Tide Together: A Mural for Uncle Sheldon
Rooted in ‘Ōlelo No‘eau #2758: Pūpūkāhi I holomua [Unite in order to progress]
Location: Pāʻia Sugar Mill | 300 Baldwin Ave. Pāʻia, HI | Blessing Event program
Location: Pāʻia Sugar Mill | 300 Baldwin Ave. Pāʻia, HI | Blessing Event program
Click for short project documentary
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In 2025, Pāʻia's Andrea Kealoha joined the County of Maui's & Maui Public Art Corps' Hui Moʻolelo storytelling intensive led by Sissy Lake-Farm, where she recorded an intergenerational conversation with her father, Sheldon. Artist Efren Rebugio was selected through a community panel process to transform their story into a site-specific mural, developed over months of collaboration with the storytellers, cultural advisors, community members, and our team. Listen to the inspiration for this project:
Andrea Kealoha, Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa & her father Sheldon Kealoha • Full Recording HERE • Excerpt HERE |
Artist Statement
“Tide Together” explores the enduring relationships between the people of Pa’ia and the ocean, and how the sea and community continually shape one another over generations. Just as the waters bring change, the people bring traditions, knowledge, and opportunities forward into the future.
Throughout the mural, visual metaphors celebrate this interconnectedness. Braided ti leaves symbolize individual lives woven together in service of something greater. Fish transition between vibrant color and grayscale, acknowledging both what has changed over time and the excitement to envision what lies ahead. The portraits represent the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next, while movement flows through organic forms, reflecting the rhythms of wind, waves, and daily life.
Ultimately, this mural is an invitation to see ourselves as contributors to the whole and to the places we call home. Like the tide, a thriving community is shaped not by any one person, but by many people flowing together.
Throughout the mural, visual metaphors celebrate this interconnectedness. Braided ti leaves symbolize individual lives woven together in service of something greater. Fish transition between vibrant color and grayscale, acknowledging both what has changed over time and the excitement to envision what lies ahead. The portraits represent the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next, while movement flows through organic forms, reflecting the rhythms of wind, waves, and daily life.
Ultimately, this mural is an invitation to see ourselves as contributors to the whole and to the places we call home. Like the tide, a thriving community is shaped not by any one person, but by many people flowing together.
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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Pāʻia Sugar Mill Team
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Bruce Uʻu and Nohe Uʻu-Hodgins
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Brian McCafferty
Mahalo
- Storytellers: Andrea & Sheldon Kealoha
- Kumu Mo‘olelo: Sissy Lake-Farm
- Community Consultants: Nicole David | Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance | Dan Ellis | Pāʻia Sugar Mill | Bruce U'u | Nohe U'u-Hodgins | Brian McCafferty | MPAC panelists
- Workshop participants from the MAMA Corp education cohort
- Sponsors: County of Maui & Atherton Family Foundation
Project Timeline
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