A fixture in Kalihi for nearly 50 years, the murals that adorn the exterior of UPW Headquarters are a recognizable sight for those who pass along North School Street. But what many may have forgotten is how these murals came to be as well as the artisans behind it.
In 1970, UPW commissioned the world-famous artist Jean Charlot to undertake the project and design the six murals. At the time, Charlot said these murals would be the first of their kind in the world. Each mural would comprise 156 ceramic tiles, each one square foot. To help bring his vision to reality, Charlot partnered with craftsman Isami Enemoto, who would handle the glazing of each tile in a kiln.
In designing the murals, Charlot used real people to model the figures depicted in each scene, as can be seen in the various photos provided by the Jean Charlot Collection at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The entire project took six years to complete, finally being unveiled in May 1975. While Charlot was a celebrated artist, and his artwork was mostly purchased by the wealthy, he thought of himself as a people’s artist and loved to attend UPW meetings and conventions. Charlot passed away in 1979, but his contribution to UPW and the labor movement continues.
