Through these traditional Native Hawaiian customs and gathered organic materials, their work addresses themes of environmental stewardship, Indigenous cultural resilience, and the intersectionality of an evolving contemporary Kanaka Maoli identity. Grounded in ancestral modality while advancing the medium to new, innovative forms, Lehuauakea aims to build on this tradition and ultimately share it with the next generation to ensure that this mode of Indigenous storytelling is carried well into the future. Furthermore, as part of the Native Hawaiian diaspora in North America, Lehua is committed to helping other Hawaiians with similar experiences connect to their culture away from home and find empowerment in their own heritage. Lehuauakea has spent the last several years learning from well-known barkcloth maker Wesley Sen of Moanalua, Hawaiʻi, who trained in barkcloth-making with Pua Van Dorpe, Beatrice Krauss, Malia Solomon, Carla Freitas, and Dennis Kanaʻe of Hawaiʻi, and Mary Pritchard of Sāmoa.

Lehuauakea’s work has been shown in exhibitions nationally and internationally, and is held in many prominent collections around the globe, including Portland Art Museum, National Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art, Forge Project, and Museum of International Folk Art, amongst others. The artist is currently based between the continent and Pāpaʻikou after earning their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting with a minor in Art + Ecology at Pacific Northwest College of Art.