Maui Public Art Corps 2026 Artist & Design Calls
Two major RFQs for artists and design teams to create community-grounded public art and narrative playscapes across Maui County.
Maui Public Art Corps (MPAC), in partnership with the County of Maui and cultural consultant Sissy Lake-Farm, announces two major 2026 opportunities grounded in the Hui Mo'olelo program, which captures intergenerational "talk story" recordings as the conceptual foundation for public works.
The "Echoes of the Land: A Call for Narrative Playscapes" initiative offers $1.5 million total ($500,000 per site) for multidisciplinary design teams to create three permanent, story-grounded playscape installations in public parks across Maui County. Teams may include landscape architects, artists, and structural engineers. The Design and Venue Matching model pairs finalists with park locations based on technical expertise and narrative alignment. Notably, teams are encouraged to integrate salvaged timber and stumps from the 2023 wildfires, giving these remnants new life as foundational elements. Playscapes are designed for intergenerational use—allowing keiki, adults, and elders to occupy spaces simultaneously through physical play, rest, and storytelling.
The annual Hui Mo'olelo Artist Commission Call seeks individual artists and collaborative groups for site-specific works celebrating Maui County stories. 2026 categories include: Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center Renovation (permanent installations including a 36-foot exterior elevator shaft relief and decorative panels); Pop-Up Performances (original 20-30 minute sets); Lahaina Mosaic Project (digital art transformed into mosaic tile panels); and Open Call (story animations, sculpture, lightwork).
These are commissions for services, not traditional grants. Selected finalists enter a collaborative development phase where proposals evolve through community dialogue. Each project is culturally grounded through identification of a specific proverb from Mary Kawena Pukui's ʻŌlelo No'eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings.
Maui Public Art Corps has completed over 130 projects since 2018, connecting artists and communities to preserve and amplify Maui County stories through site-specific public art.