A photo of the finished Mele Murals project Waimea Community Center
Turn the corner at Waimea Community Center, and you’ll be confronted by a wall of color: the deep blues of the ocean, the brilliant green of the pu‘u above HPA, the golden sun. This storytelling art is one of the Mele Murals, brainchild of the artist, Estria, whose foundation works on creating public art celebrating Hawaiian heritage throughout the Hawai‘i. Hawaiian lyrics, or mele, form the basis of the designs which explore specific stories of place.
Kawehi Cabuzel ’21 participated in a Mele Mural project previously in Kona and wanted to get HPA involved. Passionate and articulate about this experience, Cabuzel explains, “This project allows us to explore our creativity, with a critical understanding of where we are. In this day and age where technology and one’s social image are so prominent in society, it is important to rid yourself of these distractions and reconnect with the ‘āina(land).” Supported by a $20,000 grant from The Healy Foundation, Cabuzel succeeded in bringing Mele Murals to Waimea and persuading a team of students to work with him.
A fully collaborative experience, the first stage of the creative process involves storytelling, and for Cabuzel and the other students, that meant learning the mele and mo‘olelo of Waimea, stories of a great battle between Hawai’i’s chief and forces from Maui that took place in the mountains behind HPA hundreds of years ago. Estria then leads the students through a guided meditation to reflect on the powerful past of this spot, so they can work together to sketch the initial design. The final design, completed by the artist, is projected on the wall, its outlines spray-painted to guide the students in the final task of painting, a process that takes almost a week.
For Cabuzel and his team, the time spent is well worth it; this public art project connects HPA students more deeply with the local community, not only in terms of creating present beauty but also understanding the past. “I had no idea how important this place was in terms of our heritage,” Cabuzel notes. “From beginning to end, this has enlightened me as a person (hopefully my peers as well), and has given me an appreciation for Waimea and the vibrant community that it is.”