By this time during “Normal Age”, many artists, performers and organizers are already looking like disoriented pandas with circles in their eyes summoning reserves of energy gearing up for their shows.
February is the National Arts Month and has been so for many years.
It has been made official, in fact, with Presidential Decree 683 issued in 1991.
Partake Art
Did love and libido of Valentine’s Day lead to frenzied activities that included art exhibits, concerts, and on-the-spot painting contests?
Or to book launches, film premiers, dance competitions, cook fests, and more?
It was getting difficult figuring out our date books with simultaneous events.
But I guess there will not be much of those this time - for the meantime, I hope.
The success of these activities relied heavily on the energies of people coming together, almost in a bacchanalian way, to celebrate art.
To partake art. To take home art or its experience.
Exhibits, Shows Online
The past year, however, has seen art exhibits going online.
There will be none of the huge fairs.
Many musical performances have been cancelled. Cinemas are still closed.
Expression Never Die
Today, the threats of new virus strains made worse by zombies in government mishandling pandemic responses are sending chills to people’s spines.
Surely, though, artistic expressions will never die. Quick checks reveal several interesting shows this February.
One is “Fired Earth, Unearthed” at Modeka Art, featuring the ceramic works of Rita Gudino, Alan Cabalfin and Hadrian Mendoza.
Another is “Art At the Frontline” with Ping Duran, Boysie Villavicencio, Cid Reyes, and Joy Rojas at the Grand Atrium of Shangri-la Plaza.
As a coup, it will have as guest painting master Romulo Galicano.
Film Showing@CCP
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), among other fares, will have days of film showings with works by young filmmakers and by two icons Mike de Leon and Kidlat Tahimik.
The De Leon film is “Sister Stella L” based on a true story that stars Vilma Santos as a nun taking the cause of the poor.
Kidlat Tahimik, the new National Artist for Film, has his “Why is Yellow in the Middle of the Rainbow” for public screening.
It a collage of scenes unfolding to the EDSA Revolution.
An interesting performance would be “Hilom: Sayaw – Dalangin ng Pag-Asa at Pagkakaisa,” a folkloric production that essays the role of our ritual dances to promote healing, peace and hope as “we connect to the spiritual dimension of Filipinos.”
Harness The Arts
The National Commission on Arts and Culture (NCCA) has declared that, for this year, the theme for Art Month is “Alab-sining, Alay-sigla.”
NCCA aims to “provide opportunities for artists to harness their creative energies in uplifting the nation’s spirit, especially during this time of public health crisis.”
It has apparently assigned a role to the artists.
NCCA has repeatedly said that National Arts Celebrations “seek to conserve, promote, and popularize Filipino artistic creations; integrate the arts in the community life; and harness the arts as catalysts for values education.”
How these purposes are framed suggests the state of art in modern society. Or how art has evolved or looked at - as if it is in an exclusive plane - today.
Art Of The Tribes
In “primitive” or tribal societies, there was no need to integrate arts into the communities, because the way people lived, their rituals, dances, and their creations were what we, today, consider as artistic.
This is so evident in Bali, Indonesia in their daily offerings to their gods, in their sculptures and architecture, in inculcating of choreography in children.
Artist-writer Alanna Pass, in observing the works of a tribe in Alaska opined:
“What a contrast to our modern culture - where most are spectators to the arts. We go hear music rather than play, go to art exhibits and revere artists as some kind of alchemists that should be worshipped.”
Art Is Life
Yes, people have become mere, albeit voracious, consumers of art when they, too, could be art makers or artists.
Graham Shaw, author of “Art in Business Communicatons”, has demonstrated that all people can draw, for instance. It is just a matter of dismantling (modern) beliefs.
Pass cites an Aviva Gold who said “if we are all art makers by virtue of being human, why would we need a special word for art maker?”
“And if ‘Art’ is not a thing, but rather a natural way of life, connection with nature, daily worship, breathing, just being in the moment, then what use is there for the word Art?”
“Art and living are the same. Art is complete living.”