Lāhainā’s rich history has included many roles: from serving as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom to being a key hub of the whaling industry.
But it's also been a center for artists — many of whom lost their homes and life’s work to the West Maui wildfires.
Oil and acrylic painter Darice Machel McGuire said she still has her home, but all 49 years of her work showcased in galleries and stored in her studio are gone. She valued her work at $80,000.
“It’s devastating because it feels like, for an artist, when we create something, it’s a part of us,” she said.
The Lāhainā art teacher said she hasn’t felt motivated to paint since the Aug. 8 fire, when most of her art supplies burned to ash.
Maui’s art community members are now banding together to raise donations and send art supplies to impacted artists in hopes of inspiring them.
“When people reach out to me and say, ‘I just bought a whole bunch of brushes. What’s your address? I’ll send them to you right now,’” McGuire said. “I mean, it’s like, ‘Oh my God. I’ve never been in a position where I’ve had to allow somebody to help.”
West Maui's tight-knit art community dates back to the 1970s, according to McGuire. Artists have even gathered under the banyan tree to showcase their crafts.
A mecca of art
Lāhainā is universally known as one of the largest mecca of art galleries on the Valley Isle.
The town's historic Front Street has been home to several art galleries destroyed by the inferno, including many artists’ works.
The Village Galleries has showcased original art by Maui’s diverse artists since 1970. Owner Lynn Shue had started a GoFundMe to raise money for artists and gallery staff. She’s raised more than $32,700 as of Friday.
“Plans are forming to rebuild the gallery, but It will be a very long-term recovery,” Shue said on her GoFundMe page. “Lāhainā will rebuild and return to the thriving art and cultural destination that we love.”
Another local art gallery in Maui is raising money to help impacted artists. Joelle Perz, an art director of Viewpoints Gallery, said 100% of the gallery’s profits will go to Maui artists who have lost their homes and artworks.
“For a professional artist, it takes years to build an inventory that they might sell over the years, providing an income that allows them to continue creating new work,” Perz said in an email. “I am really hoping that some of the relief funds will be considered to help the artists and allow them to keep creating for the future.”
Covering costs
Some artists face issues with insurance on how to get some money back from their burned original pieces.
Perz said several artists mentioned that homeowners insurance could cover their work, but she’s unsure if insurance companies will cover artists who don’t own their homes.
“I am not very optimistic because artwork, in general, is not seen as a necessity,” Perz said in an email. “Yet many artists put their heart and soul into their work. Many of them end up with a big inventory of unsold work at home, some of which might only find their real value later on, in some cases even after they passed.”
Ceramic artist Mary Ann Leigh said she lost up to $20,000 of her work to the Aug. 8 fire and doesn’t expect any money back. Leigh said she’s more worried about her friends.
“Not only is their home gone, but their prints are gone, their originals are gone, and their paint is gone. Now, how do you come back from that,” Leigh said. “ We have friends that have lost everything, and those are the people that we want to help. And the art that I create is going to have to sit on the back-burner until we have our friends straightened out.”
McGuire and her husband are currently staying with a friend in Kīhei. She said she hasn’t been able to pick up a paintbrush yet.
“My whole income is gone,” she said. But she hopes other artists will rediscover inspiration.
“People want to help them, so let them,” McGuire said. “The one thing I had to do for myself is let people help me because it’s important. It’s important for everybody to heal that way.“
