Asian Art Conference & 6th Neo-Angono Public Art Festival

Asian art conference on Public Art aims Angono, Rizal to become one of the Creative Cities in the World

The Neo-Angono Artists Collective and Japan Foundation-Tokyo will hold a 3-day art seminar/conference on November 18-20, 2009 in Angono, Rizal, Philippines. It is also presented in part by University of Rizal System-Angono and the Office of the Municipal Mayor Hon. Aurora A. Villamayor.

The seminar, titled “A Multi-Lateral- Country Conference and Feasibility Workshop on Public Art as a Step Towards Creative City Development,” is open to the public and free of charge. It also serves as a prelude to Neo-Angono’s 6th Public Art Festival on November 20-22.

Richard R. Gappi is the project director of the conference while Rommel Wire Tuazon is this year’s director of the art festival which revolves around the theme “Ciudad/Pueblo: Beyond Folklore and Surface Painting.”

The conference features scholars and academicians, artists, delegates and speakers from Asian countries and the Philippines.

The public art festival, meanwhile, presents various art performances, painting exhibits, poetry and music, and theater and film showing usually done in public spaces such as national road, bridge, river, public market and town plaza where the town “perya” or Ferris Wheel is located.

This year’s performers and participating artists include members of Neo-Angono Artists Collective, Fine Arts students of URS Angono, Publikbox, Kaktus, Nemo of Pilipinas Street Plan, NAIF visual artists; poets from Kilometer 64, LIRA, KAMAKATAHAN, URS Petroglyphs; Anino Shadow Play Collective, Nick Aca of Cagayan de Oro City, Ferdinand Jarin, Mary Jane Alejo, Jess Bartolome; Tanghalang Angono, New World Disorder, and bands Inconnu Ictu, Elemento, Talahib, Sequel, Neighbors, Gurion, Dayuhan, Anak ni Aling Juana, Nuklus, Juan Pablo Dream,Timawa and Tambang Musika.

Speakers, delegates and participants

The speakers in the conference include University of the Philippines Prof. Alice Guillermo who will talk about the “Role of Angono, Rizal in Contemporary Philippine Art”; National Artist for Literature Prof. Bienvenido Lumbera, “Literature as History, History as Literature”; UP Prof. Carmelo Vim Nadera, “Tapping the Human Artistry and Creativity”; Palanca Hall of Famer, poet and critic Roberto Anonuevo, “Poetry as Reflection of Communal Psychology”; Poet and musician Jesus Manuel Santiago, “Community Music as Language of the People;”

Indonesian artist Ms. Arahmaiani, “Methods of Production of Public Art in Yogyakarta”; Art Historian Thanavi Chotpradit of Thailand, “The Relationship and Tension between Public Art and the Public”; South Korean artist, curator, and scholar Jang Un Kim, “Community and Economy: The Case of Mae-in Market”; Mr. Shimoda Nobuhisa of Japan, “Conference on Arts and Art Projects”; Ms. Kaori Okado of Japan, “Art Projects to Revive a City from Earthquakes and Art as a Safety Network”; U.P. Prof. Patrick Flores, “Filipinos’ Views on Public Art,”; Ms. Urbana Cadiz of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, “On Government and Private Bodies Awarding Grants to Artists,”; Japanese scholar Dr. Mayasuki Sasaki, “Creative City and the Quality of Life”; playwright and lawyer Nicolas Pichay, “On Censorship, Intellectual Property Rights, and the Artists’ Rights Under the Philippine Constitution;” and Angono artist Nemesio Miranda Jr., “Balancing Art and the Business of Art, Crafts and Tourism.”

Meanwhile, the delegates are media Nyunt Win of Burma; Liew Kung Yu of Malaysia; and Engr. Emilnor Pasion, writers Mari-An Santos and Enrique Villasis, architect Anna Marie Gonzales and theater artist Michael Ian T. Lomongo of the Philippines.

Objectives of the Conference

The conference is a follow up to the East Asia Leader Program: “Urban Community Development Inspired by Culture: The Potential of Creative Cities” which was organized by the Japan Foundation under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Program. This was held in Japan last July 29-August 7, 2008, in which one member of the Neo-Angono Artists Collective was a participant.

The project generally aims to provide venue for young leaders from various Asian countries to learn about public art as a step in the creative city development and subsequently share this experience and translate it once they go back to their respective country.

Specifically, the project hopes to achieve the following:

Firstly, allow participants to experience first-hand the public art festival, which in turn will give them a chance to analyze the potentials of which as a step towards Creative City development;

Secondly, open a dialogue between the participants and the community leaders of Angono thereby providing the former a clear view of the initiatives from the grass-root level for urban regeneration;

Thirdly, provide the next generation of leaders a clear structural and methodical foundation on how to protect, develop and enhance public art through an exchange of views with the participants; and

Lastly, build a network among specialists from Asian countries so that even after the conference, a sustainable communication is maintained and ensured relative to the mutual sharing of ideas and actions towards the goal of establishing a Creative City.

Profile of Neo-Angono

The Neo-Angono Artists Collective Inc. was established in November 2004. It is both a movement and an organization founded by visual artists, writers, poets, musicians, theater people, film makers, cultural workers and art enthusiasts, critics and researchers.

At present, there are around 60 artists on its roster. Most of them are residents of Angono while others reside in Manila, Mindanao, and as far as Japan and USA. The first and founding president was Richard Gappi, a writer and poet. It is now headed by Rommel Tuazon, a painter and CCP 13 Artist awardee. Artist Ramon Zapata is the Chairman of the Board while Carlos “Totong” Francisco II is the group’s vice-president.

As a movement, Neo-Angono strives to render modernist visual and artistic language responsive to the times by articulating and invigorating contemporary Angono experience, sensibility and consciousness. It is also a movement because it observes the intricate engagement and interplay of various creative art forms wedded in the local community and people.

As an organization, Neo-Angono is non-profit, artist-centered, committed to experimentation, recognizes the need to contribute to art research and education, and welcomes support and advice from colleagues and critics. It has participated in art festivals and exhibits such the 2nd Tupada international Action Art Event in February 2005, 4th Philippine International Performance Art Festival in September 2005, the Philippine Art Festival by National Commission for Culture and the Arts in February 2008, among others. The group was likewise commissioned in 2007 to paint a mural on press freedom, which gained national prominence and controversial because it was altered and defaced.

Similarly, the Neo-Angono has been consistent in its annual Public Art Festival for the past five years. As part of its educational program, the group has given free art workshops to National Boy Scouts of the Philippines in 2005, students of University of Rizal System in Pililla, Morong and Angono in Rizal province, elementary students in Taytay, Rizal held at SM City Taytay and the recently concluded workshop held at Angono Private High School two months ago.