Unveiling of new place-based mural at the Historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill, July 16

The Maui Public Art Corps will invite the community to celebrate the blessing and public unveiling of a new large-scale mural by artist Efren Rebugio Jr. at the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill, on Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

An integral part of the public art process, the event marks the moment the mural is entrusted from the project team to the broader community, where it will continue its life as a place for dialogue, education, and shared stewardship.

The ceremony will include a traditional blessing by Kahu Uncle Bill Garcia, cultural guidance and emceeing by MPAC Cultural Lead Sissy Lake-Farm, remarks from the artist, Hui Moʻolelo storytellers Andrea and Sheldon Kealoha, the Pāʻia Sugar Mill, and the many community members whose knowledge and lived experiences helped shape the work.

The mural was inspired by a Hui Moʻolelo (“gathering of stories”) recording between oceanographer Andrea Kealoha and her father, Sheldon Kealoha, a lineal descendant of Pāʻia whose memories span generations of fishing, diving, family, and life along Maui’s north shore. Their conversation became one of nearly 100 community story recordings preserved through Hui Moʻolelo, an ongoing initiative that pairs participants with kūpuna and longtime residents to record stories that inspire future public artworks.

“Public art has the power to help communities tell their own stories and express their values,” said Kelly McHugh White, founder of Maui Public Art Corps, “That only happens when artists spend time learning from the people who know a place best. Every conversation becomes another layer of the artwork.”

Following an open call for artists, Rebugio was selected by a community panel to interpret the Kealoha family’s story through a large-scale mural. Now based in Texas, Rebugio spent part of his childhood on Oʻahu and spent months meeting with community members before developing the final design. Those conversations expanded the project far beyond a single family story.

Sissy Lake-Farm guided the project’s cultural foundation and encouraged the artist to remain an “open cup,” grounding the design in ʻike Hawaiʻi and the wisdom of ʻōlelo noʻeau. Bruce Uʻu shared the interconnected history of the plantation and shoreline, where mill machinists once fabricated the iconic Pāʻia guns used by local fishermen. Councilmember Nohe Uʻu-Hodgins reflected on Pāʻia’s many transformations, describing the town itself as an ancestor. Brian McCafferty contributed stories of youth leadership and community organizing, while Nicole David and Dan Ellis helped connect the site’s industrial past with its future as a place of innovation, education, and opportunity for Maui’s next generation.

Together, these voices informed a mural design that weaves together fishing traditions, craftsmanship, environmental stewardship, manufacturing, resilience, and the enduring relationship between people and place. Painting will begin on Wednesday, July 8.

“At MAMA, our vision for revitalizing the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill into an Advanced Manufacturing Village is not only about creating space for innovation. It is about honoring the history, culture, and community that have always lived here,” said Nicole David, Executive Director of the Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance Corp. “For generations, the Mill helped shape Pāʻia as a place where people worked, gathered, raised families, shared stories, and found connection with one another and with the ocean. We are deeply honored to host this mural, which brings those memories and relationships to life in such a meaningful way. As we look toward the future of this site, our hope is to help restore that same spirit of community, a place where people can once again come together to work, learn, create, gather, and belong, while creating new pathways for hands-on learning, apprenticeships, and careers for Maui’s next generation.”

During Rebugio’s residency, Maui Public Art Corps and the Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance are also partnering to offer a hands-on educational workshop for MAMA’s summer advanced manufacturing cohort, connecting community storytelling, public art, and creative problem-solving for local high school students.

The July 16 gathering is free and open to the public. Community members are encouraged to bring a beach or lawn chair if they wish to sit during the ceremony. Those with handmade Pāʻia guns (locally crafted wooden spearguns used by generations of Maui fishermen) are also invited to bring them for a community display table and informal show-and-tell, providing an opportunity for attendees to share stories, craftsmanship, and fishing traditions that helped inspire the mural as guests arrive and following the formal program.

Parking is available through the white swing gate off the cane haul road, with event parking located near the first building on the right.

For more information about the Hui Moʻolelo stories that inspired this artwork, visit www.mauipublicart.org/kealoha.html.