Connecting Our Towns
Kaua'i has many stories to tell, all of which interconnect and empower both our spaces and our people. Through the Community Challenge Grant from AARP, RSBA partnered with the County of Kaua'i, Better Block Hawai'i, Ulupono Initiative, local artists, and our community, to help tell the stories of our places and connect them through our infrastructure.
Our Bus Shelters serve as a resting space for sharing our stories and a place to connect us throughout the island. It's important that these spaces reflect the meaningful relationships we have with each other, with ourselves, and with our environment.
Kilauea Bus Shelter
Local artist Kayti Lathrop partnered with the community, Lions Club, to share the first mural in Kilauea Town. This mural shares the stories of Native Hawaiians, plantation era, and present day.
@mamabearkayti / mamakayti@gmail.com
Lawai Bus Shelter
Local artist Holly Kaʻiakapu: The artwork is inspired by the bus shelter’s surroundings of Hau bushes. The bushes thrive off the Lāwaʻi stream which sits just below the bus shelter’s location. The pua, or flower, of the Hau tree changes color throughout the day with the passing of the sun from a yellow, to an orange, and finally to an almost sunburnt red. The incorporation of the pua in the design is a nod to the shade the bus shelter provides its guests to keep them from becoming sunburnt themselves. Lastly, the infamous Hau bush cordage was placed throughout the design in order to create a flow and connection from one end of the shelter to the other. This element was essential because it reminds viewers of one of the main reasons Hau was a canoe plant and honors the predominant use of Hau in Old Hawai’i
@thehkexperience / hkaiakapu@gmail.com
Lawai Bus Shelter
Local artist Bree Blake partnered with the community to share a story of place, pre-contact. Honoring nature and all that comes with it.
@bybreeblake / bybreeblake@gmail.com
Ele’ele Bus Shelter
Local artist Bethany Coma partnered with the community to share stories of how we come together in our spaces.
@buddha.beth / bethanycoma@gmail.com
Princeville Bus Shelter
Textures of Kilauea
Front & back: Kilauea is a word that usually represents Pele along with the definition of rising smoke cloud.
Kilauea place is also known for the deep sea fishing and the river, which was a crossing section for royals back in the day. So the back design is of the back of royals crossing the kalihiwai river as they did since this bus stop is the closest bus stop to this river and bridge that is a major crossing point. And this river we now just drive over.
For the front, there are large clouds rising up from the ocean with large deep sea fish.
Sides: The landscape wraps around and continues onto the inner sides with mauka and river side with foliage. Then for the outer sides, since Plants and Hula are also of importance historically, there is woven ti leaf on the north side and hau on the Moloa’a side since Moloa’a means matted roots
@schorrdesign / shianne@schorrlinedesign.com
Kilauea Bus Shelter
This piece portrays the old that still stands today and how we can weave the two together into this space through art. The exterior will be woven textures and patterns that bind and showcase the Hawaiian and Western cattle ranching and the paniolo lifestyle that were a huge part of the culture in this place, where some of these ranch lands are still being used. This is reflected in the exterior walls of the shelter with woven patterns of palaka and lauhala papale. The lo'i of kalo were especially prevalent through the area so the outside wrap around that follows the pattern of the palaka and lauhala are the hawaiian quilted patterns of kalo. The north shore and specifically Hanalei and Princeville area is a location rich in history of farming various crops over the years, the lo'i of kalo being the first, long before Cook came to the area in 1778. The front and interior of the bus stop flows from the land to the sea. The left being the kalo lau that flows into the Lo'i that makes the lookout of the valley and mauka that is next to and the valley behind this bus shelter, this wraps and connects into the following interior side wall of the stunning and unforgettable kai and pali that surrounds the area. The piece is made in an earthy green scale to reflect the greenery of the north shore and the overall garden island.
@schorrdesign / shianne@schorrlinedesign.com
