
Amanda Heauser-Caires, a 2019 King Kekaulike High School graduate, has received A $1000 scholarship from Maui Arts League to further her college studies in fine arts. The award is one of two available annually to Maui high school seniors pursuing higher education in fine arts.
Heauser-Caires, from Makawao, is finishing her first semester at the University of San Francisco, majoring in fine arts with a minor in Japanese language. She will graduate in 2023.
“My first love is drawing with pastels on textured cardboard,” said Heauser-Caires. “My current drawing class explores charcoal, which is challenging and very satisfying. I gravitate to realism and enjoy capturing the movement in anatomy and landscapes. At King Kekaulike, I was fully absorbed in clay sculpture – creating busts and sculpting portraits. Now, I am working with new mediums.”

The King Kekaulike graduate aspires to be an art director one day and looks forward to developing her graphic arts skills in coming semesters at USF.
Maui Arts League scholarships are underwritten by anonymous donors. Interested high school seniors or recent graduates may apply online at www.MauiArtsLeague.org. Maui Arts League is a community nonprofit bringing fine art and art education to Maui. Their signature event, the Maui Plein Air painting invitational in February, hosts 24 nationally acclaimed outdoor landscape artists from the mainland and Australia. Artists will paint more than 125 Maui scenes in one week, while spectators watch them sketch out and complete works in oil, pastel or watercolor in less than four hours.