The work of some of Guam’s contemporary painters can be found right off the tarmac as travelers arriving or departing through the AB Won Pat International Airport will discover what is probably one of the largest collections of paintings produced by some of the island’s most established artists.
Although a relatively new form of art, graphic arts on Guam became a common medium for cultural and artistic expression as modern technology became more accessible to the general public. Ancient Chamorro paintings, or pictographs, found in caves depict their lives and offer a glimpse of how the ancient island people viewed and interpreted the world around them.
Though it is still relatively small, filmmaking is growing on Guam as both an art form and an industry. On an island that values story-telling, community, and preserving history and traditions, film is a natural fit as an arts medium and technology is only expected to help it continue to flourish.
Tattooing is an art with more visible modern roots than other practices on Guam. Although tattooing is well-documented in other Micronesian cultures including Yap, Palau and the Marshall Islands there is little to no evidence that Chamorros of the Marianas adorned themselves with this type of permanent body art.
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Marianas archaeological studies indicate that, as a craft, an indigenous form of ceramics dates back to more than 3,000 years. Ancient Chamorros produced a variety of ceramic containers for practical domestic purposes such as serving and storing food and water, and for cooking.
Motifs rooted in pottery, tattoo, and legends Monica D. Baza discovered art at an early age, choosing to work with lino-block printing in high school when it was offered. She
Moe Cotton, born in 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, got his start as an artist at a young age. He would often test the patience of his teachers in school by sketching comical poses of them.
Kie Susuico is a graphic artist with an interest in art that began in childhood. Susuico credits his mother for the origins of his artistic ability as she is an artist in her own right.
Judy Selk Flores, originally from Colorado, moved to Guam at age eleven when her parents accepted teaching jobs in 1957. The family was the first off-island American family to be housed in the southern village of Inalåhan, where Flores grew up immersed in the rich cultural traditions of the village.
Filamore Palomo Alcon is a contemporary abstract artist who has produced his art for over twenty-five years. Alcon uses acrylics on canvas to create his work. Alcon began drawing at four years old.
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