Tanya Salas, second right, an awardee of the Pacific Jurisdictions Artist Fund, poses for a photo with CNMI officials and other dignitaries at a celebration dinner for the 15 awardees.
CREATIVE West, a nonprofit regional arts organization, held a celebratory dinner at the NMI Museum of History and Culture on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, for the 15 local awardees of the Pacific Jurisdictions Artist Fund.
The awardees are Alejandro B. Agulto, Antonette Rosemarie T. Labausa, April Repeki, Devine M. Pua, Jan Arriane P. Reyes, Leilani I. Marciano, Leonard Leon, Magdalena Rit R. Santos, Mario Benito, Mary Elizabeth San Nicolas, Susan M. Castro-Cabrera, Tanya O. Salas, Vicente T. Salas II, Victoria Joy Sewell, and William Jr. Adrillano. All are practicing artists or cultural practitioners who applied for the fund earlier this year.
Award amounts varied depending on each artist’s stated need, with applicants able to request up to $6,000. The funds are unrestricted, meaning they can be used for rent, childcare, equipment, travel, or other expenses to support their creative work. Artists are not required to produce a specific project or program to receive the award.
In an address to the awardees and special guests, including Saipan Mayor RB Camacho, Lt. Governor Dennis Mendiola, and Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Creative West’s director for grants, awards, and programs, Anika Tene, said culture, creativity, and heritage are “central to the flourishing of your islands and your future.”
“This moment is not small. There are so many things going on in the world today,” Tene added. “It is historic. It shows that when we invest in artists, we invest in cultural memory, in resilience, and in the flourishing of whole communities.”
This marks the first awarding of the Pacific Jurisdictions Artist Fund. Awardees also include artists in Guam and American Samoa. The fund will remain open for applications at least through 2026 and 2027.
At the celebratory dinner, awardee Ben Salas performed a slam poetry piece, April Repeki demonstrated a Chamorro dance, and Master Navigator Mario Benito chanted and explained the importance of the canoe to Micronesian culture.
