Less than four months later, he wouldn't dream of leaving. Hui No'eau has never been as vigorous, with a rejuvenated community profile that spurred leaps in membership and visitors. And the hui's future appears to be secured as it closes in on an "astonishing" $5 million fund-raising campaign to purchase the home that appeared to be lost: the Kaluanui estate in Makawao.

What once was a public-relations nightmare that aroused widespread anger in the community has evolved into a winning situation for all parties involved.

Even David Cole, the Maui Land & Pineapple Co. CEO who was reviled by some for deciding to sell Kaluanui to Mainland buyers, is now being praised for taking action that ended up sparking a renewed vitality in the hui and then helping the original buyers look elsewhere.

"I'm very grateful to him, and I'm not just saying that sarcastically," Lofgren said.

For nearly a decade the hui had an option to buy Kaluanui, a stately C.W. Dickey-designed mansion built in 1917 for the family that founded Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Instead of committing to the purchase, Hui No'eau continued to rent the property from the company for $100 a year, offering classes, studios and exhibits.

Under Cole's leadership, ML&P began looking to unload unproductive properties. Deciding it couldn't wait on the hui any longer, the company announced in December that it had accepted an offer from Janet Zand and Michael Marcus of Austin, Texas, to buy the 10.5-acre Kaluanui site and 14 adjoining acres.

The news set off an uproar in the arts community. Hui supporters vilified Cole and his company in letters to local newspapers, saying ML&P should have tried harder to work out a sale to the nonprofit. They described the hui and its Kaluanui home as a cherished Maui institution and public asset. They also said they felt betrayed by a company whose corporate values had eroded to reflect the bottom line.

It was then that Mayor Alan Arakawa called Cole and began negotiating with all sides.

"Until then, people were screaming at each other," said Ellen Pelissero, the mayor's spokeswoman. "He was just trying to calm the discussion to get a resolution."

It took a week but a new agreement was struck: Zand and Marcus agreed to allow ML&P to sell the property to the Hui if the couple could find an alternative property on Maui.

Hui No'eau quickly put together a fund-raising campaign and collected enough money in one month to commit to the full sale. A target of $5 million was set for the campaign, enough to buy the $3.5 million property and make essential repairs and building upgrades.

The fund-raising has generated $4 million in cash and pledges. With help from state Sen. J. Kalani English, D-6th (E. Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i), an additional $500,000 has been earmarked for the arts center in the Senate's version of the state budget. Meanwhile, an anonymous donor issued a challenge to hui members that if all 1,000 of them donate any amount — even as little as a $1 — then the donor will contribute $250,000. There are some grants in offing as well, Lofgren said.

"It's just amazing how members of the Maui community have stepped up and responded to our cry for help," said John Hoxie Jr., Hui No'eau board president.

Meanwhile, Zand and Marcus have their eye on another ML&P property nearby. Cole said the property is not on the company's list of unproductive assets, but he's willing to make an accommodation. The sale is still awaiting a third-party appraisal, "but we think we can make it work," Cole said.

In retrospect, Cole conceded that the disposition of historic and cultural properties, such as Kaluanui, could have been handled more carefully on his part.

"I'm a little wiser," he said.

As for the future, Cole said he believes the episode will bring the company and the hui much closer, and he expects ML&P to be a strong supporter of the arts center.

Lofgren said the past four months have left him mesmerized.

"I've been in the museum field for 28 years," he said. "I've raised more money before, but this is a fairly small community, and to raise the money so rapidly and with such vigor — that is absolutely astonishing."

He said the whole episode created a new appreciation for Hui No'eau in the community, revitalizing membership and bringing new visitors.

"The publicity brought a lot of tourists up here just to see what the buzz is all about," he said.

Hoxie said the board is working on a "visionary strategic plan" that looks at expanding programs and reaching out to the community.

"This whole thing brought into focus what we do and what our mission is. It is an opportunity to do better," he said.