Kuihelani sound wall artists Matthew Agcolicol and Bailey Onaga teamed up to create the new Kuihelani sound wall mural, "Mo‘olelo O Maui." Photo courtesy Sen

Students with Maui Economic Opportunity’s youth services will join local artists Bailey Onaga and Matt Agcolicol to paint a second mural on the Kuihelani Highway sound wall — the noise barriers made of metal, block and concrete — in Kahului.

In a collaboration with the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Maui district, the design concept for the new mural grew from a brainstorming session with youth services students who spoke fondly of Oneloa, a popular bodyboarding sport also known as “Bigs,” and sketched vibrant flowers, marine life, dreamy skies and the ocean.

Guided by Onaga and Agcolicol, MEO’s students will bring their public art to life from 9 a.m.-noon Thursday on what organizers are calling “Painting Day.” The event will take place near the intersection of Kuihelani Highway and Puunene Avenue.

This will be the second mural to be painted on the Kuihelani sound wall. Onaga and Agcolicol completed the first mural, “Mo’olelo O Maui,” in January. Measuring approximately 60 feet wide by 9 feet high, the new mural is tentatively titled “Oneloa & Keoneʻōʻio.”

“In continuity with the theme of connective energy from our last mural, a wave powered by the swell is prominently featured in the center,” Onaga said. “On the right is a landscape featuring Oneloa’s Puʻu Olaʻi cinder cone overlooking the beach. On the left are maiapilo in bloom, a sharp contrast of ethereal flowers amongst jagged lava fields. The fleeting beauty and fragrance of these pua remind us of nature’s resilience and delicate impermanence.”

Born and raised in Maui, Onaga is an illustrator, artist, teacher and entrepreneur. The founder of B. Miyo Art, she has contributed to more than a half-dozen murals on Maui and in San Francisco.

Agcolicol is also a Maui native and artist whose paintings are often inspired by the Hawaiian Islands’ ecosystems. His creations have been showcased in numerous exhibitions in Hawaii and California.

Youth services offers a variety of programs to support the growth, learning and well-being of youth on the islands of Maui and Molokai. Program offerings include prevention programs for schools, enrichment programs during school breaks and after school hours, and leadership training for local prevention campaigns addressing alcohol, tobacco, suicide and bullying.

Highways department of transportation Maui district invites schools or youth groups on Maui interested in collaborating on a future mural to reach out to Ty Fukuroku at ty.h.fukuroku@hawaii.gov.