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Abandoned building eyed for art gallery
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Posted on Jan 23 2006
The House of Representatives wants an abandoned building at the Garapan Fishing Base converted to an art gallery.
The lawmakers recently passed a House resolution asking the Marianas Public Lands Authority to grant the CNMI Council for Arts and Culture the existing building to be used as the CNMI Gallery for Arts and Culture.
Currently, the Arts Council’s gallery is located next to the post office, near the Emergency Management Office, on Capitol Hill. The Arts Council holds numerous exhibits featuring local artwork or visiting collections. It also sponsors workshops and contests that promote art in the community.
Because of its inconvenient location, however, the gallery reportedly receives an average of only three to four visits a day from tourists.
“Relocating the arts gallery will increase the frequency of visits by tourists, thereby providing an additional attraction for them, and by residents who will enjoy the experience of the arts gallery at a new location,” read a portion of House Resolution 15-3, authored by Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb.
The resolution also noted that the abandoned building, located at the Fishing Base and across Horiguchi Building, “will make an ideal location for the arts gallery due to its accessible and scenic location, and because it will further enhance the cultural feel of this area.”
The building has been unused for years.
