Judy Selk Flores is a historian, folklorist and professional batik artist. She has lived in Inarajan, Guam since moving there as a child with her teaching parents from the U.S. state of Colorado in 1957. She became fluent in the Chamorro language and married into the culture. She attended the Guam public school system, graduating with a scholarship to the University of Guam where she earned a B.A. in Art Education and a Masters degree at the University of Guam Micronesian Studies Program. She earned her PhD in Arts of Oceania from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK.
She taught Secondary School Art for 10 years, then worked as a folklorist for the Guam Council on the Arts (CAHA) for the next 10 years. She helped found Gef Pa’go Chamorro Cultural Village in Inalahan and served as director, president and development officer until 2011.
Judy was active in government cultural and educational events, where she organized Guam’s participation in the Festival of Pacific Arts (FESTPAC), traveling and representing Guam’s culture in many host Pacific Islands every 4 years from 1988 through 1996. In 2016 she helped prepare traditional artists to host the Festival in Guam.
Judy retired from the University of Guam in 2006; and continues in her role as Research Associate and consultant with MARC – the Micronesian Area Research Center at the University of Guam. Her scholarly contributions include many publications and presentations at international conferences and seminars focused on the history and culture of Guam and Micronesia. Judy Flores is known for her visual depictions of Guam’s history and culture through her batik art paintings. The Guam Museum organized a retrospective exhibit of her art in October 2019 – February 2020, featuring over 300 paintings that spanned a 50-year period. More information is available on her website at guambatikgallery.com.
