Maui Ocean Center is delighted to collaborate with MOC Marine Institute and The Nature Conservancy to welcome artist-in-residence, Jana Ireijo from April 12 through 28, 2021. Ms. Ireijo will be creating an exclusive mural vanishing mural at the Nalu Lawn, where guests are welcome to watch her art come to life during park hours.
Hawai‘i-born artist Jana Ireijo creates ephemeral “vanishing” murals that illustrate the impacts of climate change on vulnerable species and habitats to raise awareness and inspire action. Displayed outdoors, the murals vanish over time at the mercy of the elements. This mural is commissioned by The Nature Conservancy and features iconic Hawai‘i marine life to simulate the coral bleaching that is happening along our shores.
Did You Know?
- Corals are animals
- Bleached corals are vulnerable to disease and death
- Corals feed on and get their color from zooxanthellae, an algae that lives in their tissues
- When the ocean gets too warm, the algae abandon the coral and it turns white or bleaches
Coral Reefs
- Protect our coastlines
- Provide food for our families
- Power our economy
- Connect us to our islands’ cultural heritage
You can help!
- Reduce, reuse and recycle – debris is harmful to reefs
- Use environmentally-friendly alternatives to single use plastics – plastics harm marine life
- Practice safe and responsible boating, diving and snorkeling – touching reefs can damage and kill corals
- Eat sustainable seafood – select fish caught in ways that promote long-term ocean health
- Use reef-friendly sun protection – select safer choices to avoid coral harm
- Minimize fertilizer use – harmful fertilizer nutrients wash away, polluting oceans and harming corals
- Think environmentally-friendly energy and transportation – cleaner methods help reduce greenhouse gasses
- Learn more – educate yourself, family, friends and your community. Spread the word!
- Support organizations that are working to protect and restore our reefs and oceans – for additional ways you can help ensure healthy reefs for future generations, go to nature.org/Hawaii and mocmarineinstitute.org.
Jana Ireijo was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. After receiving a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she moved to NYC to obtain an MFA in Painting from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York (where she won the Outstanding Graduate Student award in 1999). Jana is the founder of the artist collective, Mural Ethos: Vanishing Murals. Mural Ethos creates ephemeral “vanishing” murals that illustrate the effects of the environment due to climate change. The primary medium used is charcoal (picked up and sent by close friends hiking to the sites) from the Australia and California bushfires. The murals are temporary and return to earth with the elements.
Jana’s murals and paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. One of the highlights of her career was recently being curated by Judy Chicago into the Turner Carroll Gallery’s “Solstice: Create Art for Earth” exhibition in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Jana currently lives and works in Westport, Connecticut with her two teenage sons. She returns to Maui, Hawai`i annually to visit her family and looks forward to being able to visit and work in her studio in the Northern Beaches, NSW, Australia once the country opens up again.
For further information, visit: https://www.janaireijoart.com/