Arts&Culture (03/29/23)

Conrad Manila opens ‘Of Art And Wine: Woven Memories’

CONRAD Manila unveils the 23rd installment of its Of Art and Wine exhibit series titled, “Of Art and Wine: Woven Memories,” by watercolor artist Kyle Legaspi at its Gallery C, held in celebration of International Women’s Month. Sharing her inspiration for “Woven Memories,” Ms. Legaspi said: “The exhibit is a visual tribute to the women who fervently helped maintain harmony and sanity in our homes during the lockdown.” Using the medium of watercolor, Legaspi is a portrait and figure artist, using Filipino models in her compositions and using Philippine textiles and accessories in her paintings. The exhibit will run from March 21 to May 27. The artworks are available individually for purchase. For more information, contact Conrad Manila at 8833-9999 or Kyle Legaspi at 0998 8697-440, or e-mail conradmanila@conradhotels.com.

MCAD opens doors for climate emergency exhibit

“ADAPTATION: A Reconnected Earth,” the first on-site exhibition for 2023 of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, opens on March 28. The show proposes an approach of determining the present within the realities of a changed climate, a despairing planet, and a recently renewed humanity. The exhibition will feature artists who speak on the realities of the disrupted climate and the daily lives amid the anxious shift between the allure of capitalism and responsible conservation. The exhibit features a diverse collection of artworks, from C-prints and papier-mâché works to video installations. They will come from artists Patty Chang, Deniz Tortum and Kathryn Hamilton, Josh Kline, Agnes Denes, Lui Medina, Bartolina Xixa, Issay Rodriguez and Derek Tumala. The exhibition is free and open to the public from March 29 until July 23. Booking a visit in advance is required via its website. MCAD is located at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Design + Arts Campus, Dominga St., Malate, Manila. For more information, visit www.mcadmanila.org.ph or follow @MCADManila on leading social media platforms.

Nature is the language of art in ‘Kalikhasan’exhibition

TWENTY-SIX visual artists and sculptors recently put in their time and artistry to present a 70-plus-piece collection featured in the exhibit “Kalikhasan” at Robinsons Land ARTablado in Robinsons Galleria, which is on view until March 31. “With their own creative gifts, the artists present the enchantment of what Nature can offer: the floors of light during sunrise, the trickling of waters, the forest during cold mornings, the crashing of the waves, or the harmony of the country field,” said Daloy-Likha art group’s spokesman in a statement. The participating artists are Rinaldi De Guzman, James Frani Dayrit, Ica Horrario-Enriquez, Adler Llagas, Brando Limon Bati, Noel Bueza, Bing Siochi, Rebie Abas, Al Perez, Nap Limaten Bungalan, Nani Reyes, John Guarnes, Ediefer Gutierrez, Jake Peralta, Jonathan Jalac, Jun Sergio Rocha, Lex Gozon, Maan Premacio, Marlene Ayen Galit, Eunice Logro, Pauline Racelis, Rinaldi de Guzman, Sherwin Paul Gonzales, Dean Gonzales, Vincent Christopher Gonzales, and Zorrick Enriquez.

Guitar concert benefits women

Y SPACE at the Yuchengco Museum and The Guitar Friends present Por La Mujer (By the Woman), a benefit concert for I Am Hope Organization’s women economic empowerment programs. Featuring the PIMA Guitar Quartet — Monching Carpio, Patrick Roxas, Iqui Vinculado, and Adrik Cristobal — with special guests Lester Demetillo, Marlee Mendoza, and Joahnna Tubalinal, the concert will be held on March 30, 6:30 p.m., at The Yuchengco Museum. Tickets cost P700 (Regular) and P500 (Discounted). For tickets/inquiries to the event, e-mail yspace@yuchengcomuseum.org or call 8889-1234.

Lecture on Manila Carnival Queen tilt

THE AYALA Foundation, Inc. and Filipinas Heritage Library present a free webinar as part of The Roderick Hall Memorial Lectures. Genevieve Clutario, Ph.D. will be giving the lecture: “Queen Makers: Power, Politics, and The Manila Carnival Queen Contest” on April 1, 10 a.m., online via Zoom and Facebook Live. Manila Carnival Queen contests ran from 1908 to 1939. Initially a showcase of colonial progress, they became a site for generating Filipino national identity. The queens developed into idealized figures of the Filipina. Wellesley professor and historian Genevieve Clutario shows how these figures shaped performances of beauty in gendered and sexualized ways. Well beyond the American period, performing desirability and femininity risked turning the carnival queen into a thing. But what advantages came with that risk? Did they benefit nation-building? Forinquiries e-mail asklibrarian@filipinaslibrary.org.ph

Steel Magnolias coming to Cebu City

STEEL Magnolias, the award-winning Broadway play by Robert Harling, is coming to Cebu. The play is a comedy-drama about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. The title suggests the “female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel.” To be presented on April 1 and 2 at CENEWOF Theater, Marcelo Fernan Press Center, Sudlon, Lahug, Cebu City, the play features Charlene Virlouvet,, Liana San Diego,, Clariza Mae Sevilla, Dahlia Alegre-Borres, Yvette Yntig, and Marlinda Angbetic Tan, under the direction of Allan Nazareno and Vincent Paul D. Gaton. Tickets are available at https://2tincans-philippines.yapsody.com.

BenCab Museum holds print exhibit

BAGUIO’S BenCab Museum presents “Ukit,” a fine print exhibition focused on relief-print methods by 35 local artists with works from the 1950s to the present. Running from April 1 to May 28, “Ukit” will take viewers from the roots of the modern art movement in the Philippines in the 1950s, represented by National Artist Arturo Luz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, and Dr. Rod. Paras-Perez, to contemporary works by established artists such as National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, Elmer Borlongan, and other printmakers who continue the discipline.

Sisidlan Institute holds Peryang Pinoy

EXPERIENCE tales and games at Peryang Pinoy, Sisidlan Institute’s closing of the school year annual event and fundraising activity on April 1, at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Quezon City from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sisidlan Institute has lined up different Filipino-themed games and fiesta activities that the whole family can enjoy. The event is open to the public. There will be a classic perya shooting game, a maze-like adventure with characters from Biag ni Lam-ang, stories from Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang in different Philippine languages, and Maria Makiling’s hair braiding and face painting booth. Peryang Pinoy is also a showcase of local artisanal products, organic produce and other unique items. A program celebrating culture through music and dance performances will be a highlight of the day. This event is a fundraising activity to support Sisidlan Institute’s vision of providing accessible Waldorf education for all. For more information, visit the Facebook page of Peryang Pinoy (https://www.facebook.com/PeryangPinoy) or contact sisidlan.peryangpinoy@gmail.com or 0917-108-0509.

Encantada ballet restaged

TO CELEBRATE Earth Month, Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) will restage Agnes Locsin’s Encantada. A collaboration with Joey Ayala for music, Al Santos for the libretto, and National Artist Salvador Bernal for production design, Encantada features the artists of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Professional Artist Support Program and ARDP. It is a showcase of Locsin’s Neo-Ethnic Dance Style as she masterfully utilizes it to explore Filipino folklore, history, and culture, while at the same time bringing awareness to the consequences of man’s destruction of nature. Drawing inspira-tion from Philippine tribal dances, practices, beliefs, and stories, Locsin reworked and reinterpreted these into the frame-work of existing classical ballet and modern dance techniques, resulting in a unique dance form suited for the Filipino’s physical frame, temperament, and culture. Georgette Sanchez-Vargas and Carissa Adea will reprise their award-winning roles for the current 2023 production. They will be joined by Kris-Belle Paclibar-Mamangun. Encantada runs from April 14-15 at the Samsung Theater in Circuit Makati, and April 21-22 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila, with evening shows at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m. All evening shows will have live music performed by Joey Ayala and Ang Bagong Lumad with Bayang Barrios. For ticket reservations, e-mail ardancephilippinesinc@gmail.com. For more information, check @ARDancePh on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Día del Libro returns

ON APRIL 22, celebrate with Día del Libro (International Book Day) at the Instituto Cervantes de Manila’s Intramuros branch from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. There will be a book market, where Manila’s bookstores and publishers will offer, at discounted prices, large quantities of books. Visitors can participate in “Escribo el Quijote,” and be one of the readers in the 2nd Hispano-Filipino Poetry Recital. Following the Spanish tradition, participants will receive roses. There will also be musical performances, games, activities for children, and Spanish food.

Call for Entries to 71st Palanca Awards

THE CARLOS Palanca Foundation, Inc. announced it is now accepting entries to the 71st Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (CPMA) for Literature. The competition is open to all Filipino citizens or former Filipino citizens of all ages. Like last year, all submissions must be done online. The Carlos Palanca Foundation will not accept printed and e-mail submissions for all categories. Authors who wish to join may submit only one entry per category, as follows: English Division — Short Story, Short Story for Children, Essay, Poetry, Poetry Written for Children, One-act Play, and Full-length Play; Filipino Division — Maikling Kuwento, Maikling Kuwentong Pambata, Sanaysay, Tula, Tula Para sa mga Bata, Dulang May Isang Yugto, Dulang Ganap ang Haba, and Dulang Pampelikula; and, Regional Languages Division — Short Story-Cebuano, Short Story-Hiligaynon, and Short Story-Ilokano. The special Kabataan Division for young writers below 18 years old is also now open for entries in two categories: Kabataan Essay (English) and Kabataan Sanaysay (Filipino). Submissions must be informal (personal) essays on the theme: “Emerging out of the Pandemic, what are the most pressing issues surrounding mental health among youth and how can Society and Government help in addressing these concerns for the growth and well-being of our younger generations?” for Kabataan Essay and “Sa pagsulong mula sa Pandemya, ano ang mga pinakamabibigat na isyung pumapalibot sa kalusugan ng isip ng mga kabataan, at paano makatutulong ang Lipunan at Pamahalaan na tugunan ang mga ito para sa ikauunlad at ikabubuti ng ating mga nakababatang henerasyon?” for Kabataan Sanaysay. The deadline for submission of entries is May 31. For the official contest rules and forms, visit the Palanca Awards website (http://www.palancaawards.com.ph/). For other inquiries and concerns, e-mail info@palancaawards.com.ph or call (632) 8843-8277 / (632) 8478-7996.

Filipinas Heritage Library gets new book scanner

THE FILIPINAS Heritage Library (FHL) of Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI), unveiled their newly acquired Atiz BookDrive Mark II scanner on March 15. The new scanner enhances FHL’s digitization initiatives. More efficiently than before, it processes historically and culturally significant materials uploaded to Filipina Online, a free digital repository of Filipiniana books, serials, and images in the public domain. It allows FHL to provide researchers with high-quality scans of rare materials on-demand at a more efficient, quicker pace. Researchers both here and abroad may request digital reproductions of books and material texts from the library collection. FHL scans and sends copies of the requested materials for a fee, keeping within the limits of copyright laws and fair use. With its superior ergonomics, the Bookdrive Mark II makes book-handling easy over prolonged periods. The padded “V” cradle adjusts to the thickness of the scanned material. It avoids damage to book spines while producing sharper and more color-accurate images. Digital archivists at FHL, using the old scanner, were able to digitize over 500 books and 200 serials and upload them onto Filipina Online. FHL is open to the public from Wednesdays to Saturdays (excluding holidays), from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome but booking an appointment is encouraged as it ensures the availability of books during the date of the visit. Appointments may be made at FHL’s booking page atwww.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/booking/ Researchers can also browse and search FHL’s online catalog https://opac.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/ to check the availability of materials. Inquiries into FHL’s collections can be fielded by e-mailing asklibrarian@filipinaslibrary.org.ph

AOV International Choral Fest calls for applications

THE ANDREA O. Veneracion (AOV) International Choral Festival will be held on July 20 to 23 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. Choral groups interested in vying for the Grand Prize in the biennial choral competition may submit their application, addressed to the Festival Director, Joey Vargas, via mail at the Artist Training Division, Arts Education Department, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City 1300 Philippines, or e-mail the requirements to secretariat@aovchoralfestph.com. The deadline for submission of applications is on June 1. The participating choirs will compete in various categories: Folk Song, Equal Voices, and Mixed Choir. They can participate in any or all the categories as long as each competing choir fulfills the necessary requirements for each category. Two winners from this competition will be chosen to participate in the Asia Choral Grand Prix. Produced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the choral competition is named after National Artist Andrea O. Veneracion, founder of the world-renowned choir recognized as the first in the world to win the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing twice in 1997 and in 2007. For inquiries, visit the AOV website (https://aovchoralfestph.com).