KAHULUI

A Mural for Aunty Nanifay

Located at 25 Kahului Beach Road, home of Ceramic Tile Plus & Exclusively Yours Design, this mural is artist Oscar Lett's interpretation of a story shared by Women Helping Women lifetime achievement awardee Nanifay Paglinawan and Pualani Enos of the UH Mānoa Matsunaga Institute for Peace

Rooted in ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Pipili no ka pīlali i ke kumu kukui (The pīlali gun sticks to the kukui tree: Said of one who remains close to a loved one all the time, as a child may cling to the grandparent they love), the artwork resulted from our Hui Mo‘olelo program, which Pualani completed under the guidance of Leilehua Yuen in 2022. Her recorded story with Aunty Nanifay recounts harsh persecution and punishment endured for speaking ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i, reflecting a stark contrast to today’s celebration of Hawaiian culture, a mere 50 years later. When asked what it means to have her story transformed into a work of public art, Pualani responded “It makes me as a Hawaiian, as a tiny blip on our 4,000 year history of being and knowing, feel seen rather than invisible. Hawai’i treasures, our value, displayed as invincible for all to see.” The mural was supported by the Maui Public Art Youth Task Force and celebrated during a public blessing and unveiling at the Kahului site led by Uncle Bill Garcia on April 6, 2024. 

Pop-Up Performance @ The Great Lawn

​On Nov 5, 2023, a recorded interview between Hui Mo‘olelo participant Lopaka White and water-woman Aunty Sally Ann Delos Reyes of Lahaina was presented as a work of public art performed on the Great Lawn of the University of Hawaiʻi-Maui College Campus in Kahului. 

Bringing the audio recording to life, which includes stories of the "deep, deep blue," using a rope to navigate to the surface after a deep sea dive, fishing with Aunty Sally Ann's father in Lahaina, crossing the ʻAuʻau channel and more, Maui's Adaptations Dance Theater (ADT) and Hāna-grown musician Stephen Henderson collaboratively performed live work inspired and composed by the talk-story.

Following workshops with the Kahului community, ADT and Henderson presented this one-time-only work for a live audience as an expression of public art connecting people, place and story through a participatory process. 

Fitness Courts @ Maui County Parks

In October & November 2023, mural designs were created for two new Fitness Courts at Keōpūolani Regional Park and Kahului Community Center Park (see map). For each of the two structures, artists collected community feedback to inspire the compositions of site-specific public artworks, which will be printed by our project partners and installed as 32-foot vinyl wraps in 2024. Each project is connected to ‘ōlelo from Mary Kawena Pukui’s ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings, in partnership with Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society. Click the project page links below to learn more about each site's mural. 

Animated Stories

​In September 2022, two Kahului-rooted audio recording excerpts were chosen from our Hui Mo‘olelo archive by artist Richard O'Connor and team to interpret as distinct works of public art. Upon selection by our community jury, Richard began a period of project development to infuse his proposal in a Kahului sense of place. The stories were unveiled as short film animations before a live audience on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at ʻĪao Theater.

​This work was inspired by our previous work with Leilehua Yuen, StoryCorps DIY and Ball State University. 

A Mural for Aunty Kekoa

Located at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului, this mural is artist Fathima Mohiuddin's interpretation of a recorded talk-story between Aunty Kekoa Enomoto of ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu and Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s Kauwela Bisquera. Inspired by ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: I ka noho pu ana a ‘ike i ke aloha, (it is only when one has lived with another that one knows the meaning of love), the artwork is meant to represent the "warrior women” portrayed in the recording (available on the project page). The design was supported through nine community consultations, two hands-on workshops at Imua Immersion Preschool's Kahului campus, and celebrated during a December 2022 public blessing and unveiling led by Uncle Bill Garcia.