002: Jill Benavente

Julie “Jill” Benavente is a traditional contemporary artist who was born in 1958 in Hawai’i. She returned to Guam at the age of 13, beginning to make jewelry in 1991, and she continues to work in this largely male-dominated field even managing to be acknowledged as a master carver. I met her on March 26th at her shop where on display were various products, most of which were her artworks. I saw many beautiful earrings and sinahi necklaces, all for sale. They were all in natural colors like bone white and various browns, evidence of being from nature.

Jill works in ornament making and weaving because that was her passion, “creating things from raw materials” and making them into something “symbolic to our people, our island, our culture.” She learned weaving “in honor of [her] nana because she passed away before she could teach [her] … so that it wouldn’t die in [her] generation.” However, her nana, her idol, taught her many things, including “our traditional ways, respect in the different age groups that you have to acknowledge and give, respect for the land”, and “all the plants that could be used to create things.”

Jill Benavente is often commissioned to make a piece. In these cases, she tried to encapsulate the commissioners’ characters and duties. For example, she was commissioned to make a necklace for the first female governor of the island a few years ago. She used a circular piece of a very rare orange corispondalis as the centerpiece, the pendant. She added 13 sling stones, a symbol of protection, and the Guam seal, made out of turtle shell, greatly valued in Guamanian culture, with 6 on both sides of the pendant and the last one forming the necklace lock. The 13 sling stones represent the lunar calendar because that was how our people knew when to hunt, plant, harvest, and fish. So, the number of stones means that the governor’s job is not done in 12 months, her job is over 12 months. She’s constantly working, constantly taking care of her responsibilities, so it's not just from January to December. This piece had so much intensity that Jill needed to ask her apprentices for help to finish this piece in time for the governor’s inauguration.

This year, the governor commissioned Jill to create a matching earring and bracelet to finish the set. The “gemstones” of the earrings came from the same shell as the main piece, as Jill has always believed that one piece should be all connected. The bracelet also had 13 sling stones to symbolize protection. The frea-ginae piece was something that Jill had replicated from our ancestors. So, Jill incorporated all of these things as a daily reminder to the governor that she is a public figure but that she’s also protecting the people of the land, the environment, and everything else.

Jill earned her title as a master carver by developing a style that she enjoyed. Since body ornament making was a male-dominated field, they tended not to make ornaments in a style that Jill and many other women liked and refused to change their style. Jill also mentioned that she wanted people to be comfortable with wearing cultural pieces as evening wear. To this end, she pushed herself to reach a higher skill level and perfect her art.

Jill loves incorporating symbols that say that her pieces come from Guam. She says that her “journey is to try to pay homage to the rest of our islands [in the chain] before I leave this world.” She clearly plans to do this through art, which she defines as, “many different things. If you take something raw and you create something beautiful from it that is art. Any form that you try to create is art.” She identifies the role of an artist as, “ show[ing] the world that no matter what culture you come from, cause art is in every culture, that the people still exist, that the people still incorporate who they are, what they're about, the meaning of their ancestors who created the piece before you, it's a symbol of us still existing today in the modern world, and still being who we are.”

To read the full interview, continue reading below. If you want to support Jill, please check out her collection available for purchase here or visit her at Guinahan CHamoru at Sagan Kotturan CHamoru at Ypao point, open Monday through Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I came to Guam at 13 and met grandma who is a natural herbs doctor. She told me all the plants that could be used to create things. She also weaves out of pandanus and coconut leaves. She taught me a lot about natural resources, so I’ve always been into creating jewelry. I was introduced to the rotary tool after high school. I had been collecting shells and everything but didn’t know how to carve and make jewelry so having learned how to use the dremel, I decided I would start to make her own pieces, beginning in 1991.

How has your ethnicity/race affected the type of art you make?

Growing up, I learned my language and read Guam's history. Going into the jungles or beaches to collect natural resources, I found pottery shards that have designs made by our ancestors and artifacts. Seeing how long our ancestors had made them, I wanted to bring them back alive. So I replicated some of the things I found but in my own style. I incorporate pottery designs our ancestors had made when making jewelry that can only be found here. So I try to give the pieces something that says that they came from Guahan.

Why do you choose to work mostly in ornament making?

I learned all the other various “traditional” forms of art in school but they were not my passion. My passion was creating things from raw materials. To become something symbolic to our people, our island, our culture and that is why I prefer harder materials. I took weaving in honor of my nana because she passed away before she could teach me. I learned weaving so that it wouldn’t die in my generation.

What do you struggle with the most when making art?

Maybe the fact that it is a more male-dominant role and that not too many females do carving. But by me practicing and perfecting my skills, made me acknowledged as a carver.

What do you do when you're stuck on a piece or lacking motivation or inspiration?

You take a break, you go to the beach, you have a good time, you feel the energy of the island and appreciate what we have and I go back to the table and *poof* let's do something different,

Do you have any tips for aspiring artists?

Well in our culture, it’s taboo for a married person to be associated with any of the males. So all I can do is watch from afar, take some of the techniques and practice for my own and perfect it in my own way.

What do you like incorporating most into your art?

Symbols that say it's coming from the island of Guam.

How would you define art?

Art can be many different things. If you take something raw and you create something beautiful from it that is art. Any form that you try to create is art.

Who do you idolize?

My nana is my role model. She taught me a lot about our traditional ways, respect for the different age groups that you have to acknowledge and give, respect for the land. Always take care of the land, the land will take care of you. She is the one who made me go into all of our natural resources.

Do you prefer looking at realistic or surreal art?

Sometimes both ways, whatever you feel. Whatever I feel it goes there, I can make something like a latte but then the latte can be abstract with symbols too.

Do you have a masterpiece? If so, how did you make it or why did you make it?

My creations are based - many times I am commissioned to do special stuff for special people and based on that I know the character of the person, I see which one will describe most or what will remind her or him of most of the duties. So for instance, I created this… So here I just recently was commissioned to do the first female governor of the island. So this is the initial piece. So the corispondalis is very rare to have an orange color. And this is the turtle shell which is valued in our culture. So this is a replica of one of our ancestors who created this bead. So supposedly, the number of dts means the number of people who had to catch for us to eat, but we dont waste so everything that we catch, we utilize to its fullest, so this is a replica of one of the pieces that our ancestors have created har so what i candid was because this is valued, and os is the turtle shell, I created sling stones. sling stones used to be a tool for hunting and for warfare in the Spanish war. But now it's the symbol of the Guam seal. And the symbol of the Guam seal means protection. So I created 13 of the sling stones represents the lunar calendar because the lunar calendar is how our people hunt,plant, harvest, time seasons for fishing. So it's the cycle of the moon that tell our people when to do these chores, ad hunt for self sustaining so that's the reason for this so there is only twelve of these but this lock makes the 13th. So that represents the lunar calendar. Meaning also your job is not done in 12 months. Your job is over 12 months, you're constantly roling, you're constantly taking care of your responsibilities. So it's not just from January to December so that's the thing. This piece had so much intensity that I needed to call my apprentices to finish this piece in time for her inauguration. This year, they commissioned me to create a matching earring. Causehe wanted a set. These two came from the same shell as her main piece. I always believe that one piece should be all connected.and then the next is the bracelet. So there is also 13 of each and then these slingstone of course protections. The frea-ginae piece. So thai is what I mean about symbolizing the person, their duties, and whatnot. So I incorporate all of these things as a reminder as you're a public figure but you're also to protect the people of the land, the environment, and everything else. So this is my reasoning for making these things happen, as a reminder, a daily reminder as you wear the piece. The frea-ginae piece because our ancestors created that piece. That's a reminder of where she comes from, from our ancestors, everything that they struggled to come from and that's why the frea-ginae piece was created and incorporated into the main piece. So this is how I work my pieces when people for weddings, for anything else, like if, for instance a wedding once that I created, they were dating for 8 years before they got married. Well on their pendant 8 spondalis beads to represent the years they have been together before they got married.

What role do you think artists have in society?

For me, artisans exist to show the world that no matter what culture you come from, cause art is in every culture, the people still exist, that the people still incorporate who they are, what they're about, the meaning of their ancestors who created the piece before you its a symbol of us still existing today in the modern world. And still being who we are.

What’s your favorite place on Guam?

I actually have a chain of islands, my journey is to try to pay homage to the rest of our islands before I leave this world. So this is all our home.

What characteristics do you think all artists share?

It's kind of hard to say because different people are raised differently. With me, it was all my pieces are influenced by my nana she was a healer, and she was a sphere for people she cared for people so I try to incorporate that invites everyone to know who we are what we are about and to appreciate also who you are, where you come from learn about yourself so that that makes you stronger as a person. You know everything about, you know your language, you know your culture, you know your values, that makes you whole so sometimes our people. There is of course, outside marriage, there's a lot of our Chamoru’s who marry Koreans who marry… but guess what, you job now is to learn your Korean side and your Chamoru side, cause when you do that then your one whole , you know who you are on both sides that what makes you understand, who you are and what you should become whatever your passions is, your journey, what you’re here for.

Can you explain how you developed your own style?

I like perfection. I think what started me to go on a higher level is the fact that when people like mes Chamoru. Everybody wants something Chamorru but the reality is that we are Chamorro everyday all year round. But only in the month of mes Chamorru, you want to be Chamorro for example. So I create pieces here I can showcase to the women especially, but I’m trying to encourage them that you can wear a cultural piece in a formal gathering and this is why I upped my notch to say you can even wear a tie for evening wear, not just daily wear, but evening wear, and then I created in a style where it is cultural but elegant to wear for evening wear. Because I am a female, I like what I like and so most men don't make what I like and they won't change their style so therefore that is why I said I’m gonna make my own style, I’m gonna showcase that you can wear it everyday any day for fancy occasion for daily wear you can still wear something cultural that represents you as a whole

003: Leonard Iriarte

001: Yumiko Furukawa