Kauai exhibit at Kukui Grove blends Hawaiian culture and science

A free kapa exhibit at Kukui Grove Center will turn a routine stop in Līhue into a lesson in Hawaiian cloth-making, with hands-on stations that teach visitors how wauke becomes kapa and why that process still matters in Native Hawaiian cultural practice.

The Science of Kapa is scheduled for May 18 through May 31 at Kukui Grove Center in Līhue, open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kaulele is presenting the pop-up as Hawaii’s first Hawaiian Culture and Science exhibit, a format built around learning by doing rather than simply looking at display cases. Families will be able to make kapa-inspired creations, explore the history and science of cloth-making, and move through stations that connect observation, investigation and exploration with Hawaiian knowledge.

That mix matters on Kauai, where educational programs that are free, local and interactive can reach keiki, parents and kupuna in the same place. Kaulele’s earlier exhibit, launched in December 2021, focused on how wauke becomes kapa and included eight hands-on activities aimed mainly at youth ages 7 through 14, while still designed for all ages. The group says a second exhibit on Kaulana Mahina, the Hawaiian moon calendar, is in development, followed by a planned loko ia exhibit, showing an effort to keep building a sequence of culturally grounded STEM learning experiences.

The project is organized by Kaulele, the Hoonui Ike effort of the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture. Support comes from the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s Kūkulu Ola program, along with Kilohana Collective, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Science Foundation. HTA said its 2025-2026 Kūkulu Ola funding totaled $980,000 for 26 community-based organizations statewide, aimed at strengthening Native Hawaiian culture and creating genuine experiences for residents and visitors.

Located at 3-2600 Kaumualii Highway, Suite 1710, the Kukui Grove setting gives the exhibit a visible perch in one of the island’s busiest shopping areas. For Kauai families, that means kapa will not sit behind glass as something distant or ceremonial. It will be presented as living knowledge, tied to science, labor and identity, and taught in a way that invites the next generation to take part in carrying it forward.