We are an organisation that provides the space and parameters for creative expression and collaboration. In everything we do, we carry the values of creativity, collaboration, cultural respect, sustainability, and expression. It is our belief that everyone is an artist, everyone can create, and everyone deserves to. Creating tactile, soulful art with other humans is one of the most human things we can do.

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My final thing to add is that Studio Puluma has a passion for community arts. We love contributing and collaborating to create art that exists in real, physical space. All art, in process and object, is an experience to be had.

Our two founders met at university, where they both studied Graphic Design. In between learning typographic, strict rules of layout, and tricky software, we found the most joy in the little collaborative side-projects we did with a few of our other friends. While it seemed like just a fun break from our studies, we realized that ideating and creating light-hearted art alongside a community strengthened our bonds, made us better individual artists, and gave us a collective art piece that we all could be proud of (and enjoy!). During this time we also ate a lot of plums… and I mean a LOT of plums, Alex’s favorite fruit.

When it came time to leave university, all we saw were unimaginative jobs, mostly in marketing, mostly lacking our shared values, and we wondered what would become of our skills, passions, and creativity we spent years developing. 

Time went on, and our two founders further developed their own separate art practices. In January of 2026, we had the opportunity to hold two cultural workshops at the British Museum in connection to their exhibition “Hawaiʻi: A Kingdom Crossing Oceans.” Lily, who was deepening her artwork rooted in Hawaiian culture, created a curriculum mixing lessons in aloha ʻāina (love of the land), personal reflection, and a contemporary approach to traditional Hawaiian printmaking (ʻohe kāpala). Thus Kilo Kāpala was born and delivered to over 300 adults and families!

Of all the job applications and artwork we had done individually, this was by far the most rewarding. Facilitating creative self-expression in a fun, hands-on way was not only something we were good at, but apparently in high demand! The participants thoroughly enjoyed the activity and kept asking for more. 

Soon after, we formally created Studio Puluma. We chose the name because we wanted our organization to be an artistic hub, much like a studio. A strong sense of joy-filled community was the second most important thing to us, and what better word than puluma! Puluma is the Hawaiian word for plum, and, if you remember, plums were our chosen snack and food of discussion with our friends at uni! To us, the plum symbolizes sharing and building community (in the most delicious way possible!)

As an indigenous-led organization, our values are not only the core of our businesses, but pervasive through everything we do…

Art comes in all shapes and sizes and can be found in all aspects of life. We believe that creating art is not just an activity reserved for the wealthy or the skilled, but something everyone should be able to do. Additionally, we are committed to finding fresh, innovative, value-driven creative experiences, where your voice is front and center!

Our individual differences are what makes us stronger as a team. Although not every Studio Puluma experience is directly collaborative, we infuse the value of togetherness in everything we do. Just like our belief that everyone reserves the right to create art, we also believe that everyone should have access to enjoy art, especially art that tells the story of their community. Our unique approach to art in the form of collaborative creation is what sets us apart, where we believe self-expression, as a collective, can strengthen communities in unmatched ways. 

To learn more about the value of collaboration and community in art, visit our research page.

Diversity and cultural storytelling are essential to not just our founders’ art practices, but the curriculum and community here at Studio Puluma. Creativity goes hand-in-hand with self-expression, of which cannot be done without sharing who you are, where you come from, etc. Studio Puluma values people of all cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities and disabilities, as the stories and experiences that make you who you are have value (this isn’t just our opinion, but part of our business ethos)!

Learn more about Studio Puluma’s ethos and research here.

Hawaiian culture and values are central to Studio Puluma, one of which is aloha ʻāina, meaning to love and take care of the land. Exploring the relationship between us and our natural environment is part of everything we do. Additionally, we care deeply about sustainability in the way we create art, sourcing all materials ethically.

Although we are still in the early stages of our organization, we are deeply committed to building a hub of community-led creativity! Our workshops are the heart and soul of how we hope to spread our ethos, but soon we will be expanding into public artwork installations and exhibitions, because we believe that everyone is an artist, and communities should have a say in the art that surrounds them every day! Follow us on social media to keep in touch with how our story progresses!