maui public art april 2026 call to artists
Our 2026 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) stems from Hui Mo‘olelo, a program that cultivates site-specific stories through community workshops rooted in Maui County. Selected artists will interpret one of these stories as a work of visual, performance, or experiential public art developed in collaboration with community members. The goal of these public art projects is to promote the unique history, culture and community of distinct sites throughout the County of Maui.
Please note: This is a commission for services, not a grant. You are being hired to enter a collaborative design process. Unlike a grant where you receive funds to execute a pre-set idea, this commission is a partnership where your initial proposal will evolve based on community dialogue and site requirements.
Mo‘olelo
Our Hui Mo‘olelo program is the heartbeat of this call. We are looking for artists who don't just 'use' a story, but who seek to honor and amplify the lived experiences of Maui County's people. Your work will become a new chapter in the preservation of these histories.
Artists will select an excerpt from our story archive as inspiration for their public art proposal (with the exception of Project Category C6, which may base submissions from our student-led "Maui Strong" project). Selected projects will be matched with appropriate venues, resources, and support based on scale, feasibility, and community impact. In order to create an efficient panel selection process, applicants are asked to base their proposals off of the excerpts listed, yet upon invitation to join may choose any part of the full story recording for the final project.
Project Categories
Pop-Up Performances
We invite artists to submit proposals for a site-specific pop-up performance inspired by a story from our Hui Mo‘olelo program. This opportunity encourages creativity and innovation across disciplines, including but not limited to music, choreography, spoken word, and original theatrical works. Selected performances may stand alone or be combined with others to create a longer-format event or festival.
Description: Select a Hui Mo‘olelo recording to interpret as a 20-30 minute set of original music, dance, theater, spoken word or other performance art. Our team may pair multiple artist proposals for a collaborative project (see example).
Budget Cap: $5,000
Additional information: HERE
Outdoor Elevator Shaft Installation
We are partnering with the Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center on a major renovation that will integrate public art throughout the site. A key feature is the building’s exterior elevator shaft — a vertical concrete/stucco surface approximately 34–36 ft high × 10–12 ft wide per façade — facing the ocean and visible from Baldwin Beach Park. This is an ideal location for a durable, marine-grade 3D or relief artwork that becomes a visual landmark for Pāʻia.
Description: Create a permanent, weather-resistant installation integrated into or applied to the exterior elevator shaft.
Budget Cap: $50,000–$90,000 (Inclusive of 20% Artist Fee and all production costs)
Timeline: Artwork installation slated for Q2 2027
Theme: Based on a Hui Mo‘olelo recording rooted in Pāʻia (or another Maui story connected to Pāʻia through community collaboration). This is our second round RFQ; please visit THIS page to learn from the current/ first round.
Additional information: HERE
Decorative Metal Railing Panels
As part of the Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center renovation, artists are invited to design decorative metal infill panels for the second-story lanai, stairways, and exterior walkways. These areas are highly visible gathering spaces overlooking the ocean, offering opportunities for narrative or ecological imagery rendered in precision-cut or layered metalwork.
Description: Design approximately 25–30 decorative railing panels (each 3–4 ft wide × 3–3.5 ft high) integrated into a code-compliant guardrail system.
Budget Cap: $50,000–$58,000 (Inclusive of 20% Artist Fee and all production costs)
Timeline: Artwork installation slated for Q2 2027
Theme: Based on a Hui Mo‘olelo recording rooted in Pāʻia (or another Maui story connected to Pāʻia through community collaboration). This is our second round RFQ; please visit THIS page to learn from the current/ first round.
Additional information: HERE
C4. Concrete Column Integration
The new Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center features structural concrete columns visible on all façades, particularly along the ocean-facing lanai. Artists are invited to explore surface treatments, cast-in reliefs, or applied sculptural bands that integrate art into these architectural elements while maintaining structural integrity and durability in the marine environment.
Description: Develop & implement a design concept for artistic integration on exterior concrete columns (approx. 18–20" diameter × 10–12 ft tall).
Budget Cap: $60,000–$250,000 (Inclusive of 20% Artist Fee and all production costs)
Timeline: Artwork installation slated for Q2 2027
Theme: Based on a Hui Mo‘olelo recording rooted in Pāʻia (or another Maui story connected to Pāʻia through community collaboration). This is our second round RFQ; please visit THIS page to learn from the current/ first round.
Additional information: HERE
Permanent Landscape or Environmental Installation
The Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center campus extends toward Baldwin Beach Park, offering opportunities for landscape-scale artworks that engage the site’s natural, cultural, and environmental context. Artists may propose permanent installations integrated into the landscape, or rotating sculpture garden concepts that bring changing creative experiences to the community.
Description: Propose a durable outdoor installation integrated into the landscape or a temporary sculpture garden on plinths.
Budget Cap: Permanent Installation: $240,000–$300,000 (Inclusive of 20% Artist Fee and all production costs) | Sculpture Garden Loan: $2,000–$5,000 honorarium per artist (2–3 year loan)
Timeline: Artwork installation slated for Q2 2027
Theme: Based on a Hui Mo‘olelo recording rooted in Pāʻia (or another Maui story connected to Pāʻia through community collaboration). This is our second round RFQ; please visit THIS page to learn from the current/ first round.
Additional information: HERE
Lahaina Mosaic Project
Maui Public Art Corps invites 2D artists, students, and community members to submit original digital artwork for consideration in a large-scale mosaic installation in Lahaina.
Inspired by the student-led "Maui Strong" banner project, selected works will be transformed into durable, exterior-grade mosaic tile panels and permanently installed in a public-facing location.
Honoraria: $200 per selected independent artist design | $50 per selected student design (paid to school or nonprofit). The final number of selected works will depend on available surface area and compositional integration.
Selected artworks will be digitally translated and integrated into a cohesive mosaic composition. Minor adjustments (scaling, cropping, color calibration) may occur as part of fabrication.
Note: Unlike Categories C1–C5 and C7, Category C6 is a direct submission. Selected artworks move straight to production. Applicants for C6 are not required to participate in the multi-month community engagement or proverb identification phases.
Full technical and production details are provided in the “More Info” attachment.
Open Call
This category is for artists whose work does not fit into the above categories but is still inspired by a story from our Hui Mo‘olelo program. We welcome proposals in any artistic medium that engages with the story’s theme and can be meaningfully shared with the public, such as animation, sculpture, exhibition, mural, installation, lightwork and more.
Description: Select a Hui Mo‘olelo recording to interpret in an artistic medium of your choosing.
Budget Cap: Up to $20,000 (Inclusive of 20% Artist Fee and all production costs) (Note, if proposing a mural the budget cap is $12,000).