Lanai News – Mike Carroll Gallery Closes After 23 Years

Lanai News – Mike Carroll Gallery Closes After 23 Years

As reported in Lanai Today, after twenty-three years, Mike and Kathy Carroll are closing the Mike Carroll Gallery on Lanai, marking not an ending but what they call their “freedom season.” The gallery, which became the heart of Lanai’s small art world, will transition to new ownership under Deep Hawaiʻi Art, run by Kristin Belew and Kacy Lorber.

The Carrolls’ journey began unexpectedly in 1999 when they visited Lanai for their twentieth wedding anniversary. Mike, a medical illustrator from Chicago with a love for oil painting, and Kathy, who worked in a large healthcare communications firm, fell in love with the island’s quiet rhythm. They purchased a “fixer-upper” plantation house as a  vacation home, but by January 2001 had sold everything in Chicago to move permanently.

They started by selling Mike’s paintings under the banyan tree in Lahaina on weekends. Their first day brought the largest opening sales in Lahaina Arts Society history, though the next day yielded just one twenty-five-dollar print. The gallery opened in December 2002, eventually moving to the historic former Oyama’s Lanai Family Store in 2004, becoming only the building’s second tenant in over fifty years.

Mike’s landscapes captured the island’s distinctive light, while his portraits documented community legends. Since 2003, he has been selected for every Schaefer Portrait Challenge, painting figures like Aunty Helen Fujie and Uncle Marco Eskaran. The gallery expanded to showcase other local artists working in wood, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry.

Now seventy-two, Mike wants to return to large-scale oil paintings and take creative risks. Kathy plans to continue her work with the Lanai Cat Sanctuary and Maui Humane Society board. Mike will keep painting from his home studio and showing work in the new gallery, while Kathy will help one day a week.

Deep Hawaiʻi Art Gallery plans a soft opening in November, with an official launch in December, continuing the building’s legacy as a community gathering place for art and culture.

Lost on Lanai extends our best wishes and Aloha to Mike and Kathy as they embark on their “freedom season’ and best wishes for success to Kristin Belew and Kacy Lorber as the new owners of the gallery. Read more about the changes with Mike Carroll Gallery in this article in Lanai today.

Day-Trip to Lāna‘i

A day-trip to Lānaʻi is an easy ferry ride from Maui, departing from Maalaea Harbor.  You can book your day trip itinerary with Lost on Lānaʻi that includes your round trip Maui to Lānaʻi ferry and transfers at the same price as doing it independently. With the added time saving convenience of not having to book the ferry and call the shuttle yourself. Visit the Lāna‘i Cat Sanctuary, Lāna‘i City or Hulopo‘e Beach.  Check out this Post for quick summaries of all of our day-trip itineraries.

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Have you visited Lanai and the Mike Carroll Gallery or have questions about a day-trip?  Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below!