Museo Pambata offers Star of Hope kits

AS the current pandemic has disrupted lives, the children’s interactive museum Museo Pambata encourages children to be the beacon of light by reviving the Star of Hope, a “do-it-yourself” star which will ignite a child’s imagination as they dress up the star frame. For every DIY Star of Hope purchase, a parol kit goes to a child from Museo Pambata’s 500 adopted children, coming from four barangays in Manila. The families of these children will also receive a Noche Buena basket. Each Star of Hope kit costs P1,000 (P10,000 for a bundle of 10), and comes with two sets of 8-inch parols (one goes to the child beneficiary), art materials and glue. For donations, call Charlot at 0966-384-9694, or Noreen at 0919-802-1353.

PETA streams pay-per-view shows

THE PHILIPPINE Educational Theater Association (PETA) enters the realm of virtual theater through the first online edition of the PETA Laboratory. Dubbed K.E.-POP: Kalinangan Performers Overcoming a Pandemic, this year’s PETA Lab offers a wide array of new and old works relevant to the time of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The online streaming festival features six shows streaming via www.ktx.ph on Nov. 27 to 29, and Dec. 4 to 6. PETA Lab 2020 is offering two sets of new works with three productions in each set: PETA Lab Set A includes Maskian, a dance piece on mask-wearing throughout history until the pandemic, written and choreographed by Carlon Matobato; WFH, a Zoom-based theater piece on the struggles of employees during quarantine, written by Michelle Ngu and directed by Meann Espinosa; and Hello, a devised work about isolation amongst young people, directed by Ian Segarra and Keiko Yamaguchi, sponsored by the Japan Foundation. PETA Lab Set B presents Finding Z, a play on mental health written by Jean Gladys Vicente and directed by Ian Segarra and Julio Garcia; Harinawa, a play on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, written by Michelle Ngu and directed by Lotlot Bustamante; and Second Set: 2 Meters Apart, a docu-musical about the experiences of parents, teachers, children, and frontliners during the pandemic, directed by Norbs Portales with music by Ada Tayao. PETA will also be streaming three of its past popular productions: Liza Magtoto and Vincent De Jesus’ musical Care Divas, along with the voter’s education musical Vincent De Jesus’ Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diyablo, at Ang Limang Milyong Boto; and, the historical and landmark musical, Carlos “Charley” de la Paz and Lucien Letaba’s 1896, the story of the Philippine revolution.  PETA has also shot a full-length documentary that weaves through its 54 years of work as one of the country’s groundbreaking theater companies. Directed by Dudz Teraña, Living Voices, is an in-depth look into the rich history of an institution. Tickets are P120 and P220.

PHL Pastel Artists convention

The Philippine Pastel Artists (PPA) Inc. will be holding their Fifth National Pastel Convention on Nov. 28 to 29, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s convention will all take place online via Zoom and Facebook Live. All participants will have special access to online sessions. The event opens on Nov. 28 with inspirational speeches from the PPA officers, advisors, and from some of the Philippines’ renowned artists who will underscore the importance of creating art in the time of the pandemic. Noted pastel artists from here and abroad will conduct paint-along demos, including Roland Castro, Rafael Maniago, Bienvenido Sibug, Gary Carabio and Norberto Villez, and American pastel artist Vianna Szabo whose session entitled “The Impressionistic Landscape” is on Nov. 29, 9 a.m. to noon. The convention concludes on Nov. 29, 3 p.m., with the announcement of the National Pastel Competition winners, and a raffle of some of the world’s best pastel art materials. All videos and sessions will be recorded and available for viewing after Nov. 29 for a limited time. The convention is open to all. Fee is P900 for non-members and P720 for PPA members, PWDs, students and senior citizens. For details and registration, visit: https://philippinepastelartists.com/5th-national-pastel-convention/.

Webinar on the history of the banig

USAPANG MaArte presents “Banig Encounters: Mats from Magellan Expedition in 1521 to the Banig Exhibition in 2019 Portugal” by Elmer I. Nocheseda on Nov. 28, 2-3:30 p.m., via Zoom and Facebook Live. Admission is free but limited slots are available. To register, go to https://bit.ly/UsapangMaArteBanig. The webinar will also be streamed via Facebook Live through the MaArte Fair Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/maartefair. For inquiries, e-mail inquiry@museumfoundationph.org. Mr. Nocheseda has published books, magazines and articles on various topics on Philippine Studies. His first book, Palaspas: An Appreciation of the Palm Leaf Art in the Philippines published by the Ateneo Press won four major awards including the National Book Award, the Gintong Aklat Award, and the Cardinal Jaime L. Sin Emerging Author Award. He also wrote a book on Pateros and another on Taguig. His fourth book, Rara: Art and Tradition of Mat Weaving in the Philippines is the most, if not the only comprehensive survey on banig since the seminal Philippine Mats was published a century ago.

Virtual gallery presents Nasser Lubay exhibit

ON Dec. 4, the Virtual ArtistSpace and District Gallery will present “Shadowplay,” a solo exhibition of Filipino visual artist Nasser Lubay. In this exhibit, the artist offers a series composed of clusters of circular patterns that form semi abstract, semi figurative doodles. “Shadowplay” will be on view virtually starting on Dec. 4, 6 p.m.. The virtual exhibition will run until Dec. 24. The link to the exhibition will be posted on ArtistSpace Facebook and Instagram pages (@artistspacegallery).

Fundraising with poetry, music

IN collaboration with Para sa Sining, a community of creative collaborators, the independent research and publishing laboratory Kwago launches “Krisis, Isang Pintuan,” Kwago’s six-month fundraiser, with a donation drive for victims of typhoon Ulysses on Nov. 28, 7 to 10 p.m. The event will kick off with opening remarks on the collaboration with Para Sa Sining and Kwago’s new direction, followed by poetry and music performances, a blind book auction, and an open jam. Tickets cost P200 for early registrants, and P250 for those who decide to purchase tickets on the day itself. Proceeds will go to the ongoing relief initiatives of the Storytelling Project, which, among others, aims to make reading an enjoyable experience for children and to start a reading habit, and RESBAK, an alliance of artists, media practitioners, and cultural workers whose goal is to advance social awareness on the killings brought forth by the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs.” The registration link is https://tinyurl.com/SiningParaSaKapwa while the Facebook Event page link is bit.ly/krisisisangpintuan.

Ayala Museum launches virtual gallery

The Ayala Museum has launched its very first virtual gallery experience: Arturo Luz: First Light. It is a virtual re-mounting of the exhibition curated by Ambeth Ocampo at the museum back in 2017, organized to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of Arturo Luz. The virtual exhibit went live on Nov. 20, in time for Luz’s 94th birthday. Through this virtual exhibit guests will be able to explore works from the 60 years of National Artist Arturo Luz’s career. The virtual exhibit is at www.ayalamuseum.org/first-light. The exhibit is part of the Ayala Museum’s Images of Nation program which showcases works by Filipino artists who have been named National Artists in the Visual Arts. Its primary aim is to share the extraordinary vision and formal excellence embodied in this award. The exhibit will be on view virtually until Jan. 31, 2021.

Ian Quirante exhibit at BenCab Museum

MULTI-awarded comic artist, illustrator, gallery artist, art educator and musician Ian Quirante explores the human mind amid the pandemic through mixed media artworks in an exhibit entitled “Pneuma II” at the Gallery Indigo of the BenCab Museum in Baguio. It showcases 44 artworks that explores the fragility of the human mind and body trying to survive through the global pandemic. The artist has received various awards from the Philip Morris Art Awards, the Metrobank Art Competition and the Shell National Student Art Competition. Aside from exhibitions, Quirante has been teaching at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts for 18 years. “Pneuma II” is on view until Dec. 6 at the BenCab Museum, Km. 6 Asian Road, Tuba, Metro Baguio. For inquiries and to book an appointment for viewing, visit www.bencabmuseum.org or e-mail bencabartfoundation@gmail.com.

Silverlens launches updated website, new shows

ADAPTING to the new conditions exacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Silverlens gallery has endeavored to remain connected with its audience, making the decision to prioritize its digital presence within the world’s increasingly virtual landscape. It recently launched its new website, designed by Inksurge Studio. The most notable feature in the new site is the addition of the Viewing Room, an exclusively digital environment that hosts new exhibitions periodically. Its inaugural show is by Chati Coronel entitled “BE THE_” and features 50 linocut prints: 10 editions in five sets  — the first half of her 10-part series. Conceived and completed by Coronel during the height of the quarantine period, these optimistic works mark a hopeful end to a year of immeasurable challenge and change. To ensure seamless communication, the new website has “Inquiry” buttons on all the works featured in the exhibition pages, as well as a messaging option in the “Contact” section for more specific questions or requests. It also contains an encyclopedic library of information of the artists the gallery represents. Meanwhile, the physical gallery will be opening three new shows on Dec. 1. These are: “In Medias Res,” the seventh solo exhibit in Silverlens by Hanna Pettyjohn featuring new paintings from her Anastomosis series as well as new sculptures; “Navigating the Abstract,” an exhibit by Dina Gadia, also her seventh solo exhibit in Silverlens, this time featuring a range of new Pop-inflected paintings and conceptual texts; and, “Glass Horizon,” Gregory Halili’s fourth solo exhibit with the gallery, in which continues his practice of painting on capiz shells with 11 new miniature oil pieces which were completed during the community quarantine. All three exhibits run from Dec. 1 to 23 at the gallery, located at 2263 Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the gallery is not accepting any walk-ins. Gallery visits are limited and by appointment only, from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a number of security measures will be followed. To arrange for a visit and for other information, call 8816-0044, 0917-587-4011, or e-mail info@silverlensgalleries.com.

Penguin Random House releases 2 SEA classics

PENGUIN Random House SEA (PRH SEA) has introduced Classics from South East Asia in its publishing list for 2020 with two new titles. Releasing this November are The Genealogy of Kings (Sulalat al-Salatin) by Muhammad Haji Salleh and Prisna by Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit, translated by Tulachandra, which will be published in two volumes. The Genealogy of Kings (Sulalatus Salatin) and Prisna will be available by end November onwards. Both these titles are also going to be available on Amazon. The Genealogy of Kings is a literary work that gives a romanticized history of the origin, evolution and demise of the great Malay maritime empire, the Malacca Sultanate. Written by Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit née Princess Vibhavadi Rajani, Prisna is the only English translation and the only translation authorized by the Princess’ estate. It takes place in 1938 in Phra Nakhon, Thailand, and is considered a rare progressive classic because of the Princess’ narrative that depicts women as equal to men, contrary to the common reality of that time. Prisna is the story of a young girl coming of age as she returns to her traditional familial roots in Thailand after spending 12 years in America.

Webinar on Magellan and the Pacific Ocean

On Nov. 28, 6 p.m., Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with the Embassies of Spain and Chile in the Philippines, the Intramuros Administration, and the National Quincentennial Committee, will be holding the webinar “Today, 500 years ago, the Pacific Ocean was baptized. The Strait of Magellan.” During the famous expedition that first circumnavigated the world, the three remaining ships of that voyage completed the crossing of the strait that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific, which would later be known as the Strait of Magellan. That day, on Nov. 28, 1520, the first crossing of the ocean that was named the Pacific began. The speakers of the panel discussion will be Braulio Vázquez of the General Archives of the Indies in Sevilla, Filipino historian Danilo Gerona, and the Ambassador of Chile Claudio Rojas Rachel. The moderator will be the director of Instituto Cervantes, Dr. Javier Galván. The discussion will be conducted in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation in both languages. The audience will be able to interact with the speaker by submitting their questions during the event. Admission is free and open to all on a first come, first served basis. The link to access the event is https://zoom.us/j/97744701376. For further information, visit the website of Instituto Cervantes at https://manila.cervantes.es or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.  

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