POP-UP PERFORMANCE: Tanama Colibri

Grounded in ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: He poʻo ulu ko na mea kanu (Plants have heads that grow again. An assurance that if you break off the top of a plant, it will put forth a new one), singer, songwriter, author and poet Tanama Colibri performed a 30-minute public pop-up performance featuring original songs inspired by both Kahoʻolawe and Wailuku on May 11, 2023. Following a 4-day trip to Kahoʻolawe, which is only accessible through volunteer work accesses with either the ​Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission or the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, Tanama worked closely with community members with special ties to this place to create music that celebrates its unique character and stories. A one-time-only/ pop-up performance was held in Wailuku Town as part of the SMALL TOWN * BIG ART initiative, which additionally featured original music celebrating its distinctive sense of place, history and culture. 

Performance Details: 
Kalana O Maui, County Building Front Lawn, Wailuku at 200 S. High Street
Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 5:00 to 5:45 PM
BYO Lawn Chair
Photos of 4/17 ʻĪao Intermediate School workshop + April volunteer Kahoʻolawe access + May 11 pop-up performance by Matt Pierce

Project Timeline

  • 5/11/23: Pop-up performance at Kalana O Maui, County Building Front Lawn, in Wailuku at 200 S. High Street 
  • 5/10/23: KAOI Radio Show with Cindy Paulos promoting artist Tanama Colibri (Listen)
  • 5/10/23: "Free performance by Wailuku musician, spoken word artist Tanama Colibri May 11"​ (Maui Now)
  • 5/9/23: Community consultations with Kylee Mar, Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana
  • 5/9/23: Tanama to confirm ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, selected in partnership with Sissy Lake-Farm and community
  • 5/9/23: Press release #2 distributed to invite the public to May 11 Pop-Up Performance! 
  • 4/27/23: Community consultations with retired KIRC Administrative Officer Kaʻonohi Lee and Tanya Lee-Greig, Principal Investigator, Partner at ʻĀina Archaeology
  • 4/21/23: Tanama participates in 4-day volunteer access of the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve, in partnership with the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission
  • 4/18/23: "Tanama Colibri at elementary school" (KITV Island News)
  • 4/18/23: "Artist of Small Town * Big Art creates Wailuku inspired music with ʻĪao Intermediate School" (Maui Now)
  • 4/17/23: Tanama workshops Wailuku musical compositions with ʻĪao Intermediate School's 6th grade classes, in partnership with Donelle Sakuma
  • 4/4/23: ‘Ōlelo No‘eau meeting with Sissy Lake-Farm of Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society (WATCH)
  • 3/23/23: Artist orientation meeting
  • 3/16/23: Tanama's proposal is selected by Maui Public Art Corps/ SMALL TOWN * BIG ART. The team commissions Tanama to create a 20-30 minute set of original music that is steeped in the history, culture and sense of place of A) Kahoʻolawe and B) Wailuku, to be performed live in Wailuku Town in May 2023. 
Picture
‘Ōlelo No‘eau Meeting with Sissy Lake-Farm (4/4/23)
Picture
Kaʻonohi Lee and Tanya Lee-Greig (4/28/23)