THE Department of Community and Cultural Affairs-Commonwealth Council for Arts & Culture has met the goal of the $289,000 Recovery Grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts for local artists in the CNMI, Arts Council Executive Director Parker Y. Yobei said.
Parker Yobei
The Arts Council used the grant for two projects that helped local artists recover from Typhoon Mangkhut and Super Typhoon Yutu while showcasing the local community’s resilience.
The first project was Project Haligi, which allowed local artists to use newly installed power poles as “canvasses” for paintings that depicted local culture and history as well as the beauty of the islands’ natural resources.
The second project is the new mural on the façade of the Gilbert C. Ada Gym, which was also damaged by Super Typhoon Yutu.
Yobei said the grant had a timeline of one year beginning fiscal year 2019, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were granted a six-month extension to meet the goal of the grant.
He said close to 100 local artists benefited from the projects by helping them with new supplies and equipment.
The grant ended in August last year, but the outcome of the projects left lasting reminders of the island community’s resilience in times of natural disaster and economic crisis, Yobei said.
“I just want to thank all the artists and their families for their patience and understanding for the delays that came up…due to Covid-19. We will continue to work hard in finding new opportunities and assistance for all of you during this challenging time,” Yobei said.
He said the Arts Council is planning to put up a virtual art gallery, which will be linked to its website at cnmiartscouncil.org “at least for the meantime until the daily operation of the office gets back to normal,” he added.
Project Haligi, which highlighted paintings on power poles that depict local culture, was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts through the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ Commonwealth Council for Arts & Culture.
Photos by Emmanuel T. Erediano
