New Board; Second ASEAN Traditional Textiles Symposium

Greetings to all and best wishes for the coming holiday season with good will to all.

At the General Assembly of the Museum Foundation held last July 31, 2008 at the National Museum the following were elected members of the Board:

Geraldine "Dindin" Araneta
Yael Buencamino
John David Forbes
Mailin P. Locsin
Trickie C. Lopa
Phyllis Zaballero
Purissima "Petty" Benitez-Johannot
Luisa "Isa" Lorenzo
Ambeth R. Ocampo
Martha Isabel "Lisa" O. Periquet
Sevrine Miailhe
Deanna Ongpin-Recto
Armita B. Rufino
Mercedes L. Vargas
Victor Ordoñez

At the organizational meeting of the new board on July 31, 2008 the following directors were elected as officers:

President: Armita B. Rufino
Vice President: Purissima "Petty" Benitez-Johannot
Secretary: Trickie C. Lopa
Treasurer: Mercedes L. Vargas

The new board has been at work since then and we remind all of you that the Museum Foundation will be co-hosting the Second ASEAN Traditional Textiles Symposium with the National Museum on February 1-3, 2009. Co-Chairs are Maria Isabel G. Ongpin, former president and now ex-officio director with Cora Alvina, Director of the National Museum.

HABI: Sustaining Traditional Textiles of the ASEAN is the theme of the symposium which will be participated in by 10 ASEAN countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines as well as speakers from Timor Leste, Iran and Guam.

The symposium will consist of talks and workshops for the purpose of preserving, developing and promoting the beautiful woven fabrics of ASEAN including our spectacular Philippine fabrics – piña, abel, t´nalak, hablon – all made of natural fibers. The United Nations has declared 2009 as the Year of Natural Fibers and this symposium fittingly celebrates it.

We announce to all our members that the symposium is open to the public and that it will have several events that we hope you will join in. Aside from the symposium proper, there will be a National Museum exhibit of Philippine fabrics with a comparative selection of ASEAN examples. There will be a bazaar of indigenous fabrics from the Philippines and from other ASEAN countries for the three days of the symposium at the National Museum. As in other textile symposiums, there will be a Culture of Clothing Show which will be accompanied by cocktails where Philippine indigenous fabrics will show and demonstrate ways to adopt for modern wear. After the symposium there will be a field trip to Iloilo to observe the piña cottage industry.

There has been a huge interest from ASEAN countries and other countries for the textile symposium and we expect 200 delegates. To do justice to ourselves by showing our best resources and abilities for the 2nd ASEAN Traditional Textiles Symposium, we appeal to our members to participate as volunteers and delegates. We need help in fundraising, the bazaar items, welcome ceremonies, participation as facilitators in the question and answer forums after the talks. Please volunteer. Please let us know if you can serve as a volunteer for the symposium on or before January 15, 2009. Our new Executive Assistant Mae de Leon with our secretary Elvie Magpayo can direct you to the committee heads concerned for any volunteer work. You may contact them at telephone number (+63 2) 404 2685 or through email: maedeleon@museumfoundationph. org or elvie.magpayo@gmail.com.

We also have a website which you may want to see to familiarize yourselves with the coming 2nd ASEAN Traditional Textiles Symposium, http://aseantextiles09.museumfoundationph.org/.

Meanwhile we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Armita B. Rufino
President
Museum Foundation of the Philippines

For more Museum Foundation events and activities please visit our website at http://museumfoundationph.org/news/