Mālama Wao Akua 2017 at Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center

Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center and East Maui Watershed Partnership will host the 13th annual Mālama Wao Akua at the Hui on Wednesday, Aug. 30, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Hui No‘eau invites Maui artists to create work depicting only species native to Maui Nui, a landscape showcasing only native Maui Nui species, or people working to protect Maui’s native species and native habitats. Artwork by Wendy Romanchak.

The free fine art exhibition merges the worlds of art and conservation with works of art that honor Maui Nui’s native plant and animal species. The exhibition will be in gallery from Sept. 15 to Nov. 7.

All Maui artists are invited to create work depicting only species native to Maui Nui (Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i, Kaho‘olawe), a landscape showcasing only native Maui Nui species, or people working to protect Maui’s native species and native habitats.

Mālama Wao Akua is a juried fine art exhibition with entry categories open to adults as well as elementary, middle and high school students residing in Maui Nui.

Jurors at the event include Tamara Sherrill, Executive Director of Maui Nui Botanical Gardens and Michael Takemoto, Visual Artist and Associate Professor of Art at the UH Maui College.

Prospectus and Entry Forms are available online.

Artists planning to enter the exhibit are also invited to attend several opportunities to learn about Maui’s native species, including hikes into The Nature Conservancy’s Waikamoi Preserve or Haleakalā Ranch’s Pu‘u Pahu Reserve. More information on these events and how to sign-up is available here or by calling 573-6999.

“Talk Story” Thursdays will take place at the Hui throughout the exhibition featuring different industry leaders from the field of conservation. Talks will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on the following dates:

• Sept. 21: Dr. Fern Duvall II, Maui Nui Program Manager, DLNR/DOFAW Native Ecosystems Protection and Management
• Oct. 5: Dan Eisenberg; East Maui Watershed Partnership Program Manager, PCSU
• Oct. 19: Pat Bily, Science Specialist II for The Nature Conservancy – Maui Office
• Nov. 2: Dr. Art Medeiros; Auwahi Forest Restoration Project, PCSU

Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is located at 2841 Baldwin Ave. Makawao, HI 96768.