An exhibit on Maui is celebrating 20 years of art, with a focus on the island's native species, at the Noʻeau Visual Arts Center.
Mālama Wao Akua, which means “Caring for the realm of the Gods," started in 2004 to challenge local artists to create works inspired by Maui’s native plants, animals and landscapes. The exhibit is a partnership between the Hui Noʻeau Visual Art Center and the East Maui Watershed Partnership.
Local artist Maggie Sutrov said she’s been involved with the exhibit since its creation. Born and raised in Upcountry Maui, Sutrov said she was honored that her pieces were selected for this year's show.
“One thing about the show is that it pushes us,” she said. “Much of my art, I created in the moment and on the site.”
Sutrov's piece “Kula Community” was painted with watercolors on the one-year mark of the Aug. 8 Maui wildfires. She said she painted it on the site where the Kula community was planting native species to turn the burn zone into a native corridor.
In the moment, she brought her watercolors and started painting the community planting koa trees.
“It was so special having the community together and creating something beautiful out of all of this,” she said.
Her watercolor piece recently won the exhibit’s annual conservation award.
This year's jurors for the art exhibit are Mike Takemoto, a visual artist and associate professor at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, and Kat Lui, former EMWP community outreach and education liaison.
The exhibit is open to the public until Nov. 8.
