NCCA launches 'Sentro ng Sining' Grant

NCCA launches "Sentro ng Sining" Grant

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is inviting all provincial local government units (LGUs) to submit their entries to “Sentro ng Sining Grant: A Venue for the Arts Competition.”

According to PA on Culture and NCCA Executive Director Cecile Guidote Alvarez, the grant seeks to award the best arts venue of LGUs for any cultural activity such as performances and exhibitions.

The venue may be an auditorium, multi-purpose hall, school stage, museum or any creatively conceptualized space.

To qualify for the competition, the LGU must fill up the entry form and attach pertinent documentation, including a schematic plan, with dimensions in metric or any convenient scale; at least five photographs capturing full shots, overviews and details; and a maximum of five minutes of video coverage on VCD, DVD or VHS format.

Entries must be submitted to the Philippine Arts Festival Secretariat, NCCA Building, 633 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila, on or before November 6, 2006.

Criteria for judging include: sustainability, maintainability, operation and quality of the program (35%); architectonic quality, which also includes the spatial character (60%); and presentation or packaging of the venue (5%).

Finalists will be required to submit an endorsement from reputable NCCA-accredited agencies or architectural organizations like the United Architects of the Philippines or the Committee on Architecture.

Two winners each will be selected from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The winners will receive a P100,000 grant and plaque. Winning LGUs will be required to submit a plan on the improvement of the venue, which should be carried out by February 2007.

The winners will be officially announced during the launching program in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao of the Philippine Arts Festival on February 3, 2007. The documentation of the winning entries will also be part of an exhibition to be installed at the NCCA Building.

“This grant is an effective means, not only to encourage LGUs to provide venues for their cultural events, but more significantly, to promote participation and engagement in creative industries among local artists and the Filipino public at large, said Guidote-Alvarez.

The Sentro ng Sining Grant is among the flagship projects of the NCCA-SubCommission on the Arts for the nationwide celebration of “Ani ng Sining: Philippine Arts Festival 2007” with the theme “Yaman ng Lahi.”

For inquiries, contact the Philippine Arts Festival Secretariat at 527-2292 local 512 or the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office at 527-5529, or visit www.ncca.gov.ph