There were 39 artists who participated in the art auction, which raised funds for tsunami victims in American and Western Samoas.
“There are some artists who participated in the [Festival of the Arts in the Pacific], but they have newer pieces on display,” said Ron Castro, art director of Nissan Infiniti Gallery.
Multimedia artist Raphael Unpingco expressed gratitude to Nissan Infiniti for providing the venue for the art exhibit.
Castro said the gallery is big enough to accommodate a lot of artists. “When you have a one man show you need a lot of pieces. In a gallery this size, you need a lot of pieces, whereas when you get a bunch of artists, you’re not as pressured to have a lot pieces, then you have a lot of new exposures with the University of Guam Fine Arts department and our local artists,” he said.
Ray Leon Guerrero, one of the organizers, said local artists wanted to add more venues for more than one or two art shows a year. “Very fortunately, we have Infiniti Nissan providing the venue for us. They’ve been very supportive of the arts,” he said.
Leon Guerrero said the shows also give art students a chance to show off their creativity. “There’s a lot of talent, but not many people get to see the different talents,” he said.
The artwork on display was auctioned off and portions of proceeds from the sales were earmarked for tsunami victims in the Samoas.
“The initial show was already planned, but with what happened in American Samoa, we incorporated that at the last minute to support our brothers and sisters in American Samoa,” he said. “We all feel for each other when the time comes.”
One of Infiniti Nissan’s employees hails from American Samoa. Valisa Maiava, originally from the village of Malaeloa, is humbled by the artists’ support. “It feels so good and I am so happy and I thank God that there are a lot of supporters and I thank all the artists,” she said, adding that she was contacted by the group and informed her that they wanted to have a donation box to help American Samoa.
Maiava was frantic when she heard about the tsunami and made every effort to get a hold of her family. She became even more concerned when she learned that her six-year-old daughter Angellynndrite Maiava had not been located and that the last time anyone saw her was when she boarded a school bus.
“My brother was heading down to look for her and they were going to get back to me, but I was having a hard time getting them. As a mother far away from where she’s at, it was hard for me not knowing where she was,” Maiava said
Good news came to her finally and she was told her daughter was safe in the mountains. “The school bus driver drove there with all the students and I thank the school bus driver for managing to take them to safety,” she said.
