Decade-old mural to be replaced

The façade of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium will soon get a facelift as local artist Luis Ogo’s decade-old mural will be replaced with a new one, just in time for Saipan’s hosting of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games next year. (Mark Rabago)

The Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium will definitely undergo a makeover not only inside but outside as well just in time for next year’s 2021 Pacific Games that Saipan will be hosting for the first time.

The Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture recently announced a call for proposals for the Ada Gymnasium Mural Project, which would be funded through the FY 2019-2020 Recovery and Art Healing Grant Program.

CCAC, which is under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, said the Ada Gymnasium Mural Project falls under the Public Arts component of the Recovery and Art Healing Grant Program.

Recovery and Art Healing Grant Program aims to unite the artists and the community through public visual arts. Public arts will also serve to enhance the beauty of the indigenous and diverse cultures in the CNMI through murals and paintings.

Artists from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota who are interested in submitting a proposal must be registered with CCAC, must submit a copy of their valid business license, have a DUNS number, be registered with the System of Award Management (SAM), and must adhere to the specific terms and conditions of the grant set forth by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In addition, the following items must be included in their proposal: proof of residency, completed grant application, detailed budget with narrative, draft design of their mural idea with a short description of their concept, timeline for their project, and sustainability plan.

Deadline to submit proposals is on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 at 4pm. All proposals must be submitted to the DCCA-CCAC office on Anatahan Drive, Capitol Hill, Saipan, via hand delivery or mail at P.O. BOX 5553 CHRB, SAIPAN, MP 96950. Proposals may also be submitted to CCAC executive director Parker Yobei at parkeryobei@gmail.com.

The Ada Gymnasium Mural Project is made possible through the Recovery and Art Healing Grant Program-Public Arts component funded by the National Endowment for the Arts through Department of Community and Cultural Affairs-Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture. For more information about the project or how to submit your proposal, call 322-9982/3.

The original mural at the Ada Gym that depicts athletes in various sporting events was created local artist Luis Ogo in 2006 in time for the 2006 Micronesian Games on Saipan.

Like the upcoming Ada Gymnasium Mural Project, the original project by Ogo was also sponsored by the Council for Arts and Culture.

The Ada Gym as well as the entirety of the Oleai Sports Complex will also undergo refurbishment with funds coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

DCCA also submitted last Dec. 20 a request for a grant of $18 million to $20 million to the U.S. Economic Development Administration to renovate the Ada Gymnasium and remake it into a “world-class” sporting complex as well as a cultural center, with a 2020 deadline if the grant is approved.