The History of Yap Art Studio & Gallery

by it’s founding artist: Ruth Glenn Little.

In 1991, I visited Yap for the first time. I spent two weeks on the island and I was the second guest at the Pathways Hotel. Ambiance, lifestyle, friendliness and intrigue of the island and the people really enticed me. In February of 1992, I returned to experience Yap Day and explore more of my reactions to a place that seemed to call me back. I stayed this time, again at the Pathways Hotel, for two weeks painting and taking photographs daily. During the month stay, I did 90 drawings and paintings. Upon my return to Hawaii requests came for showing of the paintings at a number of places and within a year I had had six shows of the of a collection of 125 paintings of Yap. Most of the paintings sold less than six remain in my personal collection and are not for sale.

In 1993, my business in Hawaii and my home sold and in 1994, I revisited Yap again on Yap Day. My plans were to stay again for a month. I stayed two months returning only to pack what I could in boxes and giving my brother the rest of my things. I went back to the Mainland to visit my mother, sister and my sons. I told them I was moving to Yap. My family was not surprise, as my conversations seemed to include Yap for the past three years. On October 7, 1994, I arrived in Yap and within an hour had a new place to call home. I rented an apartment in the YCA Business complex and settled in very comfortably.

During the return to Yap in early 1994 I had brought art supplies and had classes for a number of Yap residents. Thomas Fanoway was one of the participants in the class. He paintings were very impressive.

In November of 1994, Debbie Stevenson, the counselor at Yap High School, began taking a watercolor class with me. In February of 1995, she began talking about a student having problems at the high school and telling me all he wanted was to be an artist. She asked me to meet him and consider mentoring him. I agreed and went to the high school for the meeting. Three times, he disappeared when it was time for the meeting. Finally we did not tell him and simply called him to the office. After the surprise meeting he agreed to come to my studio apartment and talk to me. I gave him all the supplies necessary to begin, paint palette, paper and brushes. He was to come back and begin. I did not see him again until October 11, 1995. Answering the knock at my door, Tommy Tamangmed greeted me by simply saying, "Hi, I'm Tommy and I am here to paint." He has been painting with me since that day.

In mid '96 Tommy suggested we look for others who might be interested in working with him he felt ready for a challenge that a group would have. We asked around, Thomas Fanoway and two other interested young men began working together as often as possible.

In August of 1996, Mary Jane Fox began discussing a project with me, which consisted of books written by local educators for the local schools. She wanted to know more about possibilities for illustration and publishing. We wrote a proposal and presented to the local department of education, Yap SEED (State Educational Enterprising Department). The proposal was accepted. January '97 eight students, two from each language group, were assembled to begin instruction as illustrating artists. Their communities chose the artists from the Neighboring Islands, but the two artists from Yap were the students I had already worked with Tommy Tamangmed and Thomas Fanoway. Each student artists was given a stipend.

My studio apartment which consisted of two rooms 9x14 and a kitchen area of 6x8 became a classroom full and overflowing. Students were very eager and focused. Instructions began with the project of drawing and creating images of subjects for letters of each languages alphabet or phonic sound. The young artists were so enthusiastic. The project provided a focus to do beginning basic and exercises with a result that was more than just a sample chart. By the end of March all the alphabet and phonics cards from each language had been illustrate and handed over to the DOE to be printed and laminated by the for placement in the schools by the following school term.

The next project for the student artists was to illustrate a book. Each artist was assigned a manuscript and produced a concept sheets which was presented to an editing committee. Upon review the edit committee met with the artist and discussed changes. Upon approval, artists began to create final drawings from the concept sheets. Drawings were again presented and commented on with recommendations for changes and final approval by the editing committee. Paintings created from the drawings were the final presentation to the editing committee. Approved artwork was scanned into computer files.

While the artists were learning and creating illustrations, linguists from each language group translated text. The translated text was passed on to a computer programmer. Books began to become a reality as the computer programmer designed page layouts placing scanned images with text.

Another facet of the project involved finding a printer and analyzing what would be the best for paper, cover and binding. A Hong Kong printer was chosen and March of 1998 illustrations and text was taken to Hong Kong for printing. I stayed in Hong Kong for five weeks proof reading and approving each step of the printing process.

In June of 1998, a container full of books arrived. Three thousand copies divided between the five languages were printed of each book. By September of 1998, the books were in all the island schools.

Acknowledgment of the work done by the student artists came from every direction. Validation for the artists was established. Confidence and security increased their motivation and creativity. The high profile experience has been a positive example for other island youth.

My Foreign Investment Permit under the name of Tradewinds designed to develop and market handicraft provided for my original entry to Yap. The option to expose student artists to sales and marketing expanding their potential for self sustainability included in the training proposal. Yap Art Studio & Gallery began to fulfill that purpose in September 1997 when the studio moved from the small apartment to the present location. A small section was divided off from the large open room to create a space approximately 10 x 20 to display paintings and carvings purchased from village carvers. The focus of the gallery was to develop a market for traditional and modern handicraft made on the islands of Yap State.

Paintings and studies done by the artists while they were under instruction were scanned into the computers and used in publication and promotion for the Education Department. Once documented by SEED, artists were free to sell original works. Paintings began selling, the gallery kept a commission, and the balance became additional income to the artists.

The gallery quickly established as the "coconut wireless" brought in new artisans. Hotels and Yap Visitors Bureau helped inform guests to the islands of the project and gallery site.

The SEED project completed extended the program for an additional year to allow artists to continue with instruction. In January 2000 the artists were on their own and the gallery continued providing a market and exposure for their efforts. Eight of the original artists have returned to their families in the Neighboring Islands. Two, Tommy Tamangmed and Luke Holoi, continue to paint and market their work through the gallery allowing them care for their families with their income from their watercolor paintings and carvings. The have also adopted a protégé watercolorist, Zebedee Harong, whom is an inspiration to us all.

In August of 2001 the gallery expanded into cyberspace. The artists of Yap Art Studio & Gallery continue to explore and expand their artistic endeavors working from live models and critiques of completed works.

In January of 2007 the gallery relocated to the newly developed market district of Colonia. We are now located a stones throw from two major hotels, an internet cafe and the major general store.