A Mural for Uncle Louis Garcia III

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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.
In 2024, Louis Garcia III & Kaliko Storer of Lāhainā recorded a talk-story as part of our Hui Mo‘olelo: Lāhainā 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 Eric Finley, also known as SEVEN, 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:
Louis Garcia III & Kaliko Storer of Lāhainā
​• Full Recording HERE (Bonus Video)​​
• Excerpt HERE

From the Artist

I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for such a meaningful and expansive community art project such as Hui Mo‘olelo. Within community, I believe that sharing meaningful stories and insights through the use of various art forms can be a very powerful tool of expression and connection. I believe sharing these stories is important and we can learn from them. The opportunity to make connections and form new relationships through creative collaboration can be very rewarding in many ways beyond just the art. My design approach in relation to the art is to remain open minded and flexible when in consideration of others input.

The project I have proposed is a mural depicting a scene in the life of a fisherman catching a giant ulua fish. I selected the excerpt featuring Louis Garcia and his story about catching a 92 pound ulua fish and his gift for catching these fish. Through listening, I realized how important of a role fishing and the lakes and seas in general play in the lives of the island community. I see creative ways to highlight the importance of this relationship between humans and nature. I would like to include in my community engagement a creative way for the community to collaborate and inform the development of the concept design by creating poems about the topic. The poems will then be used as inspiration to develop the visual concept further. I would like to leave open the selection of a proverb so that one can be selected that is most appropriate at the proper stage of concept development.
Artist Bio: SEVEN began his artistic career as a young child drawing cartoon and television characters. He continued to practice and refine his drawing skills throughout his adolescence mostly inspired by comic books and fashion magazines. After high school he attended art school and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts. While attending art school in Atlanta, Georgia, SEVEN became a rather notable graffiti artist . Throughout the years his new found passion eventually evolved into a high level of mural painting execution and a reputation for being a pioneering artist of the mural art scene in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After a 7 year tenure as a middle school computer technology instructor, SEVEN decided to pursue his passion as a professional muralist full-time. SEVEN has since become an established professional muralist who also paints large scale canvas artworks in addition to freelancing as an illustrator and graphic designer.

Community Consultations

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Kaliko Storer, Louis Garcia III, Darice Garcia, Jocelyn Romero Demirbag & Derek Snyder and Theo Morrison
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‘Ōlelo No‘eau with Sissy Lake-Farm
On May 10, 2025, we hosted a Hui Mo‘olelo: Lāhainā songwriting workshop at ProArts Playhouse in Kīhei. Led by guest musician Sara Jelley, community members were invited to reflect deeply on the moʻolelo of Louis Garcia III—a devoted lawaiʻa of Lāhainā—and to help shape the creative direction of SEVEN’s forthcoming mural. Inspired by Louis’s recorded talk-story with Kaliko Storer, participants explored themes of kuleana, ancestral connection, and the spiritual dimensions of fishing. Through guided songwriting and discussion, the group uncovered resonant messages of perseverance, gratitude, and the importance of sharing one’s blessings. These reflections culminated in the collaborative drafting of a powerful original song--Pule, Catch Fish and Share, that amplifies Louis’s message through music, honoring both the man and the moʻolelo that continues to ripple through the community.

Project Timeline

  • 6/21/24: Launch Hui Mo‘olelo: Lāhainā; complete round 1 public art projects in Feb 2025 | Workshop #1 LINK (6/21/24) | Workshop #2 LINK (6/28/24) | Workshop #3 LINK (7/5/24) | Wellness with Aloha LINK (7/12/24)
  • 3/1/25: RFP is distributed with a 3/31/25 proposal deadline
  • 3/30/25: Eric/ SEVEN 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)
  • 5/6/25: Community consultation with Kaliko Storer, Louis Garcia III, Darice Garcia, Jocelyn Romero Demirbag & Derek Snyder (University of Hawai‘i Foundation) and Theo Morrison (Lāhainā Restoration Foundation) (WATCH)
  • 5/7/25: Press Release: New Hui Mo‘olelo Mural Series Launches at UH Maui College, Honoring Maui Stories of Healing, Resilience & Identity (READ)
  • 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)
  • 5/10/25: Free Community Songwriting Workshop @ ProArts Playhouse
  • TBD: Additional community consultations pending
  • 5/13/25: Deadline for preliminary mural design stakeholder review
  • 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 for SEVEN to apply top coat/ sealant

INTERNAL NOTE: Community engagement activities may include: songwriting/ mele/ poetry session with musician/s or poet/s based on the selected moolelo + follow-up during Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ) Summit 2025 (link) + Lāhainā huakaʻi tbd


Concept Development

Initial concept submitted with SEVEN's proposal on 3/30/25.

The project I have proposed is a mural depicting a scene in the life of a fisherman catching a giant ulua fish. I selected the excerpt featuring Louis Garcia and his story about catching a 92 pound ulua fish and his gift for catching these fish. Through listening, I realized how important of a role fishing and the lakes and seas in general play in the lives of the island community. I see creative ways to highlight the importance of this relationship between humans and nature.