Maui Public Art April 2026 Call to Artists
Create site-specific public art inspired by community stories through Hui Mo'olelo program. Visual, performance, or experiential works.
Maui Public Art is seeking qualified artists for their 2026 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) stemming from Hui Mo'olelo, a program that cultivates site-specific stories through community workshops rooted in Maui County. Selected artists will interpret one of the provided story excerpts as a work of visual, performance, or experiential public art developed in direct collaboration with community members.
The primary goal of these public art projects is to promote and celebrate the unique history, culture, and community identity of distinct sites throughout the County of Maui. Artists are required to carefully review each project description and base their proposal on one of the provided story excerpts.
The selection process begins with applications being reviewed by a community panel. Selected artists will then enter a collaborative development phase, working closely with community members, the Maui Public Art Corps, and project partners to refine their initial ideas into fully realized, site-specific, participatory artwork. This collaborative process includes identifying a relevant proverb from Mary Kawena Pukui's ʻŌlelo No'eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings to ground each artwork in historical and cultural context. Note that Project Category C6 converts selected submissions directly to production without the development phase.
A 5-minute film summarizing the Hui Mo'olelo work is available for reference to help artists understand the program's vision and approach.