A Mural for Uncle Sheldon
Announcing Our Latest Hui Moʻolelo Project Rooted in the Rhythms of Pāʻia
COMING IN JULY 2026!
COMING IN JULY 2026!
Maui Public Art Corps is honored to announce our latest public art project currently underway at the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill. This installment of our Hui Moʻolelo program in partnership with the County of Maui serves as a visual bridge between the town’s industrial past and the enduring coastal identity of its people. A community panel has selected Texas-based muralist Efren Rebugio Jr. to serve as the creative vessel for this mural project. Rather than bringing a predetermined vision, Efren will act as a facilitator, co-creating a site-specific mural that translates authentic local stories of Pāʻia into a communal landmark. We are grateful to the Pāʻia Sugar Mill for providing the canvas to host this important tribute to the neighborhood's heritage.
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The design will be rooted in the memories shared by Andrea and Sheldon Kealoha through our Hui Moʻolelo program. Their conversation depicts Pāʻia as a foundational anchor of identity, where family roots are inextricably tied to the sugarcane fields and the surrounding ocean. This narrative celebrates a "vibrant playground" of the past, where children navigated secret pathways between plantation homes and crafted their own surfboards—and honors a multi-generational legacy of skilled fishing that once fed a diverse community of plantation workers. Grounded in ʻōlelo noʻeau, "Hoʻokahi nō lāʻau like ka maʻua" (We two are like one tree), the artwork will explore this profound respect for the ancestral shoreline and surrounding area that continues to call its people home.
Andrea Kealoha, Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa & her father Sheldon Kealoha • Full Recording HERE • Excerpt HERE |
About the Artist
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Efren Rebugio Jr. is a first-generation Filipino American muralist based in Austin, Texas, known for vibrant, immersive works that blend color, movement, and cultural storytelling. Influenced by graffiti culture and shaped by his upbringing along the coastlines of Florida and Hawaiʻi, his work celebrates individuality, community, and shared humanity.
A self-taught artist with a background in graphic design, Rebugio draws inspiration from local flora, fauna, and cultural narratives to create murals that resonate with the communities where they live. His projects span festivals and public art initiatives as well as corporate and private commissions nationwide, with work that uplifts spaces, honors resilience and cultural identity, and encourages connection to one another and the natural world |
Community Consultations
Through a structured process of community consultation and participation, Maui Public Art Corps guides each artist’s proposal as it evolves into a public artwork co-authored by community voices and rooted in the stories of place.
Sissy Lake-Farm
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ʻOhana Kealoha
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Project Timeline
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