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"Recently I was interviewed for a project conducted by Small Town Big Art here in Wailuku, Maui. Although I was not sure what I could contribute to the project that was aimed at collecting “sense of place” stories, by the time I left the nearly one-hour interview, lots of thoughts were floating in my mind. Since I arrived on Maui roughly 30 years ago, I have been accumulating information that, unrecognized by me, was slowly filling in the blank spaces of my life, forming the connections I needed to truly understand this journey of discovery. I am at peace with the life that I have created for myself here on Maui, with my familial relationships, my formed relationships, my career, and my future." — Aunty Kaho'iwai Belsom
"For context—because ST*BA is all about building community through art—I hoped to contribute to the story of “the tenacity of the o’opu” through the lens of introducing a new human to our art-filled community and watching these new works come to life. Which reminds me that I’d like to share totally personal plug for the ST*BA website. If you have not explored that site yet, berah, grab your snorkel and your fins and dive in ‘cause it is an enchanting sea cave of insight and robust resources to explore the processes of these projects. For example, you can spock da project pages and watch the recorded artist-and community consultation meetings—which were wonderful to listen to. Some of them are just under an hour each. That sounds like a lot (and at first it felt voyeuristic listening to someone else’s meetings) but then you see what’s happening and you’re like: Oh, wow. Cool. And you’re hooked! The website is a neat window into the depth of processes for the art itself. But moreover, the additional stories brought forth really stoked in me an alohaful understanding of this place and the people of this place—in a way that I don’t know how I could have gained otherwise.
I urge you to check it out for yourself; because it will give you something that all the writing in the world couldn’t—you’ve just gotta dive in and check ‘em go check." — Anuhea Yagi
"This is an important program not just for Wailuku but to demonstrate the value of public art and how it's essential to the lives and quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and visits the town. The county does not have a Percent for Art requirement and I hope this effort leads to that. We are way behind the times for this! Keep up the good work." – David Yamashita
“Working with ST*BA has been a very unique experience in that you are truly listening to community members and what they bring to the table. I’ve been energized and touched by the memories and knowledge that’s been shared with me, and I hope to create a reflection of woven images that we can all relate to and see ourselves as part of.” — Sachelle Dae
“I am really impressed by how ST*BA has worked with bringing the community into all of their projects. Sometimes the community engagement is something that a public art project will claim to have, but in actuality, is only a minimal part of it. As I’ve been transitioning to do more public art projects over the past few years, from primarily making work for galleries and museums, I’ve most enjoyed the projects where I get to have a real connection to the people in a community. This type of connection allows for the art that gets made to be much richer and meaningful for those who have been a part of making it happen.” — Lori Hepner
“I’m really grateful to SMALL TOWN * BIG ART, Adaptations Dance Theater and the County of Maui for this coming together. I strongly believe that art should be accessible and it should be in public spaces. It should be seen and shared, and it takes a step of a whole place, a whole community, a whole island for that to really happen — and for everyone to believe that it should be funded, it should be seen. I just feel tremendously grateful for this project and these organizations, that they’re making an effort to do that and to change the way that artists are able to work.” — Hallie Hunt
“I was pretty blown away by Friday evening, as was the colleague who came with me. I want to do that!!! I am so drawn to the storytelling, the history aspect, the art involved — all of it. Mahalo for helping to make that happen. I look forward to where it’s all going and how I can be a part of it.” — Jocelyn Romero Demirbag
"Finally a public art program on Maui!! I hope it becomes a model for more public art and percent for the arts in Hawaii in general. The program gets children and adults outside and gives them a platform for dialogue about local culture and history as well as inspiring creativity. You are bringing public art to the forefront of a struggling community, henceforth enriching and improving the quality of life and bringing outsiders in the town." – Jessica Bodner
"For context—because ST*BA is all about building community through art—I hoped to contribute to the story of “the tenacity of the o’opu” through the lens of introducing a new human to our art-filled community and watching these new works come to life. Which reminds me that I’d like to share totally personal plug for the ST*BA website. If you have not explored that site yet, berah, grab your snorkel and your fins and dive in ‘cause it is an enchanting sea cave of insight and robust resources to explore the processes of these projects. For example, you can spock da project pages and watch the recorded artist-and community consultation meetings—which were wonderful to listen to. Some of them are just under an hour each. That sounds like a lot (and at first it felt voyeuristic listening to someone else’s meetings) but then you see what’s happening and you’re like: Oh, wow. Cool. And you’re hooked! The website is a neat window into the depth of processes for the art itself. But moreover, the additional stories brought forth really stoked in me an alohaful understanding of this place and the people of this place—in a way that I don’t know how I could have gained otherwise.
I urge you to check it out for yourself; because it will give you something that all the writing in the world couldn’t—you’ve just gotta dive in and check ‘em go check." — Anuhea Yagi
"This is an important program not just for Wailuku but to demonstrate the value of public art and how it's essential to the lives and quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and visits the town. The county does not have a Percent for Art requirement and I hope this effort leads to that. We are way behind the times for this! Keep up the good work." – David Yamashita
“Working with ST*BA has been a very unique experience in that you are truly listening to community members and what they bring to the table. I’ve been energized and touched by the memories and knowledge that’s been shared with me, and I hope to create a reflection of woven images that we can all relate to and see ourselves as part of.” — Sachelle Dae
“I am really impressed by how ST*BA has worked with bringing the community into all of their projects. Sometimes the community engagement is something that a public art project will claim to have, but in actuality, is only a minimal part of it. As I’ve been transitioning to do more public art projects over the past few years, from primarily making work for galleries and museums, I’ve most enjoyed the projects where I get to have a real connection to the people in a community. This type of connection allows for the art that gets made to be much richer and meaningful for those who have been a part of making it happen.” — Lori Hepner
“I’m really grateful to SMALL TOWN * BIG ART, Adaptations Dance Theater and the County of Maui for this coming together. I strongly believe that art should be accessible and it should be in public spaces. It should be seen and shared, and it takes a step of a whole place, a whole community, a whole island for that to really happen — and for everyone to believe that it should be funded, it should be seen. I just feel tremendously grateful for this project and these organizations, that they’re making an effort to do that and to change the way that artists are able to work.” — Hallie Hunt
“I was pretty blown away by Friday evening, as was the colleague who came with me. I want to do that!!! I am so drawn to the storytelling, the history aspect, the art involved — all of it. Mahalo for helping to make that happen. I look forward to where it’s all going and how I can be a part of it.” — Jocelyn Romero Demirbag
"Finally a public art program on Maui!! I hope it becomes a model for more public art and percent for the arts in Hawaii in general. The program gets children and adults outside and gives them a platform for dialogue about local culture and history as well as inspiring creativity. You are bringing public art to the forefront of a struggling community, henceforth enriching and improving the quality of life and bringing outsiders in the town." – Jessica Bodner