Kaua’i commutes just got a lot more colorful.
Three local artists have created murals for their neighborhood bus shelters in an effort to bring the island’s public spaces to life through visual storytelling of its communities.
Part of the Rice Street Business Association’s Lihu’e Placemaking, Forestry and Gardens initiative, the project was initiated by both the association and Better Block Hawai’i, with support from the Kauai County Office of Economic Development.
“A lot of the newer bus shelters look great, but there are a lot of older bus shelters that just need a makeover — some love and care,” said County Council member and Rice Street Business Association President Addison Bulosan. “So we wrote this grant to make these pieces to help connect our cities and have a better community reflection of what we have in our spaces.”
After receiving partial funding through an AARP Community Challenge Grant, each of the three artists designed their murals to represent their respective communities.
In “Ele’ele,” Bethany Koma’s mural highlights the adjacent park, displaying sports balls and a picnic blanket alongside a large self-care checklist, with a psychedelic skyline backdrop.
In “Oma’o,” Bree Blake showcased the natural beauty of the city through images of the nearby landscape and vegetation.
And in Kilauea, Kaity Lathrop has created a detailed depiction of the town’s ancient and plantation-era past, its post-sugarcane and conservationist present, and its hopeful future.
“I just tried to represent in visual form the people who made the place what it is, what they would like to see passed down and what they would like future generations to learn,” Lathrop said. “I basically tried to squeeze in as much as I could – there are so many concepts, ideas and reflections. The essence of the city and its energy is basically what I tried to convey.”
Bulosan said from start to finish the project was designed with community members in mind.
“First we found the local artists in the locations and then the second part was to reach out to the community in the area to help tell the story,” he said. “We made a series of contacts with local organizations at the sites and then with local residents to hear stories that remind them of this space.”
After receiving advice from members of the public, the artists presented their mural concepts to residents at a community dinner in October 2022, where attendees voted on their favorite designs.
The three artists spent the remainder of 2022 painting the murals, incorporating additional ideas from the community as they worked.
Boulosan emphasized how positive the public reception of the murals has been since they were completed in late December 2022.
“We get messages every day,” he said. “I’m sure artists get them every day (about) how big of an impact they have on the community.”
In particular, he mentioned that members of the North Shore Lions Club, who built the Kilauea shelter some 40 years ago, were extremely pleased with the results.
“They are so shocked that the bus shelter has come to life,” Bulosan continued. “They were happy to build this and have this as a resource for the community, but to have the stories of the time is just amazing.”
Boulosan added that he hoped revitalizing some of the island’s bus shelters – many of which were previously littered with graffiti – would encourage more people to use the bus stops.
“A lot of it is just aesthetic, if something doesn’t look safe or doesn’t look attractive, you don’t go to the area,” he said. “If the art tells the story of the place, it reminds you, like, ‘Oh yeah—this is where we used to hang out, we must be good.'”
While the bus shelter’s three murals are almost complete — Lathrop told The Garden Island there’s still more she’d like to add to hers — Boulosan said the project is just getting started.
“We have one in the works coming up in Lawa’i with local artists,” he said. “We have the initial design and will now present it to the community and the county for review and approval. So that could be this year, sometime from July.”
Boulosan added that the organizations involved in the initiative are suddenly looking at a number of other sites around the island, although they are waiting for local artists to submit ideas for future murals.
Bulosan encourages residents interested in creating their own mural to follow Better Block Hawai’i’s guide to doing so. Members of the public can find information on how to get involved at betterblockhawaii.org/murals-on-public-facilities.
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Jackson Healyreporter, can be reached at 808-647-4966 or [email protected].