The Public Art Podcast

Welcome to Episode #14 of the Public Art Podcast, hosted by Kelly McHugh-White who works in partnership with the County of Maui, Maui Public Art Corps, and cultural consultant Sissy Lake-Farm to manage the Maui County Public Art Program. In this episode, artist Efren Rebugio joins to discuss the "Tied Together" mural at the historic Pāʻia Mill, created through our Hui Moʻolelo program. While inspired by a recorded conversation between Pāʻia’s Andrea Kealoha and her father, Sheldon, the piece evolved through extensive community conversation & activity into a shared canvas reflecting collective memory. Public art at its best is more than a single narrative—it is a collaborative process that builds co-ownership, allowing community members to see their own heritage reflected on the wall while strengthening connection to place. Learn more at https://www.mauipublicart.org/kealoha.html

This recording is part of Hui Mo‘olelo: Lahaina, our 2025–2026 gathering of richly detailed talk-story recordings created to inform future public artwork, support collective healing, and provide trusted, community-informed guidance for the Lahaina Memorial Project. Here, public art administrator Kelly McHugh-White sits down with Lahaina native Rae Kahaialiʻi to reflect on the vision and responsibility of memorializing the devastating Maui wildfires. Grounded in an initial consultation with Nā Kūpuna o Lahaina, who have emphasized that the Memorial must be a place of remembering and not recreation, and must be led by the land and informed by direct engagement with families, the dialogue explores how a memorial can honor those who perished while acknowledging the unrecorded grief carried by the wider community. Together, they consider how a memorial might move beyond monumentality to become a space of humility, inclusion, and shared healing that resists division and supports Lahaina’s collective identity as the community shapes the next chapter of its history with care for future generations.

Recorded 10/13/25 in Wailuku, HI The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/16/25 at the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission government office in Wailuku  The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/7/25 in Wailuku The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/6/25 in Wailuku The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/3/25 in Pāʻia The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/4/25 at Akule Hale in Hana The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/4/25 at Akule Hale in Hana The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.

Recorded 10/10/25 at Lokahi Pacific in Wailuku  The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County. Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html.