Design for new art gallery up for bids

Bidding will soon begin on the design for the new art gallery under the wing of the CNMI Arts Council.

Arts Council director Robert Hunter said they are still waiting to hear from the Department of Public Works for the release of the bid bulletin. He said they have been waiting for three weeks now for the department to release and announce the bid requirements to interested design teams in the CNMI.

Hunter said the DPW assured his office in their meeting three weeks ago, that they are on top of the requirement. He said his office is collaborating with the public works, which would also follow a bid bulletin regarding construction after the bid for the design of the building.

He said the new building would house an extension of the art gallery or museum at the Chamolinian Village. It would have a gallery that would house arts and crafts created by local artists in the Commonwealth. Hunter said he is looking at constructing a pavilion adjacent to the offices.

Hunter said the local government has allocated $200,000 to the Arts Council for the renovation of the existing facility. He said he was glad to find out that additional $200,000 was also given to the council for other construction or any additional project related to the new arts gallery.

He said the bidding for the design might take at least 30 days before they proceed to the bidding for the construction that would take at least six months to accomplish. Hunter said they are hoping that the new gallery and office would serve the public early next year.

The current arts gallery is located at Capitol Hill, which has been getting low traffic because of its not so ideal location. He said they only get three to four visits a day from tourists who have to hire a cab to access the site.

He said the new arts gallery would definitely increase the traffic in the museum and in the Chamolinian Village because the new building would also house the Chamolinian Cultural Village, Inc. office. In addition to the traffic, Hunter said the new gallery would certainly be a venue to sell more products of local artists by promoting them actively in a more strategic location.

Hunter said when the CNMI Cultural Center is finally constructed the arts gallery at the Chamolinian Village in Garapan would be maintained and would serve as a Folk Arts facility.