LEILEHUA YUEN
The purposes of storytelling, the value of the search for knowledge, and encoding that knowledge in moʻolelo
Virtual Workshop Intensive (2021 + 2022 + 2023)
Virtual Workshop Intensive (2021 + 2022 + 2023)
In this interactive workshop series, Leilehua leads storytelling and explorations of the concepts instilled in her ST*BA research materials: the purposes of storytelling, the value of the search for knowledge, and encoding that knowledge in moʻolelo. The goal is for participants to create their own micro-storytelling presentation that is rooted in a distinctive sense of place, history and culture, with the longer-term vision of creating an oral histories archive by and for the larger community. To date, this work has led to multiple new partnerships and completely revamped our annual call-to-artists process, which now calls for public artwork that is inspired by intergenerational, audio-recorded stories. Learn more at our STORY page.
From the Artist: “Our stories convey our culture across time and space. When technology fails, the stories in our hearts and minds can still be told. Our stories tell us who we are. Stories help us to ground ourselves, and give us the lessons of the past to help guide us into the future. Storytelling can help Wailuku revitalize by helping people define their heritage and hold onto it as they explore ways to thrive. I would like to give a performance of traditional stories of Wailuku, Maui, and Hawaiʻi nei. The performance would be a lead-in to a series of storytelling workshops which would start with teaching people the traditional stories, and then help them to tell their own."
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LEILEHUA YUEN: For Leilehua Yuen, telling and teaching stories is an all-consuming passion which takes many forms. Her style is rooted in tradition, but often incorporates cutting edge technology; having performed solos as well as planetarium shows in which her watercolor paintings grew around her and over her head as she spoke. Nearly 30 years ago, she coined the term "edutainment" to describe what she does - educate while entertaining.
Her credits include live variety format Hawaiian culture stage shows in Hilo's historic Palace Theater, monthly Hawaiian culture presentations at Mauna Kea's Visitor Information Station, hula “informances” for Volcano Art Center at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and Hilo’s Lei Day program. Leilehua spends much time researching the stories, legends and myths of Hawai‘i, many of which she learned originally from her kūpuna. She also uses her vast collection of books and clippings, online sites, and she delves into archives, such as the old Hawaiian newspapers now searchable online through the Bishop Museum and other sources. What has made the research especially rewarding and exciting for her is being able to bring forgotten stories to life and finding the missing pieces of incomplete stories she learned long ago. A student of the legendary Aunty Nona Beamer, Leilehua notes that she was learning all the time, because Aunty Nona never wasted a minute. She was constantly teaching and took advantage of opportunities: waiting in an airport lounge, for example, was never down time, it was practice time. Today, Leilehua continues the same "never waste a moment" esthetic with her own students, using every possible moment to learn and teach. |
FOR PARTICIPANTS:
WORKSHOP RECORDINGS:
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MAHALO HAUMANA:
Malorie Arisumi, Malorie Arisumi Fine Art LLC
Kauanoe Batangan, Public Administrator/ Political Consultant: Kauanoe's Story
Kauwela Bisquera, General Manager, Queen Kaʻahumanu Center: Native Hawaiian Card
Mick Bursack, Docent, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House Museum/ Maui Historical Society: Mick's Story
Pualani Enos Dunn, Attorney: Learning Aloha Through Making Lei
Kaʻiulani Galon, Family Health Services Division, Maui District Health Office, State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health: I Am Kaʻiulani
Kainoa Horcajo, Moʻolelo Group
Kalapana Kollars, Hawaiian Cultural Programs Director, Lahaina Restoration Foundation: What I Think of When I Hear This Song
Kirk Kurokawa, Painter/ Wizard: Kirk's Story (Here is the mural he is talking about!)
Sissy Lake-Farm, Executive Director, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House Museum/ Maui Historical Society: Haʻawina Moʻolelo
Kuʻulei Maunapau, Maui Mixer Board President
Hoku Pavao Jones, Assistant Artistic Director, Maui Academy of Performing Arts
Hōkūao Pellegrino, Sustainability & ʻĀina-Based Learning Designer & Facilitator, Kamehameha Schools Maui
Ann-Marie Power, AMPLove Project Management
Jocelyn Romero Demirbag, Ed.D., Director of Development, Maui Nui at The University of Hawaii Foundation: Jocelyn's Story
Cassie Smith, Volunteer Coordinator, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission
Michael Takemoto, Visual Arts Program Coordinator at University of Hawaiʻi
Kim Thayer, Mauna Kahālāwai: Reflections on Time
Dean Tokishi, Ocean Resources Specialist, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission: It's Not Free
Lopaka White, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission: Cry Like A Baby + Nounou
Anuhea Yagi, Student of Hawaiian Life Ways: Winging It
Mariana
Kauanoe Batangan, Public Administrator/ Political Consultant: Kauanoe's Story
Kauwela Bisquera, General Manager, Queen Kaʻahumanu Center: Native Hawaiian Card
Mick Bursack, Docent, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House Museum/ Maui Historical Society: Mick's Story
Pualani Enos Dunn, Attorney: Learning Aloha Through Making Lei
Kaʻiulani Galon, Family Health Services Division, Maui District Health Office, State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health: I Am Kaʻiulani
Kainoa Horcajo, Moʻolelo Group
Kalapana Kollars, Hawaiian Cultural Programs Director, Lahaina Restoration Foundation: What I Think of When I Hear This Song
Kirk Kurokawa, Painter/ Wizard: Kirk's Story (Here is the mural he is talking about!)
Sissy Lake-Farm, Executive Director, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House Museum/ Maui Historical Society: Haʻawina Moʻolelo
Kuʻulei Maunapau, Maui Mixer Board President
Hoku Pavao Jones, Assistant Artistic Director, Maui Academy of Performing Arts
Hōkūao Pellegrino, Sustainability & ʻĀina-Based Learning Designer & Facilitator, Kamehameha Schools Maui
Ann-Marie Power, AMPLove Project Management
Jocelyn Romero Demirbag, Ed.D., Director of Development, Maui Nui at The University of Hawaii Foundation: Jocelyn's Story
Cassie Smith, Volunteer Coordinator, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission
Michael Takemoto, Visual Arts Program Coordinator at University of Hawaiʻi
Kim Thayer, Mauna Kahālāwai: Reflections on Time
Dean Tokishi, Ocean Resources Specialist, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission: It's Not Free
Lopaka White, Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission: Cry Like A Baby + Nounou
Anuhea Yagi, Student of Hawaiian Life Ways: Winging It
Mariana
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Working with StoryCorps DIY and Akakū Maui Community Media, we later paired up Leilehua’s 2021 workshop participants with community kūpuna to engage in a recorded “talk story” session. In November 2021, we released a call-to-artists in search of proposals to translate this pilot collection of stories into works of visual or performing public art. Concurrently, we’ve partnered with Ball State University’s Center for Emerging Media Design and Development (EMDD) of Muncie, Indiana for a yearlong collaborative project in transmedia journalism. As the Masters Thesis project of 8 international EMDD graduate students, this group has been analyzing the "problem-space" of building the Wailuku story, creating a story bank, making that bank publicly accessible, and inspiring/ motivating usage, practice and application — with the longer-term vision of creating an oral histories archive by and for the larger community. Pictured: Participating kūpuna Cliff Naeole, Gordean Bailey, Hōkūlani Holt, Kepā Maly, Skippy Hau and Wallette Pellegrino. Stay tuned for some new faces in 2022!
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