Aloha <<First Name>>,
We are delighted to present the premiere of our latest micro-documentary film, which helps to exhibit SMALL TOWN * BIG ART's vision of Wailuku as an Arts District. The piece features David Johnston, Hōkūlani Holt, Zeke Kalua, Sissy Lake-Farm, David Yamashita and others, and was created by our team member & good friend Wake Up, Matt.
As part of a growing community of passionate collaborators, we believe that prioritizing the visual and performing arts as an instrument for neighborhood revitalization will be most successful when we can work together to ensure that Wailuku's sense of place, history and culture provide the foundation for this work. Please enjoy:
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SMALL TOWN * BIG ART + Wailuku Revitalization
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In her January 2021 proposal to co-develop an innovative project with the SMALL TOWN * BIG ART team + Wailuku community celebrating its distinctive sense of place, history and culture, Lori Hepner charted a piece centered around a series of community art-making workshops. Local musicians and performers would be engaged to provide music to dance to for public light-painting sessions while workshop participants don wearable LEDs and programmable Pixelsticks to “draw with light”. Hepner’s video recording technology would capture these sessions to create site-specific art installations that incorporate additional footage from the surrounding area. At the time, the panel was unsure what safety protocol would look like as the year unfolded, yet after much discussion the project plan has been highly customized to adhere to current regulations.
Inspired by ‘Ōlelo No‘eau E ala! E alu! E kuilima! (Up! Together! Join hands!), the visiting artist & Penn State arts professor — who has worked with the ST*BA team in recent weeks to customize her process to current safety measures, will work with ʻĪao Intermediate School and Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe during a six-day educational Light Painting Wailuku residency beginning September 30, 2021. A video projection, two wall mural decals, and mobile app will result from a series of educational workshops, which will remain in the community long after the art-making experience has taken place. Please stay tuned on the channel of your choice (Facebook | Instagram | Vimeo | Project Web Page | Blog) for ongoing developments!
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Click below to view community consultations between Lori, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society and ʻĪao Intermediate School
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County of Maui, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society and Maui Visitors Bureau recently released Hoʻokamaʻāina, a new mobile app that celebrates the strong community and rich cultural heritage of historic Wailuku Town.
Featuring cultural, historic and public art places of interest, the app also serves as an educational tool where individuals can contribute their Wailuku manaʻo (knowledge, suggestions and more) to continually create a space to revive and remember this special place.
Named in collaboration by Sissy Lake-Farm and Hōkūao Pellegrino of Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society, Hoʻokamaʻāina is a play on words incorporating Kama. They share, "Because our island was associated with Kamalālāwalu, (Aliʻi nui, or supreme ruler of Maui), we thought HoʻoKAMAʻāina, to familiarize ourselves with the historical and cultural places of Wailuku. Also the fact that the Kama ʻAuwai was one of the most important cultural features of the Wailuku ahupuaʻa and moku."
Hoʻo refers to the act of becoming, or causation, while kamaʻāina is a word describing Hawaiʻi residents regardless of their racial background, as opposed to kānaka which means a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Visit https://mauimuseum.org/app to learn more about Hoʻokamaʻāina and to download the app for iPhone and Android mobile phones.
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We recently launched the Public Art Podcast on Podbean, in which ST*BA's Kelly McHugh-White talks story with the artists, community members, project facilitators, small business owners, supporters and story holders working together to envision Wailuku as a public arts district. Check out our introductory episodes at smalltownbig.org/podcast and nominate our next guest by emailing us here.
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Developed through a 2018-2020 Our Town grant by the National Endowment for the Arts, SMALL TOWN * BIG ART is a creative placemaking collaboration of County of Maui and Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society that aims to develop Wailuku, Hawaiʻi as a public arts district focused on its distinctive sense of place, history and culture.
Engaging the public in both the process and the product, monthly art installations such as plays, murals, sculptures, storytelling events and more are created with community input that align with ‘ōlelo from Mary Kawena Pukui's ‘Ōlelo No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Political Sayings. Each artwork is spearheaded by professional artists that have submitted project applications exhibiting exceptional quality, style, experience in creating communal or public art and significance to Wailuku. Through many hands and many voices, these creative interpretations represent a revitalized identity for this small town with the BIGGEST heart. |
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