SUPPORT THE ARTISTS OF LAHAINA

The island of Maui, and specifically the small seaside town of Lahaina, was home to one of the largest international art markets worldwide. On August 8th, that all changed, after the most devastating wildfire in over 100 years reduced the entire town & its livelihood to ashes. The Annex teamed up with Taryn Alessandro to directly support artist in need by donating 100% of the apparel profits. Our immediate goal is to reach $1000!

Taryn started her artistic journey right here in New London, doing nude figure model drawing at The Hygienic  every week as a St. Bernard High School student. She went on to get her BFA in painting from Boston University, with additional studies in Venice Italy, Decordova Museum School, and Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. After spending as an artist in NYC, she then ventured to Maui, where she discovered the incredible art community of Lahaina. She has been voted “Best of Maui” in the Fine Artist category for 11 of her 15 years living there.

Since the catastrophic devastation in Lahaina, Taryn has been working hard to serve the artist community she had been a part of for the past 15 years. Many of the artists there lost everything- their homes, studios, cars, galleries, and entire bodies of work. Through two non profits she serves on the board of directors for, Art Maui, & Maui Artists Haven,  she has assembled an outreach program generating funds and donated art supplies to help get the artists of Lahaina back on their feet and creating again.  Sadly, art supplies are not deemed “necessary” by fema and insurance, & most of these artists & galleries are either uninsured or largely underinsured. With Lahaina being such a hub for visual arts over the past 50+ years, a staggering amount of artwork and beloved studios/materials were reduced to ashes. Most of these artists rely on their art sales for any source of income and are self-employed.

"Rustic Lahaina" is the art used on the apparel
This piece was made from a collection of scrap metals & metallic leaf- varying in age, patina, & levels of rust. The famous Front Street, in the historic seaside town of Lahaina was home to one of the largest international art markets in the world- littered with high yielding art galleries, and home to a high concentration of artists. It was also home to arguably the worlds best place to watch a sunset. Every night, like clockwork- the bustling town would pause and crowds would gather at the sea wall to celebrate days end and enjoy the remarkable painted sky. It never got old. I made this piece to capture the peaceful communal “pause” within the cyclic nature of sundown and showcase the evolution of time through my choice of materials. This section of the sea wall was on the farther end of Front Street, and often less crowded than the rest of the street. This was “my spot.”