Wahi Pana: Storied Places is a temporary public art project of the City and County of Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA) and is a winner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge grant.
Beginning February 2025, the project will feature art installations across the island of O‘ahu that connect each site with their indigenous, Native Hawaiian mo‘olelo (stories).
Wahi Pana: Storied Places is a temporary public art project of the City and County of Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA) and is a winner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge grant.
Beginning February 2025, the project will feature art installations across the island of O‘ahu that connect each site with their indigenous, Native Hawaiian mo‘olelo (stories).
Phase 1 & 2 Art Installations Now Open
Wahi Pana engages and educates Hawai‘i's residents and visitors through art that explores the layered and profound mo‘olelo (stories) of our ‘āina (land).
By presenting these cultural narratives, we aim to inspire respect and appreciation for our island's rich heritage, prompt meaningful conversations, and strengthen connections within our community. Through the creative expressions from talented local artists, Wahi Pana seeks to deepen the understanding and appreciation of our history and culture, fostering a shared sense of place among all who experience these powerful stories.
Join us on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. for a community gathering to celebrate a new community mural at Kahe Point, created by artists Meleanna Aluli Meyer and Solomon Enos.
The program will begin with cultural protocol, followed by conversation, food, and mele.
Located at Kahe Point (Electric Beach), a site popular with divers and snorkelers, and passed by thousands of commuters each day, this project reconnects the place to the significance of the five ʻili (subdivisions) associated with the area. Created in collaboration with dozens of community members, this mural is grounded in shared stewardship and kuleana-based pedagogy.
Mahalo to Kimo Keaulana, Dietrix Jon Ulukoa Duhaylonsod, Eric Enos, Kahi Ching, and all our dedicated community painters and partners– Kaʻala Farms & MAʻO Organic Farms!
Please RSVP. All are welcome to attend.
Wahi Pana Handi-Van by @kamehana_o_kala — Coming Soon
Join us for the official launch at Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden on February 20 at 12:30 p.m. for a first look.
RSVP link in bio.
Join us for the launch of Wahi Pana Phase 3 at Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden! This press conference brings together Mayor Rick Blangiardi, project partners, and all Phase 3 artists to reflect on their newly installed public artworks:
Kaili Chun
Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden
Meleanna Aluli Meyer and Solomon Enos
Kahe Point (Electric Beach)
Amber Khan and Jordan Souza
Haleʻiwa Beach Park
The event will take place at the site of Kaili Chun’s sculpture at Hoʻomaluhia (Kahua Nui Pavilion) and will offer a first look at the Wahi Pana Handi-Van, designed by Cory Kamehanaokalā Holt Taum.
Please RSVP (link in bio). All are welcome.
Join us for the launch of Wahi Pana Phase 3, featuring new site-specific installations by contemporary artists across Oʻahu. All are welcome!
🔺Wahi Pana Phase III Press Conference
Featuring Kaili Chun, Wahi Pana Handi-Van Reveal, and other Phase 3 artists.
Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden
February 20, 2026, 12:30 p.m.
🔺Kahe Point (Electric Beach)
Meleanna Aluli Meyer & Solomon Enos
February 21, 2026, 12:00 p.m.
🔺Haleʻiwa Beach Park
Amber Khan & Jordan Souza
February 22, 2026, 9:00 a.m.
Join us for mele, mo’olelo, and mea ‘ai.
RSVP is requested. Link in bio.
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MĀUNUUNU
@wahipana × @inthesouthernsun
A collective residency grounded in place-based storytelling, where ancestral knowledge meets contemporary expression. Featuring reimagined iterations of:
KA PĀʻŪ EHUEHU O HIʻIAKA (2025)
Cory Kamehanaokalā Holt Taum
@kamehana_o_kala
LĒʻAHI from Aloha Ka‘apuni (2025)
Brandy Nālani McDougall
KŪʻENAʻENA (2025)
Koloikeao Anthony
@koloikeao
With moʻolelo research by:
Kauwila Mahi @olapakauwila.wilz
Ka‘imina‘auao Kahikina @mahucha_art
Named for the persistent wind of Waiʻalae that moves through Waikīkī, Māunuunu speaks to transformation, offering, and intention. A call to shift, reconnect, and reflect— affirming these stories of Waikīkī are living and still in motion.
Join us for the reveal.
Friday, January 30th
Doors @ 6PM // Artist Talk Story @ 630PM
FREE + open to all with RSVP at link in bio
#wahipana #storiedplaces #publicartchallenge #bloombergconnects #mayorsofficeofcultureandthearts
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HAU CORDAGE WORKSHOP
// hana kaula
Co-Sponsored by Waialua Community Association @waialuacommunityassociation
Join us for a special opportunity to learn the craft of hana kaula (cordage making) with Wahi Pana artist Amber Khan @colour.amber. Cordage will be part of an upcoming @wahipana public art installation at Haleʻiwa Beach Park launching February 2026.
Session 1:
17 January 2026
SAT 10am - 2pm
Session 2:
24 January 2026
SAT 10am - 2pm
Waialua Community Assoc
66-434 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleʻiwa, HI 96712
Workshops are FREE & open to all.
Let us know youʻre coming via QR code or link in bio.
@wahipana x @hnl_moca x
@colour.amber x @puuhonuasociety x @waialuacommunityassociation
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Kohelepelepe: Walking Photography Tour
Koko Crater Botanical Garden
Saturday, January 17, 2026 @ 9am
Join Wahi Pana featured artist and photographer Ualani Davis @ua_lala for a guided walking and photography tour through Koko Crater Botanical Garden, exploring this wahi pana and the stories of Kohelepelepe.
Participants will learn basic photography strategies while reflecting on how images can deepen our connection to place. Bring a camera—or camera phone— and join us on the 2-mile loop trail, ending at Davis’s installation “Kuʻu Pua i Kohelepelepe” (2025).
Held in honor of the ʻOnipaʻa Peace March, this gathering invites community to reflect on history and celebrate the enduring strength of our lāhui.
•Bring water
•Please wear good walking shoes
•Trail is unpaved and uneven in some areas
•Registration required by Friday, 1/16
#wahipana #kohelepelepe #kokocrater
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WAHI PANA: GUIDED SNORKEL TOUR
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
Saturday, January 10, 2026 @ 7am
Join @kekahiwahi wahi and members of SnorkelClub for a guided community snorkel at Hanauma Bay. Developed alongside the Wahi Pana featured short film Hanauma: He Wahi Loli Mau (2025), this experience invites experienced ocean swimmers to reconnect with the stories, environment, and living systems of Maunalua.
Participants will complete a short pre-dive reflection, gather for orientation and kilo (observation), then enter the water for a guided snorkel. The experience closes with shared discussion focused on stewardship and care.
•Limited to 6 participants
•Film viewing required before the dive
•Bring your own snorkel gear: mask, fins, appropriate swimwear
This gathering will recur every 3–4 months and is designed to strengthen community relationships to this important #wahipana.
Early registration is recommended— space is very limited. Visit the QR code or link in bio to secure your spot today.
#wahipanastoriedplaces #hanaumabay #snorkeltour #maunalua
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It was a tremendous year for Wahi Pana! Reflecting on the incredible work of 2025, we’re deeply grateful to every artist, partner, and community member who helped bring Phases I & II to life.
Looking ahead with excitement to Phase III, exhibits at Kahe Point (Solomon Enos & Meleanna Meyer), Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden (Kaili Chun), and Haleʻiwa Beach Park (Amber Khan & Jordan Souza) are soon opening in 2026.
Wahi Pana centers artistic installations as forms of creative storytelling—spanning sculpture, video, photography, poetry, painting, and mele.
We invite you all to engage beyond the surface of these storied spaces— explore, be curious, foster deeper connections to place and learn more about Hawaiʻi’s rich histories.
By cultivating historical and cultural awareness, the Wahi Pana initiative encourages more meaningful and respectful engagement with Hawaiʻi and its people.
Mahalo piha to these featured artists, collaborators, partners, & organizations who all played a vital role in bringing these stories to life:
@mayorrickhnl
@honolulu_gov
@bloombergdotorg
@hnl_moca
@aupunispace
@puuhonuasociety
@hvcb
@oahuvb
@bishopmuseum
@hnl.dts
@honolulubotanicalgardens
@honolulu_parks
@oer.honolulu
@kamehana_o_kala
@carlfkpao
@koloikeao
@kekahiwahi
@ua_lala
@solomonenos
@meleannaameyer
@babysurf2 @colour.amber
@olapakauwila.wilz
@mahucha_art
@dj_mermaid
#BrandyNälaniMcDougal
#ImaikalaniKalahele
Wahi Pana is a program of Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts and Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. It was created in partnership with Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Economic Revitalization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Puʻuhonua Society, Aupuni Space, Hawai‘i Contemporary, the O‘ahu Visitors Bureau, and the Bishop Museum.
Wahi Pana will run for a three-year period from 2025 to 2028. More more information, visit wahipana.com x @wahipana.
#wahipana #mayorsofficeofcultureandtgearts #cityandcountyofhonolulu
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