Lahaina Think Space unveiled at Lahainaluna High School with cultural blessing

Maui Public Art Corps and the County of Maui unveiled the new Lahaina Think Space on April 1, with a traditional blessing led by Uncle Bill Garcia and hosted by Sissy Lake-Farm, Cultural Consultant for Maui Public Art Corps. The gathering marked the opening of a month-long interactive residency at Lahainaluna High School designed to center student voices and community storytelling as part of early conversations surrounding Lahaina’s future memorial spaces.

Lake-Farm is the daughter of the late Kumu John K. Lake, the renowned Hawaiian historian, kumu hula, and composer of the beloved Lahainaluna song “O Kou Aloha,” written for David Malo Day in 1992. Continuing her father’s legacy of cultural stewardship, she serves as Kumu Hula of Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe and teaches Hawaiian language and culture at St. Anthony School.

The Lahaina Think Space is an immersive installation and living classroom located at Hale Naʻauao on the Lahainaluna campus. Rooted in the Hui Moʻolelo storytelling program of Maui Public Art Corps and the County of Maui, the space invites students, faculty, and staff to explore story-based public art projects while contributing their own memories, reflections, and visions for Lahaina’s future. The exhibition design was developed in close collaboration with Maui-based creative producer Rich Tully, who spent months studying the Hui Moʻolelo: Lahaina archive and working with the team to translate its stories into an interactive environment for memorial dialogue and learning.

Throughout April, participants can move through an interactive exhibition featuring Lahaina story recordings within a “museum in a box”, mele, short animated films, micro-documentaries, artwork displays connected to community stories, part of the 1,000-foot long “Maui Strong” student led artwork that once lined Honoapiʻilani Highway, and ʻōlelo noʻeau. After engaging with the materials, students and educators are invited to share their own drawings, words, and reflections, helping expand a living archive of community knowledge and experience that will inform future public art and memorial projects.

“The Think Space is built on the idea that before we create, we must first listen,” said Kelly White, County of Maui Public Art Program Manager and Chair of Maui Public Art Corps. “Hui Moʻolelo is helping us gather and honor the stories that define Lahaina so that future memorials and public spaces are shaped not by assumptions, but by the voices, memories, and cultural values of the people who call this place home.”

This first iteration of the Think Space is intentionally focused on the Lahainaluna school community. Students are encouraged to visit during open periods, while faculty members can bring classes to engage with the exhibition and related activities across disciplines. Staff members are also invited to participate and contribute their perspectives, reinforcing the space as a collaborative environment rooted in shared reflection and cultural learning.

“Anywhere I go, when I mention Lahainaluna, somebody has a connection and that connection is what’s special,” shares Lahainaluna Principal Richard Carosso,”I am very honored to be able to host something like this, it’s just fantastic.”

The Think Space will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hale Naʻauao through April 25, 2026. It will be hosted by Anuhea Yagi, who co-led the 2024 Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina program and by staff from Maui Behavioral Health Wildfire Response (MBHWR)/ Hawai’i State Department of Health and the Lahaina Comprehensive Health Center. 

While the current residency is dedicated primarily to the Lahainaluna community, Maui Public Art Corps is collecting public interest through an online form to gauge participation in a potential community open house on Saturday, April 25. If sufficient interest is received, a special public access period will be offered from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to allow community members to experience the installation and contribute their perspectives.

The Lahaina Think Space is designed as a traveling laboratory for community storytelling and creative engagement. Following the Lahainaluna residency, the next installation is scheduled for May and June 2026 at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center, where a broader cross-section of Maui residents will be invited to explore the exhibit and participate in the Hui Moʻolelo storytelling process.

Through this evolving initiative, Maui Public Art Corps and the County of Maui aim to ensure that Lahaina’s recovery and future memorial spaces are guided by authentic community voices, strengthening cultural continuity while honoring the memories and values that define this historic place.

More information about the Think Space and the Hui Moʻolelo program can be found at: mauipublicart.org/thinkspace.