The NirMānā Projects
NirMānāFest - Kaua'i Mural Arts Festival
& Collaborative Youth Mentor Projects
Nirmana – comes from a Sanskrit word that means creation/transformation.
Pronounced – near-MĀNĀ
About
NirMānāFest is a week-long event that puts resident artists in teams of three to collaborate on new murals. In addition to highlighting our resident creators, these murals activate spaces, create a narrative for communities, and boost economy by bringing attention to local business. Many of these artists have gone on to bolster their own creative businesses, some become youth mentors for NirMānā Projects, and all continue to create!
Each of these murals costs approximately $8,000. Each artist receives $2000, while materials, lifts, and insurance are an additional $2000.
Partnerships and support for NirMānā Projects have come from Garden Island Arts Council, Rice Street Business Association, Kaua’i County, Kaua’i Planning and Action Alliance, Keiki to Career, The Kaua’i Resilience Project, the Spirit of CAN., Hawaii Arts Alliance, The National Endowment of the Arts, Hawaii Community Foundation, Hawaii Tourism Authority, and many local businesses.
Most notably, it has been incredible having unprecedented county support directly through our mayor’s office since the beginning of the current pandemic. Our local government is connected to NirMānā with encouragement and permission to use some of their property as canvases for these projects.
NirMānā Mentor Projects take place year round with the intent of facilitating lasting knowledge and relationships through practical, creative problem solving experiences, while linking Kaua’i youth in collaboration with professional creators on island. Each new project will include dedicated youth collaborators with the possibility of contributions from larger youth groups. Our focus during these projects is developing youth ideas/concepts and guiding them through a community project process, from proposal to finish.
We believe these projects add tremendous value on an exponential scale. While the youth collaborators grow on a personal level, the mentors also grow through the guided collaborations, and the greater community benefits from a new mural. The results are phenomenal, with confident kids and proud communities.
Projects, on average, cost between $2000-$10,000, including all materials, time, and insurance.
During the Event
Live Mural Painting
Come anytime during the week and catch the artists in action.
Watch as artist teams create collaborative murals before your eyes. It’s never been more fun to watch paint dry! Please be mindful of social distancing and remember the artists are working. If you do get a chance to stop by to check out the progress, be sure to give some encouragement, take some photos/videos, and tag the artists in your own social media post! We love to share what you share!
Artist Talks and Print Signing
Hear it from the source!
Leading up to, and during the week of painting, we will be checking in with the artists through live video feeds. Be sure to check out our social media and tune in!
Unveiling Party
All are invited!
Join the artists in celebrating the completion of their collaborative murals. We will have a street party with food trucks,
live music and give-a-ways!...
At least, that's the plan... with respect to the current pandemic, we will take very careful considerations with hosting these celebratory events. Check back in for updates as the event gets closer.
2020's Featured Artists
There was an open call to Kaua'i resident artists to take in a presentation on February 17th, 2020, at the Kaua'i Community College, Fine Arts Auditorium.
46 artists were given a NirMānāFest packet with instructions on submitting a mural design. Their designs were reviewed by a respected panel and narrowed down to 15 participants. Those 15 participants formed 5 teams of 3. Each of these teams collaborated on a final design for their designated walls.
A BIG SPECIAL THANK YOU to our proposal review panel...
Elsa Almaraz, Carol Bennett, Addison Bulosan, Vanessa Owens, Carol Yotsuda, and Terry Liu.
