Fusing the arts and environment in July

The Division of Environmental Quality, in collaboration with several public and private organizations and volunteers, will be hosting the “Eco-Arts Festival” this July, an arts event with emphasis on environmental awareness and protection.

Program coordinator Tina Sablan unveiled plans for the event during a media conference held yesterday morning at the DEQ office in Gualo Rai. The Eco-Arts Festival will be held at the American Memorial Park on July 29, 30 and 31.

Sablan said activities for the festival will include the Battle of the Bands, Film Festival, Sculpture Park and Visual Arts Gallery, EcoDrama Performance, Cook-a-Rainbow Challenge, Poetry Slam and Original Oratory, and the Recycle Wear Fashion Show.

Sablan said the committee for the festival was formed months ago and committee members were selected based on their fields of expertise.

Angel S. Hocog would be handling the Battle of Bands, Galvin Guerrero is in charge of the Film Festival, Farrah Younis would be handling the visual arts program, Melody Actouka leads the EcoDrama Performance and the Poetry Slam and Original Oratory, Joyce Songsong would be representing Lynn Tenorio in the Cook-a-Rainbow Challenge, and Laila Y. Boyer would lead the Recycle Wear Fashion Show.

“For the past few years, DEQ has been striving to promote environmental awareness to the public through school presentations, environmental symposiums, and the recently held Environmental Expo,” said DEQ officer Fran Castro, adding that this summer, they want to promote environmental awareness through the arts.

Castro said the festival would give local artists the opportunity to showcase their creative talents in music, poetry, film, speech and drama, cooking, the visual arts, and fashion design.

Hocog said the event would kick off on July 29 at 6pm with an opening ceremony, followed by the Battle of the Bands. He said the band competition would be composed of three categories: the eight-man complete band, digital music, and soloist categories.

He encouraged local composers to bring out their talents so that the CNMI could hear their own music. He said interested parties’ musical compositions must be relevant to environmental awareness.

On July 30, the unveiling of the Sculpture Park and the Visual Arts Gallery is scheduled at 1pm. Younis said the two-day show will feature large life-sized sculptures constructed out of recycled or reused materials based on the theme “Recycled Imagination.” She promised to feature paintings and/or photographs that present artists’ visions of a sustainable CNMI.

Actouka said the Friends of the Arts would stage the EcoDrama Performance. She said she would conduct auditions for the play and that interested thespians in the CNMI should contact her for auditions.

She will also be handling the Poetry Slam and Original Oratory and is inviting local talents to compose a poem or an original oratory on any environmental theme. Participants will recite their poems and speeches and cash prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Sablan said the Recycle Wear Fashion show is the highlight of the festivities and would be held on the final night. The one-hour fashion show will display the latest trends in recyclable wear made by designers on the island. Three categories will compose the show—paper and cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. She said winners of the competition would bring home cash prizes plus a chance to flaunt their creations in one of Duty Free Galleria’s window displays.

Further questions on each category may be addressed to the following: Angel S. Hocog, 322-9982; Galvin Guerrero, 233-6296; Farrah Younis and Glen Hunter, 483-2944; Melody Actouka, 235-1320 or 234-5498 ext. 1734; Lynn Tenorio, 664-4030; and, Laila Y. Boyer, 888-1609.

For information regarding all Eco-Arts Festival events, contact Fran Castro or Tina Sablan at DEQ numbers 664-8500 or 664-8501 or email them at deq.nonpoint@saipan.com.