Maui Public Art Corps 2026 Call for Artists
Two major opportunities: annual artist commissions and $1.5M narrative playscape project. Applications open through April 7, 2026.
Maui Public Art Corps, in partnership with the County of Maui and cultural consultant Sissy Lake-Farm, announces two significant opportunities for 2026. The first is the annual Hui Mo'olelo Artist Commission Call, and the second is a new $1.5 million initiative called "Echoes of the Land: A Call for Narrative Playscapes." Both opportunities are grounded in the Hui Mo'olelo program, which captures intergenerational "talk story" recordings to serve as the conceptual foundation for public works.
The "Echoes of the Land" project seeks qualified multidisciplinary design teams (including landscape architects, artists, and structural engineers) to create three permanent, story-grounded playscape installations in public parks across Maui County. Each site has a total capital budget of $500,000, with the initiative utilizing a "Design and Venue Matching" model to pair finalists with park locations based on technical expertise and narrative alignment. Teams are invited to integrate salvaged timber and stumps recovered from the 2023 wildfires, giving these remnants new purpose as foundational elements. The playscapes are designed for intergenerational use, accommodating keiki, adults, and elders simultaneously through physical play, rest, and storytelling.
The annual commission cycle focuses on site-specific works celebrating Maui County stories across seven categories: Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center Renovation (C2-C5) featuring permanent installations including a 36-foot exterior elevator shaft relief and decorative panels; Pop-Up Performances (C1) for original 20-30 minute music, dance, or theater sets; Lahaina Mosaic Project (C6) for digital artists to have work transformed into mosaic tiles; and Open Call (C7) for animations, sculpture, lightwork, and more.
Unlike traditional grants, these are commissions for services. 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 stories through site-specific public art.