Pua Nā Pua Art Festival

Full Life Hawai’i, Abled Hawai’i Artists (AHA) and Donkey Mill Art Center, are excited to announce the 5th Annual Pua Nā Pua Art Festival—with a twist! With the mission to serve adults with developmental disabilities (DD) by providing visual and performing arts programming, the Pua Nā Pua Art Festival celebrates the fifth anniversary of this partnership with expanded in-person art experiences, an online auction and an art fair featuring works available for purchase by artists with developmental disabilities at Ali‘i Gardens Marketplace.

The Pua Nā Pua Art Festival kicks off with the opening of the Online Silent Auction on May 22. Loaded with gift certificates and merchandise from some of your favorite Hawai’i Island restaurants, shops and businesses, auction proceeds support the ongoing arts programming which Pua Nā Pua offers to adults with developmental disabilities. The silent auction closes on June 5 at 1:00pm HST.

Get your art on! The Festival continues with in-person art experiences at the Donkey Mill Art Center on May 27, 28, 29 and June 3 and 4, where participants (ages 6+) can work with our skilled teaching artists alongside Full Life and AHA artists. This year’s activities include opportunities to explore metals, clay, printmaking, origami, puppet making and more! You’ll want to register early at donkeymillartcenter.org as space is limited.

The Festival culminates at Aliʻi Gardens Marketplace on Saturday, June 5, from 10:00am to 1:00pm with an art fair featuring work by Full Life and AHA artists.

“On behalf of Abled Hawai’i Artists, Full Life Hawai’i and the Donkey Mill Art Center, we are so thrilled to celebrate the fifth anniversary of an amazing collaborative partnership dedicated to providing arts experiences to people of all abilities. This past year, we were all reminded of the importance of the arts and that they are essential for a thriving society. We are so grateful for the overwhelming support of our Hawai’i Island community and we invite all to join us for one—or more—of the festival programs this year,” shared Ashley Raymond, Operations Director of the Donkey Mill Art Center.

This partnership program between three Hawai’i Island-based non-profits, serves adults with developmental disabilities by providing visual and performing arts programming to foster artistic development, nurture confidence through gallery exhibitions and presentations and explore independence through self-employment. Each year, the Pua Nā Pua program hosts weekly programs at the Donkey Mill Art Center for Full Life and AHA students to explore a variety of mediums including metals, printmaking, ceramics, and painting taught by local area teaching artists.

Pua Nā Pua translates to “A Flower is a Flower,” a name celebrating the equality of art produced by artists of all abilities. This celebration is the first of its kind in West Hawai‘i, and inclusively celebrates the contributions of both developmentally disabled and non-developmentally disabled artists, with opportunities available to artists of all abilities.

This program was made possible by the support of the County of Hawaii, Alexander & Baldwin Kokua Giving Program and silent auction donors.