Hāna Arts

About Us

Our Vision: Hāna Arts envisions our community inspired, and united by the profound and long-lasting impact that exposure to the Arts has on people’s lives.

Our Mission: Hāna Arts provides Art & Cultural education and both life-enhancing and income-generating opportunities for all East Maui keiki to kupuna through youth, individual and family programs including classroom teaching, workshops and events that help stimulate and broaden our community’s potential.

Hāna Arts began providing visual art and crafts classes for Hāna children in 1991. We built on this, expanding our programs under the umbrella of the Hāna Youth Center, and then Hāna Cultural Center. By the time we incorporated in 1998, we were offering classes in dance, Hawaiian and world cultures, theatre, visual arts and music to both children and adults.

Hāna Arts is the prevalent facilitator of Art activity in Hāna/East Maui. We collaborate with many local agencies that serve our youth and their families, as well as local schools, universities and other larger art agencies within the Hawaiian islands and beyond.

The Hāna/East Maui geographical area we serve, from Ke’anae to Kaupo, consists of a 30-mile radius coastal community isolated by its geographical boundaries, rural lifestyle and difficult mountain terrain. We support the creative processes of these very special residents, and strive to create opportunities for them to reach their full potential.

Hāna Arts employs professional artists and educators from the community and around the world. Our dedicated staff frequently volunteer time equal to, or greater than, the number of hours paid to run our quality programs.

Programs

Hāna Arts Academy: A program embedded in Hāna High & Elementary School which educates over 400 students from preschool to high school in the four core art disciplines; Music, Visual Arts, Drama and Dance, as well as Hawaiian Cultural education. Employing professional artists and cultural practitioners, this program augments the current limited educational system to offer students a variety of creative thinking and skill building instruction.

Hāna Arts Community Arts/Culture Education: Our community platform which hosts various classes and workshops throughout the year, including hula, lei-making, yoga, painting and various arts and culture classes. The program allows local and traveling professional artists to share their specialized skills while providing diverse education that can inspire, strengthen, and build the minds and bodies of East Maui residents and visitors.

Hāna Arts Ceramics: A studio which offers classes including wheel-throwing, glazing, and firing techniques. Currently located at Hāna School, and serves elementary to high school students.

Hāna Arts Mural Program: A weekly program that engages youth and a professional artist that teach students about mural curation, restoration, development, and design.

Hāna Arts After School & Intersession: A variety of enrichment activities located at Hāna High & Elementary School. Employing professional artists and cultural practitioners, this program offers a variety of specialized programs including ballet, hula, ukulele, orchestra, theater, band, jiu jitsu, ceramics, and yoga.

Hāna Legends: A community theatre program which allows cultural practitioners a platform to teach their skills and knowledge of hula, mele, oli and craftsmanship through telling an ancient story from the past.

Hāna Arts Presents: Our events and workshops program where we are able to bring various Arts and Cultural performances to Hāna. These educational and entertaining events and workshops are able to unite and inspire the community, as well as bolstering the economy by generating various lodging and sales opportunities.

Hāna Arts Printmaking Studio: We host seasonal workshops where high school youth and adults can come together with their own individual images and designs to learn the Art of Printmaking. We see this as a vehicle for expression, skill-building and small business support.

Calendar

Color Key:

Art Barn
Events & Workshops
Hāna School

Date & Time	Headliner	Opener	Venue
6/7/24 - 3p	Maka Gallinger	He Makana Aloha Music Camp	Hāna Farmers Market
6/22/24 - 5P	BrownChicken BrownCow	Sweet Beats	Hāna Ranch Arena
7/5/24 - 3P	Tavana	Adrian Trevino	Hāna Farmers Market
8/2/24 - 3P	Wehilei	Shandi Ho’opai	Hāna Farmers Market
8/2/24 - 3P	Jason Arcilla & The Mad Steppas	Nellson & Ka’ili Kanakaole	Hāna Farmers Market
8/30/24 - 3P	Rowdy Love	Sticky Rice	Hāna Farmers Market
9/6/24 - 3P	Kanekoa	Uncle Keoni Darisay	Hāna Farmers Market
9/20/24 - 3P	Kainani Kahaunaele	Kula Kaiapuni O Hāna	Hāna Farmers Market
10/4/24	TBD	Cherreh Strawberry	TBD
10/18/24 - 3P	Liz Morales & Jordan Soon	George Kahumoku Jr	Hāna Farmers Market

Click here for more information.

The Levitt AMP Hāna Music Series is supported in part by the Levitt Foundation, which partners with communities across America to activate underused public spaces through the power of free live music, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations where people of all ages and backgrounds come together. levitt.org

Board Of Directors

President Robin Newton is a talented jewelry artist and co-owns a local boutique which features many local artists’ works.She is also a professional chef and designer with a passion for the ocean and our Hāna community.

Vice President Jason Newland

TreasurerBlessing Hancock is a public artist and owner of Skyrim Studio. She has a background in Sculpture and Landscape Architecture, and has dozens of large, illuminated sculptures installed around the country as well as internationally.

SecretaryJessica Keay is co-owner and designer of a tropical flower company. She is an avid participant at the Hāna Art Barn and is excited to lend her business expertise to developing the program to the next level.

Board Members

Sara Tobin has an extensive theater and teaching background including founding her own children’s theater program. She is an advocate for the arts and has been a long-time supporter of Hāna Arts. She and her husband Greg, who is the co-founder of Stone Brewing, travel frequently and encourage creativity wherever they go.

Bonika Amarasinghe

Staff Members

Executive Director Becky Elizabeth Lind is the glue that holds our organization together. She has studied Business Administration from University of Hawaii, & has years managing various other businesses. Overseeing all administrative aspects of HA, Becky works closely with the Board, Partners and Staff to ensure all operations run smoothly. Becky is a Certified Festival & Events Executive (CFEE), sits on the Hāna Community Association Board as Treasurer, and is also an active member of the Hāna Advisory Committee to the Maui County Council.

Program Manager & Yoga Instructor Shari Berman earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from University of Maryland. She earned her yoga instructor certification in India and has taught throughout Asia, Europe and Hawaii. She also serves as the liaison between Arts Instructors and School Teachers to ensure satisfaction with lesson planning and classroom management.

Girls Group Instructor Angela holds a Master's Degree in Teaching and taught High School Social Studies at Hāna School for two years. She also received her 200-hr Yoga Teaching Certificate and Holistic Health Coach Certification which she uses in leading the Hāna Arts Girls Group program. She is currently a counselor at Hāna School and is pursuing another Masters degree from UH Hawaii in Counseling.

Pi’ilani Lua Kumuhula Pi’ilani Lua comes from a long lineage of hula and has been practicing for over forty years. She has created the Waimea Falls Hula Competition and halau and has toured throughout the islands, states and even internationally. Several of her students have become instructors throughout the world. Pi’ilani has also been an esteemed judge for the famed Merrie Monarch Festival for four seasons.

Music Instructor David Yu Vazques has studied Music and Biology at Plano College in Texas. Having studied music from both academic and independent approaches, Yu is well versed in multiple instruments from string family, percussion, brass and woodwinds. He volunteered in many childhood learning programs across different cultures and he seeks to share his long time passion of the language of music with our Hāna keiki diversifying personal resources available for expression and communication.

Hula/Olelo Instructor Didi Mililani Krause is a valued cultural practitioner and hula dancer with an expansive knowledge base and high fluency in Native Hawaiian language and traditions.

Visual Arts Instructor Carlos Uribe holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts for Printmaking. He has been teaching art for over 20 years to all age groups in both urban and rural places. This is his 3rd year working with Hāna Arts and he utilizes a wide variety of visual arts methods from watercolor to paper mache.

Visual Arts Instructor Hiroko Otakagi graduated from the College of Osaka University of Arts and Design in Japan, with one of her artworks becoming an acquisition for the University's art collection. She has joined many private, public and commercial mural projects as a painter including Disney and Universal Studios and was involved in mural workshops for kids, that led her to become a part of the crew of the 50th Anniversary of Independence of Indonesia Commemoration Mural Project at the University of IKIP and STKW in Surabaya, East Jawa from Osaka prefectural government.

`Olelo Arts Instructor Kaimana Cabebe is a founding member for Punana Leo O Hāna (Hawaiian Immersion School), Hawaiian Language Instructor for University of Maui, and a well-versed musician and artist. As Kulakaiapuni was introduced into Hāna School, Hāna Arts Academy employed Kaimana to serve the `Olelo speaking students so that we can continue to provide all Hāna School Elementary students with Arts Education. This year, he will come to Hāna School Campus to teach the Hawaiian speaking students Music, Dance, Visual Arts, and Drama.

Ceramics Instructor Tania Woessner is our Ceramics Instructor and also owner of Mermaid Isle Pottery. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tania has a Finance background and has also completed a variety of special education certifications for disabled youths.

Visual Arts Instructor Miho Brower attended Tokyo Art School in Tokyo, Japan. She worked as a graphic designer in Tokyo for 12 years before moving to Hāna. She has been in Hāna for 19 years and has worked with Hāna Arts for 4 years. She utilizes as many natural sources and Hawaiian cultural influences as possible.

Hawaiian Arts Instructor Jaimie Peters

Tahitian Dance Instructor Hinarau Gold

Visual Arts Assistant Melody Sare

Visual Arts Assistant Strano Castro

Kula Kaiapuni Ka’koo Shy Tolentino

Hawaiian Arts Instructor Kili’ohu Thomas

Art Barn Instructors Eliza Darling, Yoga Instructor
Shari Berman, Ashtanga Yoga Instructor
Vance Pu, Jiu Jitsu Instructor
Poerava Tehiva, Tahitian Dance Instructor
Christel Blumer-Buell, Yoga Instructor
Pi’ilani Lua, Hula Instructor

Volunteers HA enjoys a huge host of volunteers who donate their time and energy to help make this organization thrive.

Hawaiian Cultural Practitioners and Experts of Hāna

Fawn Helekahi Our University of Hawaii Maui College Academic Support professional, Fawn is also the head Kumu (teacher) for several Hawaiian cultural programs.

Moani Aiona A counselor at Hāna High and Elementary School, Moani also supports the local Hula Halau.

Nahelelani Cabebe Nahelelani Cabebe

Contact

Name

Subject

Content

Hāna Arts
P.O. Box 686
Hāna, Hawaii 96713
(808) 248-7569

Donate & Membership

A donation of $25 will provide you with an annual membership! Your membership and donations have a direct impact on the Hāna community.
Active involvement in visual arts, drama, music, and dance programs has been proven to increase confidence & self-esteem. Click on the PayPal link below to become a member and donate today! (SIAP)

Click to donate:

$20 buys a ballerina a pair of shoes.
$100 buys a student an ukulele.
$200 buys a student keyboard.
$500 buys an 8-foot ballet bar.
$2,000 buys art supplies for one class for an entire year.
$5,000 buys a new ceramics kiln.
$10,000 pays for a teacher's salary.
$30,000 pays all wages for an entire month.

Every dollar helps, and all donations are tax-deductible.

If a monetary donation is not within your means, you may also donate service, materials, and equipment to support our programs.

Board Members

Staff Members

Hawaiian Cultural Practitioners and Experts of Hāna

Sponsors