The Wings Project

“WINGS” (2022)
By Artist Bobby Zokaites
Steel frame with polyurethane paneling

Imua Family in partnership with SMALL TOWN * BIG ART

Come to the unveiling at our very first Butterfly Festival!

Click Here for Tickets

Imua Statement

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

In the native Hawaiian culture, “Imua” means “to move forward” or “to move ahead.”

Supporting Donor Quote

“I dedicate these wings in honor of my two sons, whose wings and inspiration have carried me forward to help other keiki all over the world. May these wings remind us of the preciousness of life and the grace and beauty we can bring to the world. Butterflies also symbolize freedom, when we are our truest self is when we can fly free.”

Susan Naylor, in honor of her two sons Will Smith and Charlie Naylor

Wailuku Wings (Coming in June 2022)

Artist Bobby Zokaites

SMALL TOWN * BIG ART welcomes new partner Imua Discovery Garden to host a large-scale set of WINGS at their public property as a standalone sculpture that inspires potential, inclusion, inspiration and discovery. The final piece will provide an interactive experience where young children can stand in front of the work and feel a sense of awe, empowerment and play as the moment is captured for an ongoing photo project.

​Inspired by ʻōlelo noʻeau: (currently under development with Maui Historical Society)

“Regularly working across geographies has made me a natural collaborator who recognizes the value in the expertise-of-place held by residents. My public art process begins by identifying what excites the community by tuning into the emotional cues within local storytelling. These dialogs are seeded by my own advance research into the histories of region and its communities. Gravitating especially to tales of ingenuity and adventure, unknown or under-told stories, I’ve found that current residents often have interesting anecdotes that add insight and nuance to the accounts of record. From those conversations, I then design towards sculpturally articulating poignant notes or recurring themes as substantial touchstones informing the larger form or function of the work.”

About Bobby Zokaites

Bobby is a U.S. based sculptor skilled in a variety of materials with a wealth of experience producing large scale works for private and public spaces. His industrious work ethic and urban design sense enable him to create distinctive works of art that foster new and dynamic relationships between community, site, history and the natural environment. Blurring the line between fine art, public sculpture and collaborative practices, his work engages diverse audiences, humanizes public spaces, and often encourages participation with larger-than-life-sized artwork. Zokaites earned his BFA at New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2008) and his MFA in Sculpture at Arizona State University (2014). He recently completed two permanent municipal infrastructure projects in Arizona. It is integral to Zokaites’ practice that his work connects residents to one another and their community in new ways, creating new and lasting experiences.