The Guam Gallery of Art

Don’t expect to come here just to purchase or peruse art — you’ll get more than that when you visit The Guam Gallery of Art. Owner/​artist Filamore Paloma Alcon holds a cornucopia of knowledge when it comes to local art and artists! I stumbled upon this place one afternoon in search of a female master wood carver who once held a shop at Chamorro Village. I went in here thinking that he perhaps could point me in the right direction. I got more than directions from Mr. Alcon.
This place is chock full of local art from Mark Dell’Isola, Monica Baza, a few from Judy Flores as well as up and coming local artists such as Troy Mitsunaga and his son (I forget his name). And yes, Mr. Alcon’s masterpieces are adorned throughout his gallery as well. But the sense I got from our conversation is that Mr. Alcon is a lover of all art — and his attempt to share them with locals and tourists is evidenced by his passion to share history, future endeavors as well as the whimsy behind his «madness.»
I wish I could have spent the day just talking story with him but I was on a tight timeline that day. I had him pull down art pieces only to change my mind after seeing another piece. He never complained and would always give me a brief history lesson behind each piece. In the end, I purchased a few pieces of art from up and coming artists of iconic places on Guam as well as a few pieces of Mr. Alcon’s art. I was like a fan girl asking for his autograph and picture as he signed my pieces. He obliged my requests and thought it was cute.
As he was writing out my receipt he asked for my last name. He says, «how are you related to Sally A?»
«Oh, she’s my aunt (my father’s youngest sister)?»
He looked shocked and took a step back, «Really?!! I can see the resemblance and yes, you do look like her.» (I’m quite flattered since my aunt is quite beautiful).
«You know my aunt?»
Here’s where things come full circle for me. He says, «back in the day when I was a struggling artist, Sally suggested I do a one man show for my art and I told her that I wasn’t good enough to have my own art show. She believed in me and assisted in showcasing my art at one of the hotels. She loved my art and thought that people would too.»
Wow…here we are 20 – 25 years later and I am meeting an artist that my aunt helped launch his career! We are practically kin by Guam standards! It was a full circle moment for him as well — he reminisced about his early humble beginnings and was thrilled that like my aunt, I loved his pieces too. It’s been a while since he has seen Sally but I best bet that he was going to give her a call very soon.
Note to self: CALL MY AUNT.
As they say on Guam, «only on Guam» do you meet total strangers and find out that you are only separated by a few degrees of separation.

The website for it is
The business is open daily. It is located within Chamorro Village.
I dropped by on a lonely Monday and got to speak extensively with the proprietor is Filamore Palomo Alcon who is an artist himself. When you first open the door, it seems like a touristy place with the multitude of postcards. But when you enter further, you see the abundant prints and binders of art, examine them, and realize that it is a place of serious art.
The goal of the museum was to feature Chamorro /​indigenous heritage arts.
My friend and I, just visitors, spent hours speaking with F. Alcon. We learned about the stories behind his art pieces, cultural tradition stories, and more. It was just so enjoyable.