Na Keiki No‘eau Program Finishes First Semester

The Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center announced the completion of the first semester of it’s new Na Keiki No‘eau Program.

Hui Keiki Teaching Artist Katie Peterson installing Na Keiki No’eau 1st graders work inspired by Picasso in preparation for they May Day Celebration on May 19th. Photo Courtesy

Na Keiki No‘eau is a visual arts education program that sends Hui teaching artists off-site and into A+ After School programs in Maui County. Members of the Hui say the program was developed in response to a great need expressed by Maui educators for more arts learning opportunities for students in and after school.

The new program began in February and helped serve 156 students from Kindergarten through 5th grade in Makawao Elementary School’s A+ After School Program.

Hui No’eau collaborated with Makawao Elementary School and worked closely with teacher Susan Harper to coordinate the program. According to Hui No‘eau, Makawao Elementary School is a Title 1 school, reporting 63% of students in need of financial assistance, as determined by the percentage of those eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Throughout the program, Hui teaching artists guided rotating groups of 20 students per visit through completion of art projects in a variety of media. Each project incorporated engaging subjects, allowing students to understand the correlation between topics and see art as a way of expressing and interacting with the world around them.

Art history was incorporated in projects inspired by van Gough and Aboriginal artwork. Na Keiki No‘eau culminated with an exhibition of students’ work on display at Makawao Elementary School’s May Day festivities held on May 19, where students proudly shared their artwork with parents, family members, teachers, friends, and the community.

“We are grateful to the Hui No‘eau for providing creative, high quality art classes to our Makawao Elementary after school students,” said Makawao Elementary School Principal Robyn Honda. “By introducing a variety of art mediums and techniques, Hui teaching artists sparked imaginative and expressive ideas as well as encouraged critical thinking and problem solving strategies.”

Hui No‘eau’s collaboration with Makawao Elementary School served as a pilot program for future expansion into more of Maui’s A+ After School Programs. “After school programs in the visual arts are so important for the creative development of Maui’s keiki,” said Hui Programs Director Anne-Marie Forsythe. “Na Keiki No‘eau art activities provide fun and engaging opportunities for children to experiment, observe, and learn to communicate their feelings and ideas in a positive and supportive environment. This vital program also serves many students that do not have access to arts opportunities outside of school. We hope this program will continue for many years to come.”

Community members can support Hui No‘eau’s educational programs and outreach efforts such as Na Keiki No‘eau by visiting here or by calling 808-572-6560 x25.