HAWAII WALLS 2023 (Formerly POW! WOW! HAWAII)
May 8th to the 14th, 2023
HAWAII WALLS IS A GATHERING OF CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS THAT ENGAGES WITH THE BROADER COMMUNITY IN THE PROCESS AND CREATION OF ART.
POW! WOW! Hawaii, now known as Hawaii Walls, is celebrating its 11th annual festival in Hawaii and will surpass over 65 total festivals worldwide this year. Established in 2011 in Hawaii, the organization has evolved into a global network of artists, hosting gallery shows, lecture series, art and music schools, mural projects, and live art installations across the globe. Its flagship event in Hawaii takes place during Valentine's Day week in February in the Kaka'ako district of Honolulu, bringing together over a hundred international and local artists to create murals and other forms of art. This year, the event is moving to the Kalihi and Palama district, an underserved area primarily populated by low-income and public housing.
The move to the Kalihi and Palama district is aimed at uplifting the community through public art. Founder Jasper Wong, who has been teaching art classes at Palama Settlement, a community center and cornerstone of the area, saw the immediate need for support in the community. Public art has been known to transform and uplift underserved areas, and Wong hopes to bring the same effect to Kalihi and Palama.
The festival will take place from May 8th to May 14th, with artists gathering in the Kalihi and Palama neighborhoods to create over 70 new murals in six main locations, including Palama Settlement, Farrington High School, Bishop Museum, Kalihi Kai Elementary, Kalihi Uka Elementary, and Dillingham Plaza.
The festival will also feature an exhibition curated by Thinkspace, talks presented by Toyota Hawaiʻi with renowned directors such as the Daniels, Kirsten Lepore, and Justin Chon, a partnership with the After Hours event at Bishop Museum, a concert with Black Flag at the Republik, and a party at Hawaiian Aroma Caffe, located at the pool deck of Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel.
The festival's impact goes beyond the art created during the event. The festival has been known to bring about a sense of pride and community to the areas it has touched. A mother of two daughters in a public housing community in Worcester, Massachusetts, shared with the organizers that her daughters felt embarrassed to tell people where they lived. However, after the public art installation in their community, her youngest daughter was excited to share that it was the place where all the painting was happening. The festival aims to bring about similar positive changes to the Kalihi and Palama community.
Founder Jasper Wong has a personal connection to the Kalihi neighborhood, having spent a lot of time there during his childhood. His mother had a grocery store and a bakery across from Farrington High School, and Wong worked there for much of his childhood. Wong hopes that the festival will help uplift the community that has been a part of his own personal history.
The festival is proudly supported by:
MAJOR SPONSORS
Hawaiian Airlines
Monster Energy
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels
Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel
Montana Cans
City Mill
Aloha Gas
Toyota Hawaiʻi
Thinkspace
A&E Equipment
OFFICIAL AIRLINE
Hawaiian Airlines
HOSPITALITY SPONSOR
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels
Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
The Creative City
Kapalama Kai
Uniqlo
XLarge
JPG Hawaii
Waiakea
Hawaiian Telcom
Boldface
Fomo Mofo
Omidiyar Ohana
Johnson Ohana
FOOD SPONSORS
Zippys
Foodland
DOCUMENTATION SPONSOR
Redefined Media
For more information on Hawaii Walls (POW! WOW! Hawaii) contact sayhi@jasperwong.net or visit our Instagram account at @worldwidewalls.
Festival organized by Jasper Wong and Amy Wong.