Michaela Lum

Hello!

My name is Pili. I grew up in Aliamanu on Oʻahu. I attended Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and later transferred from Leeward Community College into the Creative Media program at UH West Oʻahu. If I were an artist’s tool, I would be a fine-line pen. My work is built from small, intentional marks that come together to reveal a larger story. A pen carries memory, language, and detail — just like the text-based portraits I create. It represents clarity, precision, and the idea that even small lines can shape something meaningful.

Research Topic: Hawaiian Sovereignty & Leadership

Research Question: How do Hawaiian leaders across history embody sovereignty and cultural resilience, and how can their impact be represented through text-based portraiture?

Abstract:

This project examines the evolution of Native Hawaiian leadership and sovereignty movements from the monarchy era to contemporary activism, analyzing how leaders have shaped Hawaiian resistance to colonization across different historical periods. Beginning with Kamehameha I's unification efforts in the late 18th century and continuing through figures like Timoteo Haʻalilio, King David Kalākaua, Queen Liliʻuokalani, Joseph Nāwahī, Prince Kūhiō, and modern activists such as George Helm, Haunani-Kay Trask, Walter Ritte, Jonathan Osorio, Kalehua Krug, and Kahoʻokahi Kanuha, the paper traces a continuous thread of Hawaiian self-determination that has persisted despite colonization, overthrow, annexation, and territorial status.

Capstone Project: Virtual Exhibit, Original Portraiture

Project Title: Visions of Leadership

Capstone Proposal:

CREATIVE PROCESS:

The concept of creativity has come a long way. The Old Greeks would call those creative forces muses, other religions referred to them as God. Today people still mostly treat creativity as an aha moment outside the area of influence. However, just by looking at the creative process one can tell, that creativity and creative work is more than just that one "Aha-Moment" (insight). It is clear that generating ideas demands planning and preparation, identifying something of interest like a problem, an opportunity or a challenge, doing research. This then leads to thinking of a solution, allowing time to incubate and iterations before arriving at something “complete.” Students learn that hard work is what makes their ideas come to life and sticktuiveness is what helps them get better.

DELIVERABLE:

For her senior capstone, Pili created an original portraiture series celebrating Native Hawaiian leadership, building on her 489 research tracing Hawaiian sovereignty movements from the monarchy era to contemporary activism. Rather than relying on personal preference, she developed clear categories to identify leaders—ranging from Kamehameha I, Kalākaua, and Queen Liliʻuokalani to modern figures like George Helm, Haunani-Kay Trask, Walter Ritte, and Kahoʻokahi Kanuha—ensuring that her selections reflected historical impact rather than subjective metrics. She then showcased her artwork through an online exhibition space, pairing each portrait with the broader story of Hawaiian self-determination. Her project honors the legacy of Hawaiian resistance and uplifts the continuity of leadership that has endured across generations.

Go and check out the virtual experience!

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