#small town big art

Created by Maui artist Courtney Holland and Los Angeles-based artist James Dinh, the murals serve as backdrops to newly installed outdoor Fitness Courts.

Maui Public Art Corps announced a call for artist proposals for the Hui Mo‘olelo: Lei Pua ʻAla project. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025.

Erin Wade, a seasoned urban planning professional with more than 20 years of experience in municipal leadership, was sworn in Thursday morning as the County of Maui’s Deputy Managing Director.

In April 2024, sculptor and architect Matthias Neumann created an 8 x 8 x 11 foot sculpture on the front lawn of the Makawao Public Library inspired by the story of Hui Mo‘olelo participant Kim Thayer of Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership and Scott Fisher, Director of ʻĀina Stewardship at Hawai’i Land Trust.

Small Town * Big Art presents an Evening with Wooden Wave at the Wailuku Public Library on June 22, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. The event is free. RSVP is available online.

SMALL TOWN * BIG ART artist Anthony Pfluke will present a 30-minute public, outdoor pop-up performance featuring original songs inspired by the history, culture and sense of place of Kahoʻolawe and Wailuku, Maui. The event takes place on June 16, 2023, at Kīpuka Square beside the ʻĪao Theater in Wailuku. 

The Wailuku Community Association will host a public meeting to provide residents with the latest updates on ongoing and upcoming projects in Wailuku. The meeting will be held on Monday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. at The Empanada Lady Restaurant and Lounge.

A new survey has been released to Maui County residents by the SMALL TOWN * BIG ART initiative. Organizers say public demand led to the creation of a new 501c3 to expand programming into new neighborhoods beyond Wailuku.

SMALL TOWN * BIG ART public artist Tanama Colibri led 80 sixth-grade students of ʻĪao Intermediate School this week in a songwriting workshop celebrating the history, culture and sense of place of Wailuku. 

A SMALL TOWN * BIG ART Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) recently went live for orientation-based artwork at five sites within the Wailuku Municipal Parking Structure, which is currently under construction in the heart of Wailuku town. The art will function as directional signage and offer a wayfinding element that draws people to entry and exit points, a news release said. Application deadline is March 26.

A call-to-artists is now LIVE for a new juried exhibition at the 6-acre Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden in Wailuku. The deadline to apply is April 14, 2023.

The first of the series will be a talk story with Naomi “Sissy” Lake-Farm, Executive Director of the Maui Historical Society/Hale Hō’ike’ike at the Bailey House. She will be joined by Kelly McHugh-White of Maui Public Art Corps. Both women have been active in the Wailuku Town revitalization movement through the SMALL TOWN * BIG ART initiative.

Painted by Fathima Mohiuddin as a project of nonprofit Maui Public Art Corps, the public artwork is an interpretation of a recorded talk-story between Kekoa Enomoto of ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu and Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s Kauwela Bisquera, with additional symbolism garnered through Kahului community consultations over a 6-week design period. 

SMALL TOWN * BIG ART partners County of Maui + Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society + Maui Public Art Corps will unveil a collection of film shorts that celebrate Maui County history, culture and sense of place.​ The unveiling of the Hui Mo‘olelo Film Fest will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022 at Wailuku’s ʻĪao Theater.

Maui Public Art Corps will begin a 2-week process of installing a large-scale mural on the exterior of Queen Ka’ahumanu Center’s west wing at the former home of Sears. 

Artist Edwin Ushiro plans to unveil a three-panel mural commissioned by a Maui nonprofit to capture the history and culture of Wailuku Town.

The mural will serve as the temporary construction wall surrounding the future site of The Parlay, a new retro-style tavern at the northeast corner of Main Street and North Church Street in Wailuku. 

Upon panel selection, artists will be invited to create a collaborative work of public art, including performance, visual or experiential works, with community members that aligns with ‘ōlelo from Mary Kawena Pukui’s ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Political Sayings.

Inspired by Maui resident’s’ recollections of historic Wailuku, Sachelle Dae has created three paintings and storyteller Anu Yagi, a performance — works crystallizing their vision of a people and town serving a vital role in the economic and cultural development of Maui.

In June 2022, Maui-based artist Sachelle Dae will present a collection of three oil paintings inspired by two talk story recordings. A public, outdoor unveiling and blessing will be held on Thursday, June 30 at 4:30 p.m. at First Hawaiian Bank Wailuku Branch.