Z3NITH’s Sky: New youth art wall launches at Bo Bridges Gallery in Pāʻia

At Bo Bridges Gallery in Pāʻia, a plain wall became a window into the world of Maui’s young artists. Z3NITH’s work went up first — photos of skies and tangled wires, of feelings hard to name — and something clicked into place.

Each photograph is a glimpse into how Z3NITH sees the world. At 13, she’s often unsure of how the day will unfold—much like the sky above. That unpredictability became the center of her first gallery exhibit: a series of cloudscapes, framed and hung on a white wall inside Bo Bridges Gallery in Pāʻia.

With guidance from PYCC staff, Z3NITH — who also goes by “Zen” — wrote an artist statement to accompany her photos. In it, she described how the sky mirrors her changing moods, and how walking through town she sees people constantly looking down — at phones, into shop windows, at the ground.

“Every time she looks up, she sees all these lines on the electric and phone wires, intermingled with the clouds,” said Benjamin Rachunas, deputy director of PYCC, where Z3NITH has been a member since she was nine. “It was really beautiful to hear her say that everyone’s always looking down, and she thought it was appropriate to look up.”

Z3NITH was hesitant at first to even enter the gallery and see her work on the wall. “We had to encourage her,” Rachunas said. “‘No, this is great. You did this.’ And then she stood in front of it, and she smiled.”

The youth art wall is a new collaboration between PYCC and Bo Bridges Gallery. Installations will rotate every couple of months, showcasing various mediums — from photography and painting to sculptures — all created by local youth ages 9 to 19.

The idea came from Ty Udell, 41, a PYCC board member and partner at the gallery who manages the Pāʻia location. His goal was to create a bridge between professional art spaces and local youth expression.

“When I opened the gallery here, it was always in conjunction with PYCC,” Udell said. “We wanted to build a path so that, as the kids get older, they could learn what it takes to run their own gallery.”

Some PYCC members have already launched small businesses. One youth-led brand, “Grim Ripper”—started by a 13-year-old skater and his younger brother—has made its way into the gallery, with merchandise designed, stocked and restocked by the young founders.

“It’s so fun,” Udell said. “They’re out at PYCC or surfing at the beach, and then they cruise in on their one wheels asking, ‘Do we need to restock?’ and zip back out again.”

Beyond entrepreneurship, PYCC youth have also had the rare chance to learn from Bo Bridges himself. Known for iconic shots of extreme athletes and celebrities, Bridges has photographed ad campaigns, movie posters and global events. His work—described by ESPN as a “pyramid wall filled with iconic pieces of history”—earned him the nickname “The World’s Most Badass Photographer.”

With galleries in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Vail, Colo. and — as of September 2024 — Maui, Bridges’ influence is woven into the space. But making room for young artists, Udell said, is just as important.

“We’re an open book on whatever the kids want to learn,” he said.

To bring the youth wall to life, staff from both the gallery and PYCC work together—printing, framing, curating and installing. PYCC members help select which pieces to show. Mentors assist with writing bios and statements. And the hope is that over time, the wall will become more than a display. It’ll be a launching pad.

Z3NITH’s debut exhibit, “Moods of the North Shore,” is currently on sale for $75 per piece. All proceeds go to the artists and the youth center.

The next installation is already in the works.

For now, Z3NITH’s cloudscapes remain—quiet, bright and full of meaning.

More about PYCC and Bo Bridges Gallery

PYCC is a free youth program for ages 9 to 19. The nonprofit serves about 340 kids each year, with 30 to 40 attending on an average day. Attendance once reached up to 550 youth, with as many as 70 showing up daily, according to Rachunas, who has worked at the center since 2005.

PYCC runs programs across media, mentorship and recreation — including RadiOpio 88.9FM, the Hekili Multimedia Lab, Pāʻia Bay Café (a commercial kitchen), Mālama Pono Project Venture (a leadership program) and StoneWave Skate Park.

To learn more or become a member, visit pyccmaui.org.

Bo Bridges Gallery supports the center through art donations and fundraisers. The gallery also offers art subscription programs for homeowners and property managers, allowing them to pay over time to make art more accessible.

The shop is run by Kūʻau resident Ty Udell, a former professional wakeboarder turned multimedia artist. He moved to Maui from the Mainland five years ago to provide his children — Sayler (10), Guide (8) and Bandit (6) — a community-focused lifestyle.

To learn more about Bo Bridges Gallery, visit bobridgesgallery.com or visit the Maui location (96 Hāna Highway, Pāʻia) located across from the Flatbread Company.