WAILUA HOMESTEADS — Volunteers have repainted the Keahua bridge murals on Loop Road this holiday season, months after the paintings celebrating Native Hawaiian culture and nature were defaced by vandals.
The graffitied imagery, which included swastikas and batu pipes, was removed in September. But the cleaning process also scrubbed away portions of the underlying artwork, leaving concerned residents determined to return with paintbrushes.
Vanessa Owens, the Kapa‘a High School art teacher behind the murals, led the restoration efforts that spanned Dec. 19 and 20.
“We were really amazed that there wasn’t (any fresh vandalism),” Owens said in a recent interview.
The lack of new graffiti allowed Owens and artist Jill Weiner, current and former students Moira Nagle, Darius Foster and Malia Searby, and members of the nonprofit Kamawaelualani Corp.’s Mo‘olelo Murals program to repair the damaged murals rather than replace them entirely.
“We didn’t want to change it if we didn’t have to,” Owens said.
The art teacher also thanked local state Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel and Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School students for giving the bridge a final cleaning prior to painting.
Kaua‘i’s DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Forest Management Supervisor Mapuana O‘Sullivan has been a great help to the muralists, according to Owens.
“She’s just been awesome and supportive,” Owens said.
The Keahua bridge murals depict a pair of hula dancers telling a story of the native plants and animals found within the surrounding area.
Eventually, Owens would like to install an educational plaque and surveillance signs listing phone numbers to report future acts of vandalism.
More artwork will also be added to the bridge once the current rainy season passes.
A key enhancement will be a quote provided by Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Sabra Kauka, who served as a consultant during the project’s planning process in 2019: “Eia ka wai la he wai e ola,” Kauka’s quote reads. It translates to English as “Here is the water, the water of life.”
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
