6/11/25: Artwork feedback/ revisions request deadline
- 6/13/25: Earliest date to begin painting
- 6/27/25: Mural blessing led by Uncle Bill Garcia & public unveiling event at UHMC
- 6/30/25: Project end date/ deadline to apply top coat/ sealant
INTERNAL NOTE: Community engagement may include ukulele jam/ workshop with Uncle Gaby + hoe waʻa + panel discussion + Wailuku "walk story" mural tours
Concept Development
|
Initial concept submitted with Solomon's proposal on 3/31/25.
(My idea) is to create one or more trompe l‘oeil murals, where we take a wall and paint it as if it is not there. Instead, we see approximately what would have been there 30, 40, 50 or even 500 years ago. Here I can only do an approximate concept image as there are innumerable possibilities, but just for this example, we see through a wall and into and out of a hale from a time long ago. |
|
Revised concept submitted for preliminary review on 5/13/25. Note that the composition is now divided into 6 sections to suit the assigned wall for Solomon's mural (Ka’a Ike).
The idea almost has a kind of book-shelf format, which is the connotation of all our lives being one on-going epic story. This is a metaphorical series of stories, and “stories” in the sense of a building, of Maui’s history through the heart and eyes of Anakala Gaby. To this end and at this stage, it needs to be a relatively blank “page”. Here we see an illusion, as if the roof above has opened up, creating a kind of courtyard open to the sky within the building. In this courtyard, with a hint of Maurice Sendak and more so Jean Charlot in aesthetic, and absolutely lots of yours truly, we see two trees, each framed by the middle divider. Climbing those trees are the folks from Anakala`s mo`olelo, and a few from the near future, and a few from the deep past. The higher you go, the further up into the past, and the folks in the artwork are helping each outer up, joyfully and with a kind of calm enthusiasm. Some folks are in conversation with each other, and at least one person is welcoming the viewer to climb on up!:) |