So We Leapt - Para I Hinanao-ta Mo’na
Open to the public: April 19 - August 30, 2026
"So We Leapt - Para I Hinanao-ta Mo’na" showcases photographs captured by Army photographer Frank Buchman between 1944 and 1946 in Guam. Many of these images depict everyday life for CHamorus across the island during a challenging period. The photos have been meticulously curated and digitally restored by Pulitzer Prize winner Manny Crisostomo from a collection of over 500 prints, negatives, and color transparencies taken by Buchman.
Complementing Buchman’s historical works are more than contemporary portraits of WWII CHamoru survivors, all in their 80s and 90s. These powerful images were captured for “Hasso,” a passion project by California Superior Court Judge Johnny Cepeda Gogo, formerly of Sinajana.
In November 2024, Gogo, Crisostomo and award-winning investigative reporter Rob Perez, formerly of Santa Rita, visited Buchman and his family in Pittsburgh. During their visit, Buchman signed one of the Guam flags, donated additional images for the exhibit, and shared his vivid recollections of his experiences on Guam and the photographs he took nearly 80 years prior.
The captivating story of how this collection came to light is narrated in a companion book, also titled "So We Leapt - Para I Hinanao-ta Mo’na: Guam after Liberation & CHamoru WWII Survivors." Limited print editions of the book will be available for purchase.
Crisostomo, Gogo and Perez will attend the exhibit opening. A third Guam flag, from Gogo's passion project honoring WWII survivors and liberators, will be present on opening day for Guam CHamoru WWII survivors to sign.
About Manny Crisostomo, Guest-Curator
Manny Crisostomo is a native of Guam and the only Pacific Islander Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his work at the Detroit Free Press featuring a series of photographs depicting student life at Southwestern High School in Detroit. For more than four decades, he has honed his eye for the decisive moment, that instant when emotion peaks among his subjects. He describes his work as “a mix of photojournalism, artistic expression and living cultural anthropology.” Currently Crisostomo is drawn to “people that look like me, places that are all too familiar and events that form and shape my cultural identity.”