December 5, 2013
A 400-foot-wide barricade was recently erected along Kamehameha Highway in Haleʻiwa to protect passing pedestrians and vehicles from the construction of the KS commercial project Haleʻiwa Store Lots. To deter unwanted graffiti, KS hired artists to design a mural honoring the history of Haleʻiwa through various iconic images.
The mural illustrates Haleʻiwa’s history of people, culture, agriculture, fishponds, ocean, and the ʻiwa bird. Five experienced mural artists including KSK visual arts teacher Carl Pao, worked with community members over a course of two weeks to complete the project. Pao describes the mural as follows:
"As you approach the main gate, two bridges link the large walls to the gate. The bridges link the three piko at the gate providing that connection to all three as you cross those bridges.
"The piko from the west to the east symbolize the past, present, and future. The gate itself represents the mākāhā of the fishpond and how it will invite, nurture, and eventually, release people and their shared experiences of Haleʻiwa Store Lots.
"The piko themselves are in shapes of orbs, left to the imagination of the viewer. They are also connected by a cord that connects us all. Red – an important color in the design – signifies the blood of the land, people, and culturally the presence of aliʻi."
If your division or campus has pics to share, please send them along with background information and captions to Michael Young at miyoung@ksbe.edu.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
