Watch the zoom conversation here:
bG Gallery and SOYYO Magazine present Art – America, a weekly online journey around the United States of America featuring gallery owners, artists, curators, art writers, museum directors, and others in countries across the continents. Join us, as we continue our journey with Guam this Saturday, October 24, 2020, at 4pm PST via ZOOM: https://zoom.us/j/92659443853
RSVP Here: https://guam.gr8.com/
We will be taking you on a First Class journey to learn more of Chamorro lifestyle, arts, and culture. We will learn of contemporary movements searching to explore indigenous roots. From artifacts, art, and infrastructure that comes from influences of the Mariana Islands history, and modern “renaissance of artistic creation that draws on perceptions of their pre-contact culture for inspiration.
Panel moderated by
Art Dealer at bG Gallery & Founder at SOYYO Estefania Ochoa
Estefania has worked as an independent art consultant, dealer, curator, and art activist since 2015. In 2017 she began working out of Mana Contemporary in Jersey City where she would split her time between assisting Gene Kiegel and Johan Wahlstrom. In 2017 she launched a culture magazine called SOYYO, where she developed a platform for diverse creators to freely share their stories while focusing on a sustainable and mindful approach to selling art. Today, you can find her work on soyyomag.com, or hosting an Instagram Live interview with one of bG Gallery’s artists.
Panelists include:
Ron Castro, Graphic Artist and Philanthropist
Born in 1954 in Guam into a family of eight other siblings, the Ronald Castro lived on the island until his family left for Europe in 1965. Castro graduated from Torrejon American High School in 1973 in Madrid, Spain. He later graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1976 with a degree in Specialized Technology. While at the Pennsylvania school he majored in visual communications and took coursework in airbrush, graphic design, illustration, oil painting, photography and typography..
Judy Flores, Academic and Artist
Artistically inclined from an early age, Judy Flores earned a degree in art education from the University of Guam and taught art in secondary school for ten years. Flores used the batik medium to paint vivid impressions of Chamorro cultural scenes and activities that were rapidly disappearing in the 1970s. As she continued her master’s and PhD research, her paintings reflected her increased interest in Chamorro history and cultural values.
Sandy Flores, Academic
Sandy Flores has been an advocate for the Chamorro diaspora as a journalist, community organizer and promoter of Guam art and culture. Sandy recently completed an internship on Guam with the Sorensen Media Group as a producer for culture and history programming for radio and television. She is a 2021 Peace and Justice Masters candidate at the Kroc School at the University of San Diego, completing her program remotely from Guam.
Brent L. Wiese, Principal Architect
Brent Wiese is the Managing Principal of RIM Architect’s Guam office. He is a registered architect in Guam, Saipan, and California. Brent brings over 30+ years of experiences in project management, architectural drawing production, building code and accessibility expertise, and construction management. His portfolio includes design and coordination of retail stores in DFS Guam and Saipan, which include brands like Cartier, Ferragamo, Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
Vince Reyes, Director of the Inetnon Gefpå’go Cultural Arts Program
Vincent J. C. Reyes is the newest appointed Master of Chamorro dance and serves as Director of the Inetnon Gefpå’go Cultural Arts Program .In 2000 Reyes began teaching at Inarajan Middle School (IMS) as a cultural arts teacher, where he authored and implemented the school’s first cultural arts program. Reyes has always had a passion to perpetuate and promote Guam’s Chamorro Heritage and believes that it is through cultural performance arts that he is able to channel this passion.
