Between Worlds:
A Mural at UH Maui College
At the Kūpaʻa Building on the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College campus in Kahului, artist Jay Gilleard, aka Cbloxx, explores ancestral knowledge, healing, and gender fluidity through a mural, titled Between Worlds, informed by Maui Public Art Corps' Hui Moʻolelo Lei Pua ʻAla & Lāhainā cohorts. A carved stone healer’s face symbolizes permanence and generational wisdom.
"This mural honors the sacred role of the Hawaiian māhū—keepers of balance, healers between worlds. I painted a carved stone figure resting in the land, embodying the strength and spirit of gender-diverse ancestors," wrote Jay in their artist statement.
“In Hawaiian tradition,” they continued, “stone holds mana, a living force—a witness to memory, prayer, and presence. Surrounding this figure, the landscape hums with the quiet power of plant medicine, inspired by both Hawaiian and Filipino healing traditions. These ancient practices, guided by queer and trans healers, remind us that the earth has always known who we are. At a time when trans lives are under attack, this mural is both a refuge and a declaration: we are still here, sacred and seen, rooted and rising. At a time when trans and nonbinary communities are facing increased political oppression and the erosion of basic human rights across the United States and the world, this mural is both a celebration and a call to action. It is a reminder of the deep, indigenous histories of gender diversity that have existed long before colonization—and a recognition of the strength of trans people today. This mural is an offering—for healing, remembrance, and resistance. It is a space where spirit, land, and legacy meet.”
Artist Jay Gilleard, aka Cbloxx, by Maui Public Art Corps
Through Hui Mo‘olelo (“gathering of stories”), an annual cohort of storytellers is trained through a series of free, community workshops. Upon completion, participants are paired with an intergenerational partner to generate a site-specific story that is audio-recorded. The audio excerpts become the basis for annual requests for proposals by professional artists, in which they interpret a recording as a work of public art in collaboration with community members. Proposals are selected by a community panel, followed by an intensive learning and cultural exchange that is rooted in specific places throughout Maui County.
Jay Gilleard’s mural is a profound testament to years of shared listening, courage, and cultural care. Rooted in two Hui Mo‘olelo story-collecting efforts from 2022 and 2025, storytellers Nicolita Garces (Archivist & Librarian), Ashley Ancheta Galacgac (Engagement & Operations Manager, Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations) in Hui Moʻolelo Lei Pua ʻAla*, and Hōaka Delos Reyes (expert in kālai pōhaku stone carving), and Anuhea Yagi (Student of Hawaiian Life Ways) in Hui Moʻolelo Lahaina, offered their time, trust, and mo‘olelo to shape the mural’s heart.
In 2025, professional artists from around the world submitted proposals to interpret these stories as works of public art. Upon selection by a community panel, Jay entered a period of project development, working to infuse their proposal with the history, culture, and sense of place of Kahului — ultimately resulting in a freely accessible mural created through deep community engagement.
* Hui Moʻolelo Lei Pua ʻAla was a collaborative program of Maui Public Art Corps, Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society, the County of Maui and the Lei Pua ʻAla Queer Histories of Hawaiʻi project of the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities to cultivate stories that celebrate Hawaiʻi history, culture and sense of place and create positive shifts in public attitudes toward queer rights and inclusion.
Gatherings such as a huakaʻi to Hoaloha Park with Iokepa Naeʻole to acknowledge the Kanaloa Ahu that features a stone brought from Waihe‘e by the late Kumu Keli‘i Tauʻa as well as a plant medicine workshop led by Namea Hoshino and Nicolita Garces from the Lāhainā and Lei Pua ʻAla cohorts wove ancestral wisdom into the visual narrative. At the mural’s center, the face of a māhū — traditionally recognized in Hawaiian culture as one who embodies both male and female spirit and is honored as a teacher and healer, reminds us that this is not Jay’s gift alone, but a collective offering: a living mosaic guided by storytellers, cultural stewards, campus leadership, and organizers. In honoring these stories, we remember that public art is not a product—it is a process of becoming, together.
Listen to the stories that inspired this artwork:
Story and images adapted from Between Worlds by Maui Public Art Corps.