For children on Maui’s West side, art has been a powerful resource, providing a creative outlet for their emotions and a safe, comfortable space for expression.
DeAna Duncan spent years as a high school teacher in Tennessee, guiding students in visual art, dance and audio/visual production. After moving to West Maui and connecting with Lāhainā Arts Guild (LAG)/Lāhainā Arts Society (LAS), she began volunteering to teach art at King Kamehameha Elementary School. Duncan says she fell in love with the keiki, educators and the school itself, happily welcoming this new chapter in her life to connect kids with art.
Duncan recalls. “Within days of the fire, director Bill Smith let us know he had no plans of ending LAS and LAG.” Thanks to donations of art supplies, about two weeks after the fire, the group was able to begin offering art at some of the hotel sites, and volunteering time in the hubs.
Robert Livermore, a teacher from King Kamehameha III, immediately began teaching keiki after the fire. He set up at Airport Beach, then the Nāpili Park Hub. He worked tirelessly with other educators and volunteers to be sure the keiki had a place to learn and be with friends. For weeks they attended “school” at the park.
Volunteer Rita McClintock helped organize further and found a location that offered an indoor setting with regular hours for families. Duncan says they were relieved to be a bridge to keep these keiki together until they could return to a school.
The children’s favorite stories were by Peter H. Reynolds. Duncan says they were enthralled by the fact that he was an author and an illustrator of his books. She reached out to Mr. Reynolds and he sent a sweet message of support to the keiki.
Duncan said, “They wanted to show him their appreciation, but didn’t think they could do what he does so well. I asked them ‘why not?’ And that began our process for writing and illustrating their own book!”
Three youngsters Makai, Ulises, and Alena, took particular interest. Duncan set aside time each day for them to brainstorm their ideas and come up with a story. They began with an outline, shared writing parts of the story, and organized the pages. They worked for three weeks on the book.
Duncan pledged that she would put their book together for the kids. True to her word, she digitally recreated their writing and illustrations. Lāhainā Arts Guild covered the cost of production and their creation, Makai Loves Books, made its way to an online self-publisher.
The group is planning to bring a book signing party in February, when there’s time to get the classmates together again and present the students with their special books.
