ASC’S NAMESAKE EVENT: STEAM-CON
Saturday, March 14th from 2-6p
2026 Theme: STEAMPUNK ISLAND
Please join us for the inaugural signature event of the Arts & Sciences Center (ASC), created to stage the genius of our community and celebrate the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics thriving right here in Puna and across Hawai‘i Island.
Rooted in ASC’s founding vision to help our community live, learn, and thrive together, STEAM-CON brings together master artists, cultural practitioners, scientists, engineers, inventors, educators, and students for an afternoon of inspiration, connection, and hands-on discovery. This event is designed to spark curiosity, elevate local work, and illuminate pathways for learning, innovation, connection and opportunity that exist close to home.
Throughout the event, guests will encounter:
• TED Talk-style presentations and featured exhibitions on a central stage
• A fine art gallery showcasing accomplished local artists
• Demonstration booths and hands-on creation stations for all ages
• Immersive audio/visual and experiential installations
• Roving artists and live creative elements to keep the space energized
• Food and community gathering, with plans to feature an imu as a living example of indigenous science in practice
STEAM-CON places special care and intention on honoring indigenous arts and sciences, ensuring traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and ʻike kūpuna are represented with respect, accuracy, and depth. From Hawaiian cultural education and environmental resilience to cutting-edge research and innovation, the event highlights how ancestral wisdom and modern inquiry continue to inform and strengthen one another.
While STEAM-CON encourages keiki and families, it is equally designed to engage seasoned art collectors, researchers, cultural leaders, and lifelong learners. The goal is for attendees to arrive curious and leave in awe, newly aware of the extraordinary creativity, intelligence, and collaboration quietly unfolding in our community.
As ASC’s first annual STEAM-CON, this event marks the beginning of a growing tradition. Each year, it will continue to evolve as new voices, ideas, and partnerships come forward, strengthening the web of connection that makes Puna and Hawai‘i Island so resilient and vibrant.
Currently fielding all parties interested in showcasing your arts & sciences genius!
Featuring…
Mydock’s love of working with wood, combined with 40 years of artistic excellence on custom motorcycles and antique cars resulted in the unique “Mydock Touch” seen in his painted vessels. His highly developed artistic skills in airbrushing, pin-striping, gold leafing, sculpting and fine art painting result in unique artistic and finely crafted designs on his wooden vessels. He now incorporates colorful intricate layers of original designs, which are influenced by Polynesian Tattoo Art, the beauty of Nature and further inspired by Visionary Art. Mydock interlaces and weaves these images into his distinctly unique style of Pyrography on his wooden vessels.
John Mydock
Since 2017, NexTech Hawai'i has connected hundreds of youth across Hawai'i island to fun, high-impact STEM experiences and mentorship opportunities that promote exploration and discovery in STEM subjects and careers, and builds the confidence to lead and serve.
nextechhawaii.org
NEXTECH
Alexander D'Mazing is an entertainer who artfully combines magic, circus mastery, theatrical brilliance, and joy-spreading. Elevate your event with the extraordinary talents of Alexander The Amazing – a surefire way to join the ranks of exceptionally entertained individuals!
Alexander D’mazing
Interdisciplinary Artist
Larry Bradfield
Jenna Macy (b. 1993 Honolulu, HI) is an interdisciplinary artist with research-based practices of interactive ceramic sculpture, video performance, and sound. They have received various awards and recognition for their work including “Best In Show” in Artists of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2022, the Windgate Fellowship(2016) and the Career Advancement Fellowship(2022) from the Center for Craft Creativity and Design. Their work resides in public and private collections.
Jenna Macy
Imu (underground oven) and Mea 'Ai (food) are at the heart of ancient Hawaiian culinary tradition. Mea ‘Ai is supporting ASC and HAAS with an immersive experience inviting participation in building an imu, using locally sourced plants and stones to create a traditional underground oven. The food slow-cooked in the imu is not just a meal—it's a connection to generations of knowledge passed down through the land. At the heart of both Imu Mea 'Ai and Men of PA'A are the values of servant leadership, personal transformation, and ‘ohana (family).
imumeaai.com
Imu Mea 'Ai with Iopa Maunakea and Men of Pa’a
Leialoha Ilae-Kaleimamahu is from Mokuhulu, Puna on the island of Hawaiʻi. She presently works and creates educational experiences in Hawaiʻi through her business called Hua ‘Āina (leikcreative.com).
She’s been teaching for over 30 years. Her passion is being on the land and creating special educational opportunities for herself and others. She focuses on Hawaiian language, the Hawai’i Environment and Practices of Hawaiian culture which includes Hula (Hawaiian Dance).
Her experience as a Kumu has led her down a path that is truly unique to who she is. She’s taught hula for 25 years in and outside of Puna, and comes from a tradition of hula through the lineage of Hālau o Kekuhi.She has ʻūniki (graduated) under Kumu Hula Kekuhikealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani of Hālau o Kekuhi as a Kumu Hula as well.
Kumu Lei of Hua ‘Āina
Sam creates unique Cyanotype art in Hawaii, using plants, photographs, and the sun—a process as magical as the islands themselves. Each piece is a celebration of nature’s beauty and the timeless art of cyanotype printing. I'm an artist and mother living in Pahoa. What started out as a fun outdoor activity to do with my kids has transformed into my passion project. I love using plants I collect and press alongside photograph negatives to create interesting, high contrast images. From creating textiles for clothing to home decor, I am printing on everything!
Ultraviolet Alchemist
Born on Oahu Island, Barbara spent much of her professional life as an art historian and curator, living and traveling throughout the U.S. and abroad before returning to the Hawaiian Islands in 2014. In the Fall of 2020, Barbara and Said established Pualani Bee Farm as a small, family-run apiary in Wa'a Wa'a, initially with only three hives, but then expanding over time to include an ever-changing number of bee colonies in Wa'a Wa'a as well as in Kilauea's highland regions of Eden Roc and Volcano Village.
Barbara of Pualani Bee Farm
Lynda Williams is an American physicist, singer, writer, and activist known for blending science, music, satire, and performance art. She created and popularized the persona The Physics Chanteuse in the 1990s, developing a unique genre of science cabaret combining physics, politics, and entertainment. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, CERN Courier, Physics World, Physics Today, and People Magazine. Williams is also an outspoken advocate for nuclear disarmament, environmental protection, space ecology, and STEM.
Scientainment: The Physics Chanteuse
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