Video: New murals at King Kamehameha III connect students to Lahaina’s history and culture

Maui Public Art Corps on Tuesday unveiled 17 murals that connect King Kamehameha III Elementary School students to Lahaina’s rich history and culture. The murals were created by artists and students at the school’s temporary campus.

After the school was lost in the Aug. 2023 wildfires, a temporary campus for the school was constructed in Pulelehua. School leadership and FEMA sought to connect students back to Lahaina’s rich history and culture to give students a sense of place where they could heal and grow through art.

“I think these murals are creating a sense of belonging and place for our students,” said Ian Haskins, King Kamehameha III principal. “When we first moved in here, we had pretty much all gray and green, just gray and green. Now, with the art, it’s not only a picture, but (they are) stories of our past, which, hopefully we’ll give our students hope for the future.”

The murals were painted by the husband and wife team of Wooden Wave, Roxanne and Matthew Kawika Ortiz, who were selected by a community panel.

“Just being able to bring color to their campus in a way that they can be proud of,” said Ortiz. “I think it’s really important for them to be able to leave their mark and have that memory as part of the year that they’ve had, where they’ve been able to express themselves in a different way—to get their hands dirty and paint. And to be able to actually literally leave something on the wall for other people to enjoy in the community as well.”

Students from the school also participated by adding sea creatures and coral onto the murals. 

“It made me feel awesome because I love painting and I love participating,” said 5th-grade student Dylin Flinn.

The murals are inspired by the stories of Maui kūpuna who shared their histories through hui moʻolelo, a story gathering process. They will remain at the temporary school location until a new permanent site for the school is chosen. The project will be completed with 35 total murals across the King Kamehameha III campus. 

Funding for this project was provided by the County of Maui, Hawai’i Community Foundation, Hawaiʻi 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.