Utah Tech University

Utah Valley University

Vaimoana Oufi Khalil is an artist, educator, and performer whose work spans painting, mural-making, poetry, acting, and theater directing. Born in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and raised in Hawaiʻi and Utah, she has spent more than 20 years teaching at colleges, universities, public schools, senior centers, and community centers across New York City.

Khalil earned her undergraduate degree in painting and performance from New York University, received the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship in painting and drawing at Yale University, and attended Columbia University’s graduate program in theater and acting.

She has created and led over 38 community murals around the world, including projects in Australia, Kenya, Jordan, New Zealand, Palestine, South Africa, and across the U.S. in California, New York, and Utah. She was a founding member of Mahina Movement (2000–2020), an all-BIPOC women’s music and poetry trio that performed on more than 700 stages in the U.S. and traveled to Ireland.

Khalil has written, performed in, and directed numerous theatrical productions at various venues, showcasing her dedication to storytelling and community art.

Valdez Arts Council

Velocity Dance Center

Discipline: Media Arts

Vicente Salas II, also known as “Ben,” is an indigenous Chamorro independent filmmaker, spoken word poet, hip hop artist, photographer, and writer with deep ties to Saipan, Guam, and Hawaii. A deeper dive into his familial roots also reveals a rich tapestry of Carolinian (Satawalese), Spanish, African, Filipino, and Scottish ancestry.

From an early age, he has traveled globally, fostering a lifelong passion for uniting diverse cultures and communities through a seamless blend of traditional and contemporary filmmaking and poetic arts. Beyond his cinematic endeavors, Salas’ career achievements include working as a journalist for publications like Marianas Variety and serving his native Marianas community as a former caseworker and indigenous Chamorro cultural advocate for the CNMI Indigenous Affairs Office. Today, he continues to create compelling film projects under his Todu Båli Media banner, dedicated to bridging cultures and inspiring meaningful connections through his art.

Vic is an artist originally from Michigan who moved to Vermont in late 2021. They have been involved in performing arts since their youth – ranging from dance, choir, band, theater and
DJing. No matter where they are located, Vic always strives to be a part of the community in some capacity through performing arts. Vic works as the Music Program Manager at BarnArts in Barnard, VT where they arrange a summer music series, music residencies, and school programs for rural schools. When not working, they enjoy attempting to teach themself instruments, crochet arts, and connecting with the land through gardening and communing with plants.

Discipline: Visual Arts

Victoria Joy Sewell, through a culturally diverse upbringing and following intuition, discovered a home in Saipan. Her art serves as a visual representation of sensations that transcend our immediate perception. We all experience moments when something within us undergoes a profound transformation due to a special connection.

Sewell’s pursuit is to capture these fleeting moments, aiming to offer viewers a sense of tranquility, healing, and self-connection. By embracing presence, they can contemplate the healing peace that arises when we recognize our inherent transcendence of the physical realm—a lesson deeply ingrained in her through Saipan, inspiring and informing her art, teaching and volunteering.

Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Arts

Vincent J. Reyes is a cultural leader, Master of Chamoru Dance, and creative director whose work focuses on national identity, cultural sovereignty, and institution-building through the performing arts. A native of the southern village of Malesso’, Reyes has dedicated his life to creating systems, spaces, and pathways that ensure Chamoru culture is seen, valued, and sustained on both national and international stages.

As the national folk dance director for the Department of Chamorro Affairs, Reyes is spearheading the development of the Guam Museum National Theater, a landmark initiative envisioned as a national home for Chamoru performance, storytelling, and artistic excellence. His creative philosophy views cultural performing arts not just as tools for preservation or presentation, but as instruments of empowerment, identity formation, and nationhood—affirming that culture is both living and foundational to self-determination.

Reyes is the founder and director of the Inetnon Gefpa’go Cultural Arts Program, which has served as a cultural institution for more than 25 years, nurturing generations of artists while establishing standards of authenticity, innovation, and excellence. Through international representation, leadership development, and large-scale cultural programming, he has created enduring pipelines that elevate local artists into national and global ambassadors.

Having represented Guam in more than 43 countries, Reyes continues to build platforms where Chamoru identity is not only remembered but actively shaped, expressed, and carried forward for future generations.