Hui No‘eau Art Installation on Maui Honors Lives Lost to COVID-19 in Hawai‘i

Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center presents Rose River Memorial, an art installation in collaboration with Artist Marcos Lutyens and the Rose River Memorial project honoring the lives lost to COVID-19 in the State of Hawai‘i. The outdoor installation is on display through Sept. 4, 2021 at the Hui No‘eau’s Makawao campus.

The memorial is part of the grassroots community art movement, Rose River Memorial, that honors and grieves the lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The project engages communities to create felt roses as a symbol of grief for every life lost.

Members of the Maui community have come together to make more than 500 felt roses in remembrance of their loved ones. Maui’s healthcare workers, students, non-profit organizations, council members, government employees, and families have all contributed to the project. Ultimately the roses made for the Hui’s installation will make their way to Washington D.C. to be part of a larger exhibit in 2022. 

To commemorate the opening of the Maui Rose River Memorial a private blessing was held on May 15. The event included a proclamation by Mayor Michael Victorino who declared May COVID-19 Memorial Month in Maui County, along with a blessing and hula performance by kumu Gordean Bailey and Hālau Wehiwehi O Leilehua. The opening will be available to view virtually on the Hui No‘eau Facebook page on Friday, May 21 at 4 p.m.

Hui No‘eau invites the community to visit the outdoor memorial and reflect on the pandemic and its impacts on the community. The memorial will be open to the public with free admission Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. through Sept. 4, 2021. The public is reminded to observe physical distancing and wear masks when viewing the memorial.

To learn more about the Rose River Memorial at Hui No‘eau, please visit https://www.huinoeau.com/exhibitions. 

Special thanks was extended to individuals who participated in the project, including Marcos Lutyens, Jill Bernshouse, Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, Women Helping Women, Haleakalā Waldorf High School, Realtor’s Association of Maui, Roots School, Kaiser Permanente, Maui County Council Members, the Mayor’s Office and Office of Economic Development, Hui Staff and Teachers, Hui Members, Kiwanis Club of Maui, Valley Isle Kiwanis Club, Kahului Kiwanis Club, Maui High School Key Club,  and King Kekaulike High School Key Club.