Call for Public Art Proposals for Hui Moʻolelo: Lahaina Program: Maui Now

The Maui Public Art Corps, in collaboration with the County of Maui, Hale Hō’ike’ike of the Bailey House/Maui Historical Society, and the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, has released a call for participatory public art projects. The application deadline is September 8, 2024.

For the RFP, the collective is looking for artists who can tell stories from its Hui Mo’olelo: Lahaina program as works of visual, performative or experimental public art. After selection by a community panel, artists are paired with community members to incorporate feedback into the initial proposal and actively transform the resulting artwork into a site-specific, collaborative work. The project development phase includes a process to identify a unique proverb from Mary Kawena Pukuis ‘Ōlelo No’eau: Hawaiian proverbs and poetic sayings with cultural consultant Sissy Lake-Farm to highlight the historical and cultural significance of the specific installation site in Maui County for ongoing educational efforts.

A key criterion for all proposals is evidence of significant community involvement.

Artists must apply via Call for tenders and application management for the arts (CaFÉ)the industry standard system for submission of entries and online judging in the field of public art.

There are FIVE different categories that applicants can choose from:

1. Mural at the temporary replacement campus of King Kamehameha III Elementary: Select a Hui Mo’olelo: LahainaRecord to be interpreted as a mural composition that extends across the campus in ten sections measuring approximately 2.44 m high x 2.13 m wide (total area: approximately 2.44 m high x 23.5 m long)
2. Pop-up performance: Select a Hui Mo’olelo: LahainaRecording that will be interpreted as a new work of performance art and will be performed free of charge and publicly in the coming months.
3. Mural at Kaiser Permanente Lahaina Clinic: Select a Hui Mo’olelo: Lahaina Photograph to be interpreted as a mural composition, painted on a temporary 60-foot barrier in the makeshift clinic.
4. Animated short films by Hui Mo’olelo: Interpret one or more of our Hui Mo’olelo: Lahaina stories into short, animated films that use the recordings as a soundtrack.
5. Open call: Select a Hui Mo’olelo: Lahaina Recording intended to be interpreted as a public artwork. The project description should include a specific location where you envision your work being unveiled, as well as opportunities for broad community participation, where your proposal will be workshopped with community members to actively redesign/refine the work based on their feedback. See our ART page for examples.

For details on the initiative process, application criteria, budget and more, visit mauipublicart.org/apply. The application deadline is September 8, 2024, 8:59 p.m. HST.