The Public Art Podcast

TALK STORY #19: Anthony Pacheco and his father Henry Eskaran, Jr., Kamaʻāina of Lānaʻi

Recorded at Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center on June 24, 2022, Anthony Pacheco and his father Henry Eskaran, Jr., Kamaʻāina of Lānaʻi, met to record a 40-minute "Talk Story" session, with the goal of capturing an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Lānaʻi sense of place. This recording will become part of a collection from which artists will base a proposed work of public art through the upcoming SMALL TOWN * BIG ART 2022 RFP (request for proposals). Learn more at smalltownbig.org/talk-story.

TALK STORY #18: Caroline Kahoʻiwai Belsom & Jocelyn Romero Demirbag

In May 2022, Jocelyn Romero Demirbag, Ed.D., Director of Development, Maui Nui at The University of Hawaii Foundation, completed a storytelling training alongside 12 extraordinary individuals led by SMALL TOWN * BIG ART artist Leilehua Yuen. Our team paired each participant with an intergenerational partner to engage in a 40-minute, audio-recorded "Talk Story" session, with the goal of capturing an authentic moment of connection. Here, Jocelyn speaks with Caroline Kahoʻiwai Belsom at Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society. This recording will become part of a collection from which artists will base a proposed work of public art through the upcoming SMALL TOWN * BIG ART 2022 RFP (request for proposals). Learn more at smalltownbig.org/talk-story.

TALK STORY #17: Michael K. Nāhoʻopiʻi & Kelly McHugh-White

2022
The goal of the Hui Mo‘olelo program is to capture an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Hawai‘i sense of place. As participants complete our immersive storytelling workshop, each identify a partner to engage in an audio-recorded talk-story that captures these connective moments. These recordings become the basis for annual requests for proposals to interpret as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County.
Representing a wide range of special places and stories, the collection is available for your research, enjoyment, memory or inspiration at https://www.mauipublicart.org/hui-moolelo.html. 

Episode #11: Bobby Zokaites

Bobby Zokaites is a U.S. based sculptor skilled in a variety of materials with a wealth of experience producing large scale works for private and public spaces. His industrious work ethic and urban design sense enable him to create distinctive works of art that foster new and dynamic relationships between community, site, history and the natural environment. Blurring the line between fine art, public sculpture and collaborative practices, his work engages diverse audiences, humanizes public spaces, and often encourages participation with larger-than-life-sized artwork. Zokaites earned his BFA at New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2008) and his MFA in Sculpture at Arizona State University (2014). He recently completed two permanent municipal infrastructure projects in Arizona. It is integral to Zokaites' practice that his work connects residents to one another and their community in new ways, creating new and lasting experiences. Learn about Bobby's SMALL TOWN * BIG ART and Imua Discovery Garden collaborative project HERE. 

TALK STORY #16: Hōaka Delos Reyes & Anuhea Yagi

In May 2022, Student of Hawaiian Life Ways Anuhea Yagi completed a storytelling training alongside 12 extraordinary individuals, led by SMALL TOWN * BIG ART artist Leilehua Yuen. Our team paired each participant with an intergenerational partner to engage in a 40-minute, audio-recorded "Talk Story" session, with the goal of capturing an authentic moment of connection. Here, Anu speaks with Hōaka Delos Reyes, an expert in the field of stone-on-stone carving (kālai pōhaku), at Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society. This recording will become part of a collection from which artists will base a proposed work of public art through the upcoming SMALL TOWN * BIG ART 2022 RFP (request for proposals). Learn more at smalltownbig.org/talk-story.

TALK STORY #15: Johnny Mac & Dean Tokishi

In May 2022, Dean Tokishi completed a storytelling training alongside 12 extraordinary individuals, led by SMALL TOWN * BIG ART artist Leilehua Yuen. Our team paired each participant with an intergenerational partner to engage in a 40-minute, audio-recorded "Talk Story" session, with the goal of capturing an authentic moment of connection. Here, Dean speaks with John McCandless (Uncle Johnny Mac), at Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society. This recording will become part of a collection from which artists will base a proposed work of public art through the upcoming SMALL TOWN * BIG ART 2022 RFP (request for proposals). Learn more at smalltownbig.org/talk-story.

TALK STORY #14: Sissy Lake-Farm & Lopaka White

In this "bonus episode" of our Talk Story initiative, Lopaka White specifically requested an impromptu meeting with Sissy Lake-Farm to learn more about Hawaiian Canoe Club -- a program that raised him and that was created by Sissy's family, John and Kealoha Lake, sixty years ago. More at smalltownbig.org/talk-story.

TALK STORY #13: Wallette Pellegrino & Frank De Rego

On Friday, June 10, 2022, cousins Frank De Rego, (Maui Police Commission, Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, Maui County Climate Action Resiliency Planning Advisory Committee) and ​Wallette Pellegrino, (Former Host of ”Preserving Our Recollections” Oral History TV Program for University of Hawaii Maui College), met at Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House / Maui Historical Society to record a "Talk Story" session, with the goal of capturing an authentic moment of connection through stories that are embedded in a Maui sense of place. This recording will become part of a collection from which artists will base a proposed work of public art through the upcoming SMALL TOWN * BIG ART 2022 RFP (request for proposals). Learn more at smalltownbig.org/talk-story.