Sept. 24, 2026

They beckon from walls at Waiānuenue at Kapa‘akea; their bold colors and intriguing shapes and textures inviting viewers to linger for a close look. Although they differ in style and subject, three new art installations — the latest to be completed in Ke Kula or Kamehameha’s Kapaʻakea District-Wide Art Initiative — illustrate aloha ʻāina, cherished mo‘olelo, connection to culture and hopes for a thriving lāhui.

Dedicated on September 15, the project transformed the commercial complex at the busy intersection of Beretania Street and University Avenue on ‘āina Pauahi into a vibrant hub of shops, restaurants and gathering spaces. Maile Meyer, the principal of Hoʻomaikaʻi (an art curation, consulting and management organization rooted in Hawaiian culture), helped to curate the art pieces.

“What we were trying to do is make sure that we had representation across community — kūpuna artists, longtime artists, people committed to making art that has symbolism, imagery and connection to people and place,” Meyer said. “They [all] had the capacity to deliver on a vision of what creative communities with a Hawaiian focus look like.”

Koloikeao Anthony KSK’19 holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University, but he is just as versed in the visual arts. As he grew up in Kaʻaʻawa, his worldview was shaped by his father, a filmmaker, and his paternal grandmother, a scholar in Hawaiian history, language and traditions.

“Kealohapauʻole,” Anthony’s contribution to Waiānuenue, resembles kānoa in which ‘awa is mixed with wai for a beverage that was traditionally used as an offering to akua, to welcome esteemed guests, and to alleviate, among other conditions, pain and anxiety. Fabricators from Xen Design rendered this concept in three dimensions with painted stainless steel to show off a distinctive sheen in daylight.

One of Anthony’s objectives for “Kealohapauʻole” was to underscore the importance of lōkahi. 

“More than anything, it’s about coming together,” Anthony said. “That’s what this wall is about. You cannot go anywhere without other people — without help. I think ea is about inclusivity and community.”

“Piʻo” by Solomon Enos presents the rippling surface of water via thousands of brushstrokes in curved bands of red, blue, green, purple and yellow — a panorama of energy and movement on 2,200 square feet of concrete. Viewers might also see images of fish, sky, rainbows and more in this artwork, which notes the interconnectedness of everything — both animate and inanimate — in nature.

Hailing from Mākaha Valley, Enos is largely self-taught. He explores themes such as ancestry, identity and collective consciousness in a manner influenced by abstraction, impressionism and his own vivid imagination. During his impressive career spanning more than 30 years, he has completed commissions for clients such as Google and Disney.

“As kānaka, we are the romantics, we are the dreamers, we are the ones that are never fully comfortable with where we are right now, because we know there’s something beyond where we are,” Enos said. “We truly are one generation from achieving all of our goals that we could want for our lāhui: to be sustainable, to be self-sufficient, to regain our language, our sense of destiny, our fate. My goal is to talk about these visions; this is what I do with all my art.”

Another vibrant mural, “Plants of Mōʻili'ili”, was brought to life by Colleen Kimura, Taiji Terasaki, Amber Kahn and Kainoa Gruspe. It features kalo, niu, makaloa, ʻawapuhi, laiki and pūhala, which were cultivated by makaʻāinana for food, medicine, tools, clothing and more.

For Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha, this initiative allows our moʻolelo to be present in everyday spaces of connection and reflects a commitment to create opportunities for artists to honor our history, culture and people.

“The waters of Kapaʻakea have long connected people, stories and the land. In that same spirit, these artworks create connections between past and present, culture and community, memory and possibility,” said Kāʻeo Duarte, vice president of ʻĀina Pauahi. “As stewards of these lands, we're grateful to partner with artists whose work reflects the depth of this place and helps ensure that the ʻike, values and aspirations of our lāhui are present in the spaces where people gather every day. Through art, Waiānuenue becomes more than a destination; it becomes a place where the stories of this ʻāina continue to serve as a foundation.”

Meyer also recognizes the value of art as a vehicle to arouse curiosity, spark introspection, prompt meaningful conversations and enrich communities on multiple levels. Laulima —collaborations between creators — can build lasting bonds.

“That was the best thing to me about working on this project, where artists were involved from beginning to end, both in support roles as well as the actual artists commissioned,” Meyer said. “There’s something about … how the work was done that was truly — I felt — Hawaiian. It just felt like the right way to produce something extraordinary.”