A vibrant arts and culture scene

There is a lot of creative energy going around these days, including here in our part of the Philippines. For one thing, as we enter the final week of the Museums and Galleries Month, quite a number of exhibits are still running in different venues around the country. For a complete list of these shows, please visit the Facebook page of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

National Artist Kidlat Tahimik’s “INDIO-GENIUS: 500 Taon ng Labanang Kultural (1521-2021)” opened on October 22 at the National Museum of Anthropology. It features installations depicting the Philippines’ cultural struggles throughout history and is seen as a homecoming edition of the artist’s recently concluded historical exhibition that ran in Madrid’s Retiro Park from October 2021 to March 2022.

The country’s creative industry has huge potential but plenty of issues that need to be addressed. And so the culture and arts organization is organizing the 4th International Conference on Cultural Statistics and Creative Economy, which is happening on October 25 and 26 at Sequoia Hotel Manila Bay , Aseana City Business Park, Parañaque City, Metro Manila. Zoom participation is free and open for registration. Just e-mail iccsce.ncca@gmail.com for details.

With the theme “Culture Counts: Embracing and Forging the Philippine Creative Future,” the conference aims to: (1) assert the important role of culture in development, especially in the new normal; (2) encourage the appreciation and utilization of cultural statistics as a tool in establishing data on creative economy and measures of development; (3) strengthen support from the national and local governments for cultural and creative sectors in the Philippines, specifically on policy and legislation that will boost the cultural and creative economy; and ( 4) motivate more research and studies on culture and arts towards building a robust data resource for policy-making and governance in the country.

For its part, the Cultural Center of the Philippines celebrates children from October 30 to November 20 with the CCP Children’s Biennale 2022: BALANGÁW, A Colorful Multi-Arts Festival For Children. It’s an onsite festival that features interactive art installations, educational film and play screenings, creative workshops, children’s book fairs, and puppet shows under the themes of Kultura (Culture), Kalikasan (Nature), and Kalinga (Nurture). All collaborations with various artists and groups are either free or on a pay-what-you -can basis.

The festival opens on October 30 at the CCP with “Tricks & Musical Treats: A Tuneful Fiesta at Filharmonia” by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Bayang Barrios and Naliyagan Band, Anima Tierra, Philippine Baranggay Folk Dance Troupe, Mang Lalakbay, and Indigenous Representatives: Carlito Camahalan Amalla, a Manobo artist of Agusan del Norte & Kim Falyao, an IP youth leader and Secretary-General of Katribu Youth. For the complete list of events and activities, please visit the CCP’s Facebook page or web site.