From story to public art: Introducing the 2025 cohort of Hui Mo‘olelo

The sixth Hui Mo‘olelo cohort has completed a weeklong storytelling training designed to preserve local voices and inspire public art projects on Maui.

Led by Sissy Lake-Farm, participants spent the week exploring themes of belonging, legacy and the role of place-based storytelling in shaping the island’s future.

Over the next month, each cohort member will record a 40-minute talk story with an intergenerational partner. These conversations will become the foundation for Maui Public Art Corps’ Fall 2025 Call for Artists, when proposals for new public artworks will be reviewed by a community panel and shaped through public dialogue.

The 2025 Hui Mo‘olelo cohort includes the following individuals:

• Kia’i Collier, Waiheʻe manager, Hawaiʻi Land Trust
• Andrea Kealoha, Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
• Nalani Kalama-Kaikala, registered nurse at Maui Memorial Medical Center
• Tina Kailiponi, Maui Food Bank
• Kepa Cabanilla-Aricayos, King’s Maui Experience director
• Naomi Tokishi, Maui High School student
• Francis Taua, Maui performing and teaching artist
• Liana Horovitz, assistant professor of history, University of Hawaiʻi Maui College

“I want my daughter — and every young Hawaiian girl — to know that they have a place in caring for our community,” said cohort member Nalani Kalama-Kaikala. “I hope to inspire others to serve, to never stop learning and to know it’s okay to ask for help.”

All Hui Mo‘olelo sessions are recorded and archived at the Library of Congress to create a permanent record of Maui stories. The narratives also guide public art projects ranging from murals and performances to gathering spaces and animated shorts.

Last year’s Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina cohort inspired nine projects on Maui and Oʻahu, including five animated films, three murals and utility box artwork. The next cohort will be led by cultural leaders Kaliko Storer, Kalapana Kollars and Anuhea Yagi.

The Maui Public Art Corps’ FY25 annual report showcases 14 projects completed across Lahaina, Kahului, Wailuku, Oʻahu and beyond. Works include murals, sculptures, performances and installations that draw on intergenerational mo‘olelo, healing spaces and queer voices.

Community members can get involved today by nominating publicly accessible, open-air locations for future projects by completing a short questionnaire here. Stories from members of the current cohort are available for viewing on the project page here.