PLC’s ‘Aha Lamakū ‘Oia‘i‘o (ALO) project partnered with the Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex (KKP) and The Estria Foundation (TEF) to engage Pāhoa High School juniors and seniors in a place- and culture-based art experience. The two-week activity culminated in a large-scale mural on the school’s campus on April 30, 2021.
During the first week of field trips, including a seven-mile hike to Cape Kumukahi, artists with TEF’s Mele Murals program guided students through a mindfulness process involving meditation, writing, dialogue, and sketching. The second week involved pa‘ina pena, or paint days, at which time the artists and participants transferred their approved sketch to a central wall, approximately 10-feet high and 100-feet wide.
Students and artists worked over several days to collectively complete the vibrant mural that visually captures the story of the community and the voice of the students. The school community celebrated the culminating project at Pāhoa High & Intermediate School’s mural unveiling event.