The temporary campus of Lahaina’s King Kamehameha III Elementary School is now rich with meaningful murals. The project was a collaboration with the Maui Public Art Corps, and created by artists and students.
Seventeen murals are finished as of earlier this month, and there will be about twice that number when the project is complete. They connect students to Lahaina’s history and culture. The art tells stories painted on large magnetic canvases on the sides of the modular classrooms.
Painting the murals was led by the husband and wife team of Wooden Wave — Roxanne and Matthew Kawika Ortiz — with the help of students.
“My favorite mural is the ōpelu or all the fish in the circle,” said fifth grade student Moku Dochin. “Solely because of how much me and my family fish. We would always go to a lot of beaches, but it just reminded me of how much fun we would have.”
“It made me feel great that I got to be a part of making a beautiful mural for our campus,” Moku added.
“My favorite mural is the kalo in the nighttime because I like [that there was a] bunch of kalo flowers and it has stars,” said Isaac Pacheco-Caca, a second grader at King Kamehameha III.
“I think it's particularly important to have art as part of the curriculum in Lahaina,” explained Roxanne Ortiz. “The last year has been really difficult for a lot of families, and having art here on campus and having the kids be a part of it. I think it's a way that they can express themselves and find some joy in their daily life.”
Principal Ian Haskins says the murals symbolize Lahaina’s strength and future rebuilding.
“So I think these murals are creating a sense of belonging and place for our students,” he said. “When we first moved in here, we had pretty much all gray and green, just gray and green. Now, with the art, it's not only a picture, but stories of our past, which hopefully we'll give our students hope for the future.”
Murals will remain at the temporary campus in Pulelehua until a permanent site for the school is chosen.
