Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina exhibit opens at Lahaina Cannery

A new public art exhibition honoring voices of Lahaina has been unveiled at Lahaina Cannery. Installed on Sept. 30, 2025, Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina is a collaborative effort of the County of Maui’s Public Art Program, Maui Public Art Corps, and Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Maui Public Art Corps commissioned artist Christina Wine through a Maui Strong grant, who also serves as Ocean Resource Specialist for the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC), to create 21 watercolor portraits of Lahaina community members that participated in the Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina storytelling and public art project.

Wine proposed the portraits through the County of Maui and Maui Public Art Corps’ most recent call for artist proposals, and her vision has transformed the Cannery into a place where portraits of kūpuna stand beside their voices and words of wisdom.

“Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina is a gathering of voices — a weaving of stories born from the heart of a community forever changed,” said Kelly White, Chair of Maui Public Art Corps and Manager of the County of Maui’s Public Art Program. “To see them come alive at Lahaina Cannery means these voices will continue to guide us in rebuilding a future rooted in aloha and belonging.”

A Storytelling Tradition

Launched in response to the August 2023 wildfires, Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina brings together the efforts of Maui Public Art Corps, Lahaina Restoration Foundation, and the County of Maui.

In summer 2024, cultural historian Kalapana Kollars and Hawaiian life ways practitioner Anuhea Yagi guided a cohort of Lahaina storytellers in recording intergenerational stories of life in the community; recollections that spanned hukilau at Launiupoko, fishing ʻōpelu at Māla, lantern ceremonies at the Jodo Mission, and the hum of Front Street.

Recorded stories went on to inspire nine public artworks across Maui and Oʻahu to date: five animated film shorts, one utility box artwork, and three mural installations. Together, they serve as testaments to healing, connection and cultural continuity, according to organizers.

This 2024 Hui Mo‘olelo program was made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, whose support helped bring these stories to life and share them with the community.

Today, Hui Mo‘olelo continues to provide opportunities for community connection and place-based art grounded in local voice. We have just completed our most recent cohort and are preparing to release the next Request for Proposals (RFP) in fall 2025. An upcoming Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina cohort will be led by Kaliko Storer.

The Artist Behind the Portraits

Born and raised in Waiehu, Christina Wine is a Baldwin High School and UH Hilo graduate whose career has spanned marine science, sailing, environmental education, and maritime systems before returning home to Maui.

Reflecting on her artistic journey, Wine recalls an unlikely teacher: “As a teenager, I met a quiet, deaf artist who, in a single weekend, broke through language barriers to show me the fundamentals of how to draw. I never stopped after that. Over time I adopted a no-erase, Zen-calligraphy style — each line committed, each mistake part of the whole. I’m grateful to everyone who has received my art, whether it’s a framed painting or just a lesson remembered in the heart.”

Wine now brings that spirit of openness and gratitude to her portraits of Lahaina kūpuna, offering visual windows into stories of resilience, tradition and belonging.

A Living Space for Healing

The Lahaina Cannery has become a focal point for gathering, remembrance, and healing since the wildfires, according to the announcement. By hosting this exhibition, the Cannery continues its role as a hub for cultural programming, local markets and civic engagement.

Visitors can experience the portraits alongside quotations that reflect Lahaina’s strength and hopes for the future. QR codes connect viewers directly to recorded stories and public artworks inspired by these voices throughout Maui.

The Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina exhibition is free and open to the public through the month of September. Learn more: mauipublicart.org/lahainamoolelo.