Summer Photography Workshops at the Filipinas Heritage Library

Summer is the perfect time to relax outdoors. The sky is clear, the sun is shining, and the world is full of color. Naturally, summer is the opportune moment to take bright and vibrant pictures. But to take photographs that are truly stunning, you need to know how to maximize your camera.

This summer, the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) is offering a series of workshops for photographers of all ages. Kids from 7 to 12 years old can join the Photography for Kids workshop, on May 5, from 9am to 12 noon. Meanwhile, young adults at least 13 years old can join the Photography for Teens Workshop, on March 12 or 19, from 9am to 4pm.

Joey Alvero, a photography instructor for young learners as St. Scholastica’s College, will handle both workshops.

For adults busy with school and work, FHL offers its Digital Photography 101 workshop. Weeknight workshops will be from 6pm to 9pm (March 21, 23, 26 & 28; April 23, 25, 27 & 30; and May 23, 25, 28 & 30), while weekend workshops will be from 9am to 4pm (March 10 & 10; April 14 & 21; and May 12 & 19).

Professional photographers Estan Cabigas and Dennis Balangue will handle the weekday and weekend sessions of the workshop, respectively.

All three workshops are introductory courses on the art of photography, and will be held at Filipinas Heritage Library, Makati Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Makati City (across The Peninsula Manila).

For more details, please call 892-1801, send an SMS to 0917-559-4417, e-mail likha-aralan@ filipinaslibrary.org.ph, or visit www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph.

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Ramon Diaz: Sumo @ NOVA Gallery

Sumo Ramon Diaz From 16 March to 6 April 2012, established Filipino artist Ramon Diaz presents his most recent artworks at Nova Gallery. The one-man show will feature 19 works on paper that capture the allure of the traditional Japanese sport, sumo wrestling.

 Famous as a figurative painter, printmaker, sculptor and installation artist, Diaz shifts to ink on wet canvass to depict a sport that has captured his fascination since he was 11 years old when he first saw sumo wrestling match.

 One of the most iconic symbols of Japanese culture, sumo has come to represent the persistence of tradition in an age where social shifts, motored by technology, are happening in breakneck speed.

 Diaz's work is a call to a review of such developments. He implores us to look again at such customs, those that make the fabric of our identities but have begun to fray at the ages.It is no accident that he depicts scenes that show how regimented the sport is: from the dohyō-iri or ringentering ceremony to the detailing of the mawashi loin cloth worn by the wrestlers.

 This tension between opposing forces - old and new, lightness and gravity, man and rival - is magnified on the works that portray the different or winning techniques in a sumo bout. From a pulling body slam (yobimodoshi) to a double arm luck (kimedashi), Diaz attempts to freeze that very instant right before the victor makes the winning move.

 “It is these that I am most interested in. The calm at the eye of the storm. Not the before or the after nor the build-up to that instant,” Diaz says. In framing such scenes, he draws the viewer and the viewed into a distilled, focused point in time during the fight. This perhaps is what Henri-Cartier Bresson would have called the 'decisive moment'.

 That penultimate second just before a wrestler pins his opponent to the floor, when flesh becomes lighter than paper, and a fight ends with a single gesture.

 For more information call 392-7797 or send an electronic mail to gallerynova@gmail.com or visit www.novagallerymanila.com. NOVA Gallery is located at Warehouse 12A, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.

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A Master at Work: Nonon Padilla Directs PETA’s Haring Lear

MANILA, Philippines – People who have seen Nonon Padilla’s works say that his theatrical creations are filled with imagery and metaphor. So as he starts to develop another unique form of artistic creation with the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s (PETA) Haring Lear

Felix “Nonon” Padilla is one of the most original, accomplished and influential figures in contemporary Philippine theater. His inventive style, unique artistry and uncanny ability to make audiences ponder, mark his works with streaks of “genius”. As a director, he is known for pushing boundaries and for introducing new forms and styles to feed the hungry minds of Filipinos.

“While he is well-versed in the classics, Nonon is at home with the whole range of the arts both classical and modern. He can toss seemingly incongruous artistic ingredients together and organize them into a unified, innovative piece of theater”, shares PETA President, Cecilla Garrucho.

Every two years, PETA traditionally produces a Nonon Padilla play so as to create a mix of various styles. Padilla last worked with PETA for the symbolism-filled, stylized staging of Tony Perez’ Saan Ba Tayo Ihahatid ng Disyembre?

Unlike the original text set in prehistoric Britain, Padilla’s version is located in a post-nuclear world that is strangely familiar. “I thought it would be interesting to set the play in the future, a future that is as bleak as it was in the barbaric or the primitive times”, said Padilla.

Exciting and suspenseful, PETA’s Haring Lear retains Shakespeare’s beautiful and devastating themes of love, madness, death and sacrifice.

A masterpiece deserves nothing less than the skilled hands of a master director like Nonon Padilla. Haring Lear

Haring Lear is presented by PETA and British Council. It is supported by National Commission for Culture and the Arts, JackTV, 2ndAvenue, BusinessWorld, HerWord.com, juice.ph, clickthecity.com and eyp.ph. The play will run every Friday (7:00PM), Saturday and Sunday (10:00AM/3:00PM) from January 27 until March 4, 2012 at The PETA Theater Center. For ticket reservations, contact 7256244, 4100821-22, 09175765400, or buy tickets online at petatheater@gmail.com, www.petatheater.com.

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Basic Make-up Workshop with E.J. Belen-Litiatco

There’s no need for a special to look stunning, nor a daily trip to the salon just to look gorgeous everyday! You can strut an edgy look without hiring a professional; in fact, you can be your own pro!

Learn the art of beauty and the necessary techniques of make-up application for practically any time, occasion, and condition from one of the country’s sought-after make up artist E.J. Belen-Litiatco. Whether you are a professional wanting to be always ready for a client presentation or an aspiring make up artist hoping to get started, this workshop is for you. Workshop includes basic make-up techniques for day, night and special events, beauty care essentials, ethics and industry tips.

Workshop Schedules:
Batch 2: February 28, 2012 / 1pm-6pm
Batch 3: March 3, 2012 / 10am-3pm

Workshop Venue:

The Young Artists’ Studio, Unit 2b-2c CK Bldg. No. 61 Visayas Ave. Quezon City

Workshop Fee:
Php 3,500 inclusive of materials, hand-outs and guidebook, certificates and snacks
Register with a friend to enjoy 50% discount.
For students, present your school ID/regform to avail 50% discount.

E.J. studied make-up at Center for Aesthetic Studies and has been in the beauty business for a decade, working on a range of aesthetics from bridal, runway, print, to avante-garde. Her clients include celebrities, magazines, fashion designers, stylists, and unique women who have been the prettiest on their big day. Her works may be likened to the practice of Alex Box and the late Kevyn Aucoin, both masters in the field. Her teaching experience dates back to 2004, having trained a number of women who have either discovered their individual beauty or have become make-up artists themselves.

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New Paintings by Marcel Antonio @ Water Dragon Gallery

The Romantic Lie: Desire, Ennui, Anxiety 

February 6 - 25, 2012 

New paintings by Marcel Antonio
Featuring new poems by VIS de Veyra

In July 2010, poet Vicente Ignacio Soria de Veyra posted anonline essay on the art of Marcel Antonio and coined the phrase "Blue Funk Erotica" for Antonio's art. The blog entry started a dialogue between Antonio's art and intent and de Veyra's reading, culminating in a late 2011 collection titled "Desire, Ennui, Anxiety."

VIS de Veyra joins Antonio in this exhibit with 14 new poems in the exhibit catalogue.

The Romantic Lie is on view at the Water Dragon Gallery until February 25.

About the Water Dragon Gallery 

The Water Dragon Gallery at RCBC Plaza is a space dedicated to offering fine artworks for sale. Located at the second floor of the Yuchengco Museum, the gallery is open Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For gallery information, emailthewaterdragon@yuchengcomuseum.org

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Silverlens in Art in the Park

Silverlens will be featuring artworks by:

Pio Abad
Zean Cabangis
Frank Callaghan
Johann Espiritu
Corinne De San Jose
Dina Gadia
Luis Lorenzana
Rachel Rillo
Isabel "Pepper" Roxas
Tatong Torres
Ryan Villamael

Come February 18, 2012, the familiar white tents of Art In The Park will once again dot the grounds of Jaime Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati. Now in its fifth year, this annual art fair still stays true to its intent of making art more accessible by taking it out of the hushed, intimidating confines of the gallery, and bringing it to the unrestricted spaces of the outdoors. Visitors can stroll the grounds and browse the art on offer against a backdrop of trees and sky.

From 2 p.m. to 12 midnight, art aficionados, collectors, or just the plain curious can pop into any one of the tents and, perhaps, come away with pieces that are not only beautiful, but easy on the pocket as well. In keeping with its tagline "an affordable art fair," Art In The Park has capped its prices at P30,000. The majority of the pieces, however, are pegged at way less than this ceiling price.

Art In The Park, a project of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, whose programs support the National Museum and its network, had its beginnings in 2006. With just three tents and 12 exhibitors then, the number of participants has grown over time. This year, Art In The Park will have more than 40 exhibitors, showcasing a trove of works â€" paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs â€" from artists that range from the established, the emerging, and the new. With a diverse and impressive selection of galleries, art groups, and fine arts schools, the line-up of participants this year will include, among others, Tin-Aw Art Gallery, Avellana Art Gallery, Art Verite, FEATI, and TutoK. For the first time, as well, the National Museum will have its own space, giving its staff the opportunity to show off their own artistic talents.

Visitors who have frequented Art In The Park know to look forward to installations in the park grounds or special exhibits mounted by guest artists. In the past, visitors have marveled at Leeroy New's surreal balete tree and, one year, engaged with his playful aliens; they have been intrigued by the ghostly swings of Lea Lim hung in an archway from the branches of trees, and charmed by the witty scrap metal sculptures of Pete Jimenez. Welcoming visitors to the park this year will be surreal pieces from acclaimed Bacolod artist Charlie Co. Leeroy New embarks on another special project, showcasing his wearable sculpture. And, like last year, in conjunction with the art fair, establishments around the park will also host their own events, with, this time, an exhibit of Kim Atienza's personal collection of paintings at The Picasso nearby.

Silverlens will be located at Booth H
February 18, 2012 (Saturday)
2pm- 12mn
Jaime Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village, Makati City

Image: Isabel "Pepper" Roxas, Notecards, 2011

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

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Art In The Park: An Affordable Art Fair

18 February 2012, Saturday

2:00 pm to 12:00 midnight

Jaime Velasquez Park

Salcedo Village, Makati City

Art In The Park will have more than forty exhibitors, showcasing a trove of works—paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs—from artists that range from the established, the emerging, and the new.

Welcoming visitors to the park this year will be special art installations from acclaimed Bacolod artist Charlie Co, Pete Jimenez and Dei Jardiniano of The Drawing Room. Leeroy New embarks on another special project, showcasing his wearable sculpture.

Like last year, in conjunction with the art fair, establishments around the park will also host their own events. Salcedo Auctions will have a Basic Art Conservation Talk by Missy Reyes at 2:00 pm. The Picasso nearby will exhibit Kim Atienza's personal collection of paintings and Dennis Lagdameo's artworks. Apartment 1B will have a Brendale Tadeo exhibit.

With the mellow strains of jazz music provided by Soulful Mood and innovative "chill" music from Diwa de Leon and his hegalong, plus wine from Straits Wine Company and a selection of food from Windows Café, Nic's Gourmet Food and Desserts, Golden Spoon, Rafik Shawarma, Pizza di Grazzia, and Bagnet Sandwich by Bale Dutung to complement the art, Art In The Park promises an enjoyable, relaxing, soul-satisfying Saturday.

Art In The Park is made possible with the cooperation of Smart Communications, Security Bank, Art Edge Panels and Lights, Go! Go! Pinoy Accounting Consultants, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati Commercial Estates Association (MACEA) and The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences.

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

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New TV show on Filipino Artists Airs February

Art Republik, a new TV show that features Filipino artists, debuts February 28 on Knowledge Channel at 8:40 p.m. Art Republik is a 30-minute program on Philippine arts and culture, profiling 51 artists from various art fields and two art collectors or a total of 53 guests for its first season. The first season of Art Republik carries 13 episodes anchored on themes, which are based on cultural traits.

The cultural traits used as episode themes include close family relations with a focus on siblings' relationships, respect, Bayanihan, adaptability, hard work, responsibility, strong sense of community, commitment, courage, quality, sentimentality, excellence, and perseverance.

For the first episode, Art Republik features two families involved in the fields of independent film and the visual arts: the Lee Brothers and the Dalena sisters. Roxlee is the hero of underground cinema; Romeo Lee commonly known as Lee is a University of the Philippines-Diliman icon and visual artist/performer.

Sari Lluch Dalena is a multi-awarded filmmaker who recently bagged the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the 2011 Cinema One Originals Film Festival for Ka Oryang. Aba Lluch Dalena is a visual artist, an art teacher and the lead vocals of Rockbato. Kiri Lluch Dalena traverses the fields of visual arts and film.

“We created the show to provide an alternative program to the usual entertainment and political fare on television. TV is a powerful medium to inform and engage people. We hope that Art Republik could contribute in increasing the awareness on Philippine art to a wider public by presenting its creators, the Filipino artists, whose work reflect our culture,” Betty Uy-Regala, producer of Art Republik, said.

The other members who complete the show's team are co-producer Evie dela Cruz, director JL Burgos, Imelda Morales, Opaline Santos, Ria Torrente, Kathrina Reston, Tom Estrera III, Allan Alcantara, Erwin dela Cruz, Rene Bayking, and Joel Laserna. Alma dela Pena, Mavie de Ocampo, Kristine C. Tabada, and Phillyn Lorenzo were part of the pilot episode production.

The show is produced through the Asian Christian Arts Association, Inc., a non-governmental organization, and partially funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the policy-making body and grants-giving government agency for the preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture.

Felipe de Leon, Jr., chairman of the NCCA, said, “The Philippine government recognizes the role of culture in the development of the economy and national unity. This is embodied in our Constitution (Article XIV) and the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP).”

Art Republik will be aired on Knowledge Channel every Tuesday at 8:40 p.m. with replays on Thursday at 8:40 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Knowledge Channel is channel 42 on Sky Cable. Art Republik is on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/artrepublik).

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Pasinaya 2012: CCP Open House Festival

The Cultural Center of the Philippines' "Pasinaya 2012: CCP Open House Festival" on February 26, 2012 will feature Ilonggo performances with the Dinagyang Festival as its main feature. Dinagyang Festival 2012 1st runner-up, Tribu Lunok of Iloilo City National High School, will perform five times on the said Festival.

Pasinaya is known as “the largest multi-arts festival in the country involving almost 5,000 artists and 300 shows in a single day.”

Pasinaya is a preview of the forthcoming seasons of the CCP Resident Companies and other groups performing during the open house using all the CCP theaters and other venues.

The Ilonggo showcase will go side-by-side with the performances of the CCP Resident Companies namely the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Symphony Orchestra, Philippine Ballet Theatre, Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, Tanghalang Pilipino, Ballet Philippines, Philippine Madrigal Singers, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, National Music Competitions for Young Artists, and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

Various activities will be held in different "Zones" all over the CCP. Such zones are theMusic Zone, Dance Zone, Theater Zone, Film Zone, Literary Zone, Visual Arts Zone, a Culinary Zone and the Children's Zone. Pasinaya 2012 offers workshops, information booths, exhibits, Cinemalaya film screenings, puppet shows, storytelling, performance poetry, a culinary fair and cooking demos, and an arts and collectibles market.

Date & Time : Sunday, February 26, 2012 / 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Venue: All CCP indoor venues and selected outdoor venues
Tickets : SEE ALL YOU CAN FOR Php 20.00 / FAST PASS BALLERS Php 200.00

CCP Members may avail of the special rates of the EXCLUSIVE BOXES at the CCP Main Theater. To avail of this, contact Dominique Dionisio at 8321125 loc. 1801.

To avail of the limited FAST PASS BALLERS, you may call at 832-3704 or 832-3706.
www.culturalcenter.gov.ph

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Apply to the 19th Iligan National Writers Workshop

The Mindanao Creative Writers Group, Inc., and the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE) are accepting applications from writers to the 19th Iligan National Writers Workshop (INWW) to be held on May 14-18, 2012 in Iligan City.

Panelists this year are Erlinda Kintanar Alburo, Leoncio P. Deriada, Merlie M. Alunan, German V. Gervacio, Steven Patrick C. Fernandez, Ralph Semino Galan, J. Neil Garcia, John Iremil Teodoro and Christine Godinez-Ortega and this year’s keynote speaker, Victor N. Sugbo.

Fifteen (15) slots, five each from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and one (1) slot each for the Manuel T. Buenafe Writing Fellowship (MTBWF) and the Ricardo Jorge S. Caluen Bursary for Creative Writing or a total of 17 slots are available for writing fellowships to the 19th INWW.

Applicants are required to submit five poems, or, one short story, excerpt of a novel, or, a one-act play in Filipino, English or in Sebuano, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Waray, Chabacano (with English or Filipino translations) along with the applicant’s biodata, two 2X2 photos and a certification that his/her work is original. Please submit a hard copy and a CD with the manuscripts encoded in MS Word. Those submitting excerpts of novels or works-in-progress -- please provide a one page summary of the novel. Unpublished works are preferred and applicants who have attended regional workshops are given priority.

Writing fellows will be given free board and lodging and a travel allowance. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 30, 2012. No applications or manuscripts will be accepted if sent by fax or e-mail. Applicants are also advised to keep copies of their manuscripts since these will not be returned. Announcements of this year’s writing fellows are released during the third week of April 2012.

Applicants to this year’s workshop may download application and other forms at http://www.msuiit.edu.ph(under MSU-IIT OVCRE MMIDU).

Send all applications to the 19th INWW Director c/o OVCRE, MSU-IIT, Iligan City. For more information call Pat Cruz, Leda Gonzales or Ofelia Taneo at telefax (063) 2232343; or e-mail: inww_ovcremsuiit@yahoo.com

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Half Empty Half Full @ Ysobel Art Gallery

HALF EMPTY HALF FULL 

YSOBEL ART GALLERY 

FEBRUARY 24,2012 

Ysobel Art Gallery presents” Half Empty Half Full”, the first solo exhibition of Patrick B. Fernandez, on February 24, 2012, Friday, at the Second Floor Shops at Serendra in Bonifacio High Street,BGC, Taguig City.

A collection of myriad images and installations inspired by visions of stained glass applied to stationary figures, Half Empty Half Full explores the expansive breadth between optimism and pessimism, choice and fate. Warm hues explode on canvas as drips, washes and splatters of acrylic paint serve as subtle background to universal characters intertwined with flora and fauna, whether alone, in duo or with a group of mongering spectators set on grounds reminiscent of contemporized cathedral iconography. Fernandez’ mosaic figures with their doleful eyes seemingly ask questions of the audience, testing one’s perception and unique interpretation of easily relatable scenario. Their bodies are made of interlocking albeit square-edged puzzles, the fabric of shared experiences serving as patterned lines segmenting and breaking each character down into pieces of occurrences and encounters. Gaps are ever-present, nothing fits perfectly into place and there is always room for reinforcement. The artist leads his audience to favorable possibilities, hoping to leave an image of positivity in the minds of his viewers in the midst of conflicting concerns pervading life today.

Born and raised in Binmaley, Pangasinan, Patrick B. Fernandez is a self-taught artist who was inspired by exhibitions in Dagupan City’s Pista’y Dayat Festival. He graduated from the Pangasinan State University with honors and has held various positions in corporations and local government before deciding to become a full-time artist and art instructor. Fernandez was a finalist in the 2009 GSIS National Painting Competition and a Semi-Finalist in the LRT Art Competition 2009 before being voted as the president of the Dagupan Artists’ Circle and the AAP Dagupan City, Pangasinan Chapter. He is also one of the four founding members of APATIRA.

Half Empty Half Full is on exhibit from February 24 to March 8. For inquires, please call +639285071117 or email ysobelartgallery@yahoo.com

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Garapata Man Invades Secret Fresh

Garapata Man, the multi-limbed character from Dex Fernandez seen ubiquitously from every nook and cranny of the city, from toilet doors, light switches, to fx cab doors and jeepney roofs, is fleshed out as a resin figure in editions of 20. This landmark collaboration between Dex Fernandez aka Garapata Man and Secret Fresh is to be launched this Sunday Feb 12 at 6 PM.

All Garapata Man figures come in sets of 3 composed of a gigantic rotund Daddy Garapata in Elvis coiffure and 2 baby Garapatas. All these shall be personally signed and numbered by the artist. 5 custom sets will also be released in cerulean blue, neon pink, black, gray and green.

The toy launch will be accompanied with an exhibit and sale of Garapata serigraph prints, shirts, button pins and stickers.

Plus live performances by electronic trio Gentle Universe and hard/space rock instrumental band Wilderness.

This also marks the inauguration of Gallery B, Secret Fresh's newest art space located at the basement of Ronac Art Center. This spacious industrial-themed art space is a welcome addition to Secret Fresh's ever expanding program and commitment to support and showcase current practice and trends in art and design.

Dex Fernandez recently came back from an artist residency in Vermont, USA. His created character Garapata Man was born from a childhood reminiscing of a wild and rambunctious cohabitation with beloved pet dogs. As a tribute, he sticks up and doodles these dandy-fied critters everywhere he goes as part of a DIY branding strategy and as an infectious manifestation of a participatory creative impulse.

For further queries about the event you may contact secretfesh.info@gmail.com or call 570-9815 loc 7. You may also check out Secret Fresh on FB, and on http://www.twitter.com/freshmanila
http://secretfresh.net/
http://www.freshmanila.blogspot.com/

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Yuchengco Museum Teams Up with Freelance Writers’ Guild

Bringing Culture into Blogging 101 and SEO
Yuchengco Museum Teams Up with Freelance Writers’ Guild

The Freelance Writers’ Guild of the Philippines (FWGP) has partnered with Yuchengco Museum for a series of writers’ workshops and talks by experts in culture, arts, design, and heritage. The partnership is in line with the museum’s new Culture and Media program, a collaboration with various writers groups. FWGP is the first partner under the program.

“Media practitioners, journalists, and writers are the links by which cultural information and education is disseminated to the general public. In the information age, it is imperative that cultural institutions share substantive knowledge about culture, art, design and heritage. This 2012, Yuchengco Museum focuses on Culture and Media, bringing together ideas, sectors, groups, and institutions in collaborative ventures that will highlight culture as an intrinsic and central pillar for development directions,” museum curator Jeannie Javelosa announced.

FWGP’s quarterly workshops focus on writing for the needs of the creative industries. The first in the series kicks off on February 11, Saturday, with Ganns Deen talking on Blogging 101 and Janette Toral giving an overview of search engine optimization (SEO). At a museum lecture open to the public at 3:30 p.m., Yuchengco Museum administrator Dannie Alvarez shares a theoretical framework on culture, while Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and architect Isabel Berenguer Asuncion speaks on Let the Eyes Speak: Articulating the Language of Design.

FWGP founder Ime Morales says the workshop series aims to seek and mentor new writers from among seminar participants; help develop and upgrade their writing skills; and educate aspiring writers about the different forms of writing for new media/blogs, TV and film, and children, among others. FWGP hopes to enhance the capability of writers—senior, junior, and aspiring—by educating them on possible sources of income outside their professional practice.

The topics of the succeeding workshops are:

· Writing for TV, film, and theater, followed by What Clicks with the Filipino Masa: Motifs in Filipino Blockbuster Films or Indie Culture on April 21

· Opinion writing vis-à-vis Filipino Cultural Values: The Spirituality in Filipino Dance and Music on July 28

· Writing for Children side-by-side Philippine Culture and History as a Source of Inspiration for Creative Concepts on October 27

Workshop fee is P1,800. Discounts are available for students, senior citizens, and FWGP members. For inquiries, email abrina_programs@yuchengcomuseum.org or call (632) 889-1234. Yuchengco Museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil Puyat Avenues, Makati City.

# # #

About Freelance Writers’ Guild of the Philippines

FWGP is a new group of freelance writers based in the Philippines. Its members include journalists, newspaper and magazine contributors, copywriters, researchers and documenters, blog writers, screenwriters, literary writers, and SEO experts. It is committed to protecting the welfare of freelance writers and to elevating the quality of their work output.

About Yuchengco Museum

Since 2005, the Yuchengco Museum has been dedicated to fostering a greater public appreciation of the finest in Filipino and Sino Filipino visual arts and creativity. Located in Manila’s bustling financial district of Makati, the museum offers exhibitions, programs, and publications focusing on three themes—Sino Filipino Expressions, Design as Art/Art as Design, and Bridging Cultures.

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Glimpses of Old Manila

Ortigas Foundation, Inc.
in partnership with the
Rizal Library
presents

Glimpses of Old Manila

A lecture by John Silva on 10 February 2012, 2.00pm at the Pardo de Tavera Room, Level 3 Rizal Library Special Collections Building, Ateneo de Manila University.

The talk is in line with Postcards from Our Past, an exhibit of postcards of old Manila, which will run until 29 February 2012 .

You may reserve seats in advance as there are limited seats available. For more information, you may call 426 6488 or email at ijaucian@ateneo.edu.

~

Hand colored picture postcards first made their appearance in the Philippines just before the turn of the last century, over one hundred years ago. They were part of a postcard fad that swept the world at that time, brought on by easily portable cameras, cheap postal rates and the beginnings of international tourism. Photographers took black and white pictures of the Philippine’s most famous landmarks, beautiful and exotic sights and transformed these images into color postcards by applying hand-made lithographic plates for the color.

This phenomenon coincided with the arrival of thousands of American military personnel and colonial administrators in the Philippines in 1898. The new arrivals were a ready market for Philippine postcards as they were eager to show the folks back home in America what the Philippines looked like. These were still the days before movies, television or even color photography.

This small exhibit of enlarged reproductions of old picture postcards of Manila from the Rafael Ortigas Jr. collection, is an attempt to show what life was like at the end of the Spanish era in the Philippines and the first years of the American period. Intramuros was still a center of activity with its Spanish walls and gates intact and its many churches and ancient convents still standing. Outside Intramuros business flourished in Binondo and on the Escolta. For their part the newly arrived Americans were busy laying out modern markets, boulevards, parks, hotels and neoclassical government buildings.

It was a time of great change for the Philippines. With the opening of the Manila Hotel in 1912 the tourist industry officially began and both foreigners and locals bought and sent postcards by the hundreds of thousands. From Mountain Province and Luzon, to the Visayas and Jolo the whole nation was suddenly on display.

|Jonathan Best

~

Postcards from Our Past is sponsored by the Ortigas Foundation Library which holds over 20,000 books, photographs and documents on Philippine history and culture. The Library is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm, and is located on the Second Floor of the Ortigas Building, corner Ortigas and Meralco Aves., Pasig City 1605. Tel. (632) 631-1231 loc. 228
www.ortigasfoundationlibrary.com.ph

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Shakespeare Happenings at PETA for the Month of February

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
PETA's Shakespeare offerings for the love month of Feb

MANILA, Philippines - William Shakespeare has written a hundred sonnets and plays about the irony, tragedy, and splendor of love. He wrote about love from all angles, encompassing all ages, status and cultures. He has looked at love from a perspective of a desperate lover, an aging father or a loyal servant. This love month of February, Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) has three Shakespeare offerings for all love moods and persuasions.

The lovesick

This concert is a celebration of love in all its forms - old and new, unrequited or unconditional. "Thee Na Natuto: A Sonnets Concert for the Lovesick" is a musical experience that transforms Shakespeare's sonnets into Filipino songs featuring 12 Filipino poets translating the verses (National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, Pete Lacaba, Joi Barrios, Luna Sicat-Cleto and many more), as well as several artist-musicians (with the likes of Noel Cabangon, Vince de Jesus and DJ Myke) composing and performing the tunes. The sonnets concert will happen on the nights of February 22, 29 and March 7, 2012 at the PETA Theater Center Studios.

Love and madness

PETA's contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's evocative masterpiece, King Lear is now on its second weekend. National Artist for Literature, Bienvenido Lumbera translates the text into prose while retaining the rhythm, texture and elegant brutality of Shakespeare's tragedy. Acclaimed theater director, Nonon Padilla then turns the epic classic into a modern-dress contemporary family drama, while World Stage Design awardee Gino Gonzales establishes the dark aesthetic, settings and styles of the play.

"Haring Lear" features a traditional Shakespeare all-male cast helmed by theater stalwart Teroy Guzman who plays the role of the aging monarch, Haring Lear. The play runs every Friday (7:00PM) Saturday and Sunday (10:00AM/3:00PM) from January 27-March 4 at The PETA Theater Center. 'Haring Lear' is produced by PETA in partnership with British Council and National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

The love fool

Have children enjoy and fall in love with Shakespeare. UK theatre artist Tim Crouch re-imagines Twelfth Night through the eyes of Shakespeare's most pent-up steward. "I, Malvolio" is a wild, hilarious and unsettling rant from a man adrift in front of a cruel audience, a man notoriously abused.

In this story of bullying and practical jokes, Malvolio enters the madness of Shakespeare's comedy and makes it his own. A story of lost dignity, prudery, practical jokes and bullying, this one-man act of storytelling alchemy draws us deep into the madness of Shakespeare's classic comedy.

Tim Crouch's latest play, "I, Malvolio" premiered at the Brighton Festival last May 2010, and will be in Manila by the second week of Feb. "I, Malvolio" is a project of PETA and British Council.

Whether you are young lovers like Romeo and Juliet, or someone suffering unrequited love like Helena and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream or a love fool like Malvolio, there's something for you at PETA this February. For tickets, contact 725-6244, 410-0821 to 22, 0917-5765400, petatheater@gmail.com or www.petatheater.com.

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Artists' Talk on February 11 at Lopez Memorial Museum

In the past four months, visitors to the Lopez Memorial Museum have followed the movement of The Machine of IC Jaucian, whipped out their smart phones to get data – both audio and video-- from the QR code composed by Eric Ambata, and sought to catch sound as it rippled, bounced, etc within the metal sheet of Tad Ermitaño's work. On February 11, Saturday, visitors will have an opportunity to hear from these artists in Artists' Talk. In discussing their work, Ambata, Ermitano, Jaucian will touch on the graphic take on hell and augmented realities, applications of sound, and how art comes to play in closing perceived gap between science and the imagination, and furthering both.

Tad Ermitaño trained in film and video at the Mowelfund Film Institute and currently designs and mixes sound for digital features and produces video for projection in a variety of stage/concert contexts. He is a media artist and was the sole Filipino artist exhibiting at 20th anniversary of ISEA in 2008 (Main Juried Exhibition) and the Ogaki Biennale 2006 New Media Festival. IC Jaucian is a BFA cum laude graduate of the UP College of Fine Arts. He works as exhibition coordinator of the Ateneo Art Gallery. Eric Ambata graduated from UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts where he got the medal for Best Thesis. He has worked on a variety of design projects for which he has been recognized.

The lecture is part of the Reverb which is ongoing until April 14, 2012. Reverb takes off from notions having to do with resonance, registration, and audible impressions. It brings together sound-based work from artists such as Eric Ambata, Kawayan de Guia, Tad Ermitaño, IC Jaucian, Diokno Pasilan, Ronald Tomas, the collaborative, E.X.I.S.T. (Experimentation in Sound Art Tradition), and UP College of Music ethnomusicologist Dr. Christine Muyco. The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days and hours are Mondays-Saturdays, 8am-5pm, except holidays. For details pls call 6359545.

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surFACES Exhibit @ NOVA Gallery

NOVA Gallery marks the beginning of the year by unveiling works from the Carlos Oppen Cojuangco Collection with an exhibition entitled “surFACES”. “surFACES” is a set of works which play around the idea of a face, its distortion, and even the lack of, which affects interpretation of an image and production of an impression.

The exhibit runs from 3 February until 9 March at NOVA Gallery, Warehouse 12A, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.

 For more information call 392-7797 or send an electronic mail to gallerynova@gmail.com or visit www.novagallerymanila.com.

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Pangayaw: An Exhibit of Four Ilonggo Artists

The GSIS Museo ng Sining, in cooperation with the Iloilo Cultural Research Foundation, Inc., is proud to host the exhibit “Pangayaw” by Four Ilonggo Artists .

A group composed of Cezar Arro, Nil Capinianes, Lester Amacio and Allain Hablo. Coming from different art backgrounds and experiences , the four have established themselves as visual artists, garnering awards and at the same time following their personal advocacies in through their art..

The exhibition will include the recent works of the four artists and will feature their different styles and impressions on life, touching aspects of culture and social realism.

Pangayaw is an Ilonggo term for visitors, travelers, guests or temporary residents. The root word “Ayaw” meaning to be sufficient or to Satisfy that is very difficult to describe because of its variety, but very much pleasing to witness thereof.

Perhaps we journey not only to find our destination , but to please/permeate/expose ourselves with the variety of experiences we encounter on our way . And as we sojourn with Cezar, Nil , Lester and Allain through their artworks , the journey might take us to ourselves and perhaps to what we want to be.

Pangayaw will run from Feb. 6-March 3, 2012 at the GSIS Museo ng Sining , 2nd Level Core G, GSIS Bldg., Roxas Blvd. , Pasay City . Contact Nos. 4793588/8590395 or email museum@gsis.gov.ph

Museum hours are from 9am-4:30pm , Tuesdays to Satudays. Admission is free.

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