Blessing ceremony to mark completion of Maui Public Art Project at King Kamehameha III Elementary School’s temporary campus 

Following nine months of programming and development, a mural spread across the temporary campus of King Kamehameha III Elementary School will be blessed on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. The community is invited to participate in the event, which begins promptly at 12:30 p.m. 

In March of this year, the nonprofit Maui Public Art Corps was contacted by FEMA’s Interagency Recovery Coordination team and by school faculty to explore the possibility of bringing public art to the school’s temporary campus of 35 portable units. Displaced by the 2023 Maui Wildfires, the school shared its hopes to preserve Lahaina history, culture and sense of place for students and teachers, and requested the organization’s collaborative Hui Mo‘olelo program with the County of Maui and Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society as a potential vehicle to develop meaningful artwork for the site. 

Through Hui Mo‘olelo (“gathering of stories”), an annual cohort of storytellers is trained through a series of free, community workshops. Upon completion, participants are paired with an intergenerational partner to generate a site-specific story that is audio-recorded. The audio excerpts become the basis for annual requests for artist proposals by professional artists, in which they interpret a recording as a work of public art in collaboration with community members and connect the process to a unique proverb from Mary Kawena Pukui’s ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County.

Through a new partnership with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Cultural Programs Director Kalapana Kollars and his partner Anuhea Yagi led a series of Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina workshops with a new cohort of storytellers over the summer. The resulting collection of 10 stories formed the basis of an August 2024 call for artist proposals to create a mural rooted in the stories of Lahaina elders. In September, a community panel selected artists Matt and Roxy Ortiz (also known as Wooden Wave), who then spent months working closely with kumu, the storytellers, students, community members and faculty, ensuring that the mural was shaped by collective voices. Maui Public Art Corps organized events such as an evening community meet-and-greet, school surveys, community consultations and workshops with students to create an inclusive design process.

“Our goal is not just to beautify the campus but to create a piece that truly represents the stories and values of Lahaina,” said Kelly White, manager of Maui County’s public art program and chair of Maui Public Art Corps. “Public art projects like this bring communities together, preserving history and fostering belonging while offering a space for healing and connection.”

The mural, which now graces the campus throughout many of its 35 individual buildings, depicts scenes and symbols inspired by the stories of Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee (Lahainaluna Class of 1964), Myrna Ah Hee (Lahainaluna Class of 1980), Theo Morrison (Executive Director, Lahaina Restoration Foundation), Tom Fujita (Lahainaluna High School Class of 1962) – each garnered through the Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina program

“Our temporary campus now has a stronger sense of identity and connection to our past, thanks to this beautiful mural,” said Ian Haskins, Principal of King Kamehameha III Elementary School. “It will serve as a daily reminder to our students, faculty, and families of the strength and stories that shape us as a community.”

The Maui Historical Society, a key partner in the storytelling process, echoed this sentiment. “This project demonstrates the vital role of public art in keeping history alive,” said Sissy Lake-Farm, Executive Director of Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society and Kumu Hula, Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe. “It honors the voices of our kūpuna (elders) and ensures their wisdom is carried forward.”

Funding for this special project was provided by the County of Maui, Hawai’i Community Foundation, Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawai’i Rotary District 5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund, and private donors of Maui Public Art Corps.  

Located at the temporary campus of King Kamehameha III Elementary School at 100 Akahele St., Lahaina, the blessing ceremony will include pule by Uncle Bill Garcia of Hālau Nā Hanona Kūlike O Piʻilani, remarks from the project’s cultural consultant Sissy Lake-Farm, responses from the storytellers and partners, an opportunity to hear more about the creative process behind the mural from artists Matt and Roxy Ortiz, and will conclude with a dedication to the Lahaina community and all who contributed to the project, celebrating art as a bridge between past and future, and a cornerstone of community resilience. Participants are asked to arrive no later than 12:15 p.m. The event will end at 1:30 p.m., as students depart school for the day soon after. 

For more information about the mural project, visit https://www.mauipublicart.org/kamehameha.html