Perfect Days
Rooted in ‘Ōlelo No‘eau TBD (currently under development with cultural team)
This public art project by artist Richard O’Connor and team is currently being developed through Maui Public Art Corps’ Hui Mo‘olelo program. Selected through a public panel process, the project transforms four Lāhainā talk-story recordings into a series of short animated films that honor the voices, memories, and lived experiences of Lāhainā residents across generations.
Drawing from stories of plantation-era childhoods, fishing traditions, community-raised families, environmental stewardship, and enduring aloha, the films explore the cultural identity and resilience of Lāhainā through animation and sound. The completed works are scheduled to premiere in August 2026.
While the films can be experienced in a traditional theater setting, the artists ultimately envision them as a multi-screen immersive installation where visitors can move among the stories, experiencing individual voices or the collective conversation of Lāhainā's people. Together, the works create a space for reflection and connection, inviting audiences to engage deeply with the stories that continue to shape the community. Check back soon for updates!
Enjoy the stories that provide each animation's audio track below:
Drawing from stories of plantation-era childhoods, fishing traditions, community-raised families, environmental stewardship, and enduring aloha, the films explore the cultural identity and resilience of Lāhainā through animation and sound. The completed works are scheduled to premiere in August 2026.
While the films can be experienced in a traditional theater setting, the artists ultimately envision them as a multi-screen immersive installation where visitors can move among the stories, experiencing individual voices or the collective conversation of Lāhainā's people. Together, the works create a space for reflection and connection, inviting audiences to engage deeply with the stories that continue to shape the community. Check back soon for updates!
Enjoy the stories that provide each animation's audio track below:
About the Artist
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Richard O'Connor has been involved in creating animation for nearly 30 years. In that time he has produced around 250 short films -both independent and on contract - dozens of commercials, a feature film, and sequences for at least 25 documentaries. These have included theatrical features (Frank Oz' "The Stepford Wives", Merchant/Ivory's "White Countess", Rebecca Miller's "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee"), documentaries ("Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns", "Chicago Ten", "Nursery University"), television (Nickelodeon's "Kablam!", Cartoon Network's "Big Bag", PBS' "Between the Lions") and commercials. Richard writes about things -usually animated things, but not always. He has taught at Parsons School of Design, NYU, University of the Arts, and Rhode Island School Design.
His small crew at Ace & Son Moving Picture Company has been creating animation together for a decade. The studio focuses on independent, educational and documentary animation. Headquartered in a 19th Century stable a stone's throw from the Gowanus Canal, the studio prioritizes traditional drawing and material-based animation processes mixed with contemporary graphics and cinematic sensibility. MORE: https://www.aceandson.com/ |
Past Work
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See all of Richard's past Maui Public Art Corps projects on our Film Festivals page HERE
Community Consultations
Hydrologist Chris Shuler
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Cultural consultation
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Lahaina Storytellers
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Project Timeline
- 11/11/25: Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina workshop #1 of 3 led by Kaliko Storer
- 11/18/25: Hui Mo‘olelo workshop #2 of 3
- 11/25/25: Hui Mo‘olelo workshop #3 of 3
- 12/17/25: Wellness with Aloha resource workshop with Amy Peterson of Maui Behavioral Health Wildfire Response (MBHWR)/ Hawai’i State Department of Health + Kamaile Luke of the Lahaina Comprehensive Health Center
- 3/9/26: Public art RFQ is released with a 4/7 deadline
- 4/6/26: Richard O'Connor submits application to interpret 4 Hui Mo‘olelo: Lāhainā recordings as animated film shorts; community panels commence
- 5/1/26: Contracts issued
- 5/8/26: Community consultation with storytellers Cornelio Bancaco Jr. Noelle Storer, Kanoelani Kenolio, Hoku Delatori, Mr. Tom Fujita, Dean Tokishi, Trinity, Kyla and Nayah (WATCH)
- 6/05/26: What We're Building Together: June Updates from Maui Public Art Corps (eNewsletter)
- 6/30/26: Cultural consultation with Sissy Lake-Farm (WATCH)
- 7/2/26: Community consultation with Dr. Chris Shuler, hydrologist and Assistant Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) (WATCH)
- 8/8/26: Unveiling deadline
- 9/18/26: Hui Mo‘olelo: Lāhainā Film Festival at NYU, as part of the Lāhainā Think Space project