A & C academy clean up, repair at Bailey Museum
arts and communications academy students work together on Pōʻalima ʻUlaʻula
Photo by Destinee Murray
Senior Anson Souza cleans the gutters of the Kaho’olawe exhibit before wiping down the stone walls at the Bailey House Museum on October 17, 2014, as part of a whole-school a community service project for Red Friday. On Pōʻalima ʻUlaʻula, students from all three campus broke into smaller groups to do community service and engage in cultural learning opportunities designed to celebrate Hawaiian unity. Some groups stayed on campus, while others, like Souzaʻs endorsement academy, visited community sites.
WAILULU–Raking leaves, painting railings, sanding benches, and cleaning stone walls are just a few of the tasks Kamehameha Maui Arts and Communications Academy students completed at the Bailey House Museum on Friday. Through the light rain that drizzled in ahead of Tropical Storm Ana, they helped with cleaning and restoring in different areas of the historical site.
The students, along with arts and communications faculty, were greeted by Kekai Robinson, executive assistant at the Bailey House Museum. Ms. Robinson took the students on a tour around the facility explaining each of the jobs, which included repainting of the hale wa’a, sanding and painting of wooden benches, and yard work.
“We’ve been trying to network with a lot of community groups and private organizations to come back to the museum and feel like it belongs to the entire community,” Robinson said, “because it does…bringing everyone here and to mak[ing] it feel like it belongs to you is a big part of our goal… We want to be sure that it doesn’t feel like a dusty old museum when you come.”
The Bailey House Museum was initially a mission home built in 1833 and a female seminary for Hawaiian girls. It was home to the missionary teacher Edward Bailey until 1888 and later was turned into a museum in 1957. It is now run by the Maui Historical Society. The Maui Historical Society preserves and promotes the history of Maui.
“It’s a good thing to give back to our community. And like, the whole thing about Red Friday is to unite us as Hawaiians, so it’s a good thing to go out in the community and help this Hawaiian historical monument,” senior Anson Souza said. Souza was part of the group that cleaned the stones on the walls of the former dining hall, which now contains an exhibit dedicated to Kahoʻolawe.
The historical exhibition is named “He Moku Poina ‘Ole” meaning “an island not forgotten.” Kuiokalani “Kui” Gapero, cultural resources project coordinator of the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission, gave a tour of the exhibit and told the history of the island bombing from WWII up to the restoration.
According to their website, “the Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission was established by the Hawai’i State Legislature in 1993 to manage the Kaho’olawe Island Reserve while held in trust for a future Native Hawaiian sovereign entity.”
Students were also given a tour of 27 Edward Bailey paintings. The museum holds the largest known collection of his art, 7 of which are still being restored. Students also got to see the collection of Hawaiian land snails and tools used by Kahuna ʻAnaʻana for sorcery.
Upstairs, students saw everyday items of the Bailey family like clothing, tools and toys.
Everyone helped with the cleaning and restoration and learned a lot about the history of Maui and Kahoʻolawe as well through the paintings, artifacts and stories.
“It feels good. It’s good to give back to the community. Everyone’s talking story and having a good time while doing something that’s awesome,” junior Hiilei Aniban said.
