Maui Center

  • These stiffening leaf ribs lean oddly like tilting sand castles on a slanted beach. Their stretching veins reach earnestly into a quivering baby's breath sky. Photosynthesis is at work here as sunlight and water find their magical patterned pathways through the leaves. You can almost hear the nutrients gushing deep within these sparkling fans of light.
  • As the eye of the American chameleon twitches, his sticky footpads cling to the rock like a piece of lichen, afraid he might be discovered and his curling tail fall off in the chase. Even though man made this high rock wall to keep unwanted guests out, the imported chameleon lives on the Hawaiian wall, waiting to capture an insect. Will someone invade his world and try to catch him? The human might end up with just a wiggling tail!
  • The fishing boats (alias), built of modern technology, dock restfully at the Marine and Wildlife Resources (MWR) small wharf in Fagatogo Bay like cars parking in a lot, oblivious of their surrounding and activities. The majority of the island habitants seem not to consider or mind the fact that the fishing boats (alias), built of modern technology and now mainly used by the local fishermen, affect the small island environment adversely, more than the similar type of fishing boats (alias), all-tree built and used by local native fishermen of past generations. The former can be harmful to the environment because they cause air, water, and noise pollution, but the latter do not affect the environment. In fact, they are harmonious with the environment.
  • These stiffening leaf ribs lean oddly like tilting sand castles on a slanted beach. Their stretching veins reach earnestly into a quivering baby's breath sky. Photosynthesis is at work here as sunlight and water find their magical patterned pathways through the leaves. You can almost hear the nutrients gushing deep within these sparkling fans of light.
  • Piles of rocks stand motionless, ready to be stewards of the land. The effects of the tides, as they rise, cause erosion on the shorelines and potholes on the highway. Man's inventions and pollution contribute to the physical changes of our environment.
  • Flashing sunlight peeks between hiding faces of sister leaves in the brisk breeze. Sunlight is the source that triggers a plant's ability to change light energy into energy a plant can use. This energy, together with carbon dioxide and water enables a plant to produce sugar and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis.m

On September 25, 2004 at Maui Arts and Cultural Center, 30 K-12 teachers and educators met for professional development integrating art, science, language arts and technology. The teachers were given digital cameras and the Hawaii State K-12 science standards They were then asked to answer an essential science question visually with photographs taken from the immediate environment around the Cultural Center. The question answered had to be tied to one or more of the state standards. The teachers were told to imagine that their class had been studying that question as a unit in their classroom. The teachers then viewed paintings of American painter Georgia O'Keefe and discussed the method of looking at nature or the environment enlarged to the point of abstraction. Using the photographs taken in the morning, the teachers learned how to use chalk pastels and created enlarged or abstracted paintings of their photographs.