The Flame Tree Arts Festival

Every late April, Saipan hosts the Flame Tree Arts Festival, a three day event.  Every year we go.  Local artists (as well as Micronesian artists) and vendors show off their paintings, hand crafted jewelry, arts and crafts, and wares.  Local and neighbor island performers show off their talents through dance, music, and song.  It's a fantastic event for families and it's a great way to interact with the culture and artisans of our community.

This year we came across an artist that does "gyotaku", a Japanese style of art where they take an actual fish and do a rubbing of it.  It's an old Japanese art form where Japanese fishermen would use this method to document their catch.  The fish were all caught here around Saipan.  This art form blew us away.

(see the fish in the sign, that's a gyotaku of an onaga)

(my daughter in front of a gyotaku of a tarakitu)

(gyotaku of a mahi mahi)

(gyotaku of flying fish)

Also this year, we decided to get some hand crafted jewelry made from the shell of the aliling (a trochus), which are found on the reefs of Saipan and the Marianas.  There were some beautiful pieces being sold.

(the jewelry were made from these shells of the aliling...

these are my aunt's aliling shells that she has as decoration in her garden in Rota.)

If you're wanting to see more pictures of the 2010 Flame Tree Arts Festival, check out this blog from a fellow blogger from Saipan... Laughter, Love, and the Zen of Midlife.

Ah, The Flame Tree Arts Festival... another reason I Luv Saipan!
(I love you Mom)