Arts center rises in Taguig City
A NEW HOME for artists rises at the heart of Taguig City. The Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. (BAFI) — a non-profit organization in charge of The Mind Museum and public art displays around Bonifacio Global City (BGC) — recently opened the doors to its latest project, the BGC Arts Center, located at 26th Street corner 9th Avenue, BGC, Taguig City.
Public art is always part of BGC’s invigorated identity. Reynato Paz Contreras’ The Trees, the first installation unveiled in BGC in 1997, has since been joined by Nate Frizzell’s We Are What We Pretend To Be, a mural featuring a boy and a tiger that has been, thus far, the most photographed backdrop in BGC; Kris Abrigo’s Manpower, a 70-foot-high homage to construction workers that is also the artist’s largest mural to date; and Eric Rieger’s Novels, an interactive yarn installation by the critically acclaimed street artist better known as Hot Tea.
“BAFI was actually behind the public art here in BGC,” said BAFI’s Art Program Manager Monica Llamas- Garcia said in an interview with Businessworld. After commissioning sculptures, murals, and monuments, the board of trustees looked to other ways of supporting the arts. “They also wanted to do something that contributes and would be sustainable,” said Ms. Llamas- Garcia. After opening The Mind Museum in 2012, the board began to raise funds for the arts center as a response to the question “So what do we do next?” As Ms. Llamas-Garcia explained, “There are museums, there are many exhibits, but then, it’s odd that there are so many performing artists but not enough performance spaces.”
The three-storey BGC Arts Center is composed of three main venues: the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, the Alveo Central Plaza, and the Sun Life Amphitheater.
The Maybank Performing Arts Theater houses several spaces, including the Globe Auditorium, a 500-seater hybrid studio-black box; the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall for intimate performances and events; and the Exhibit Hall for art exhibits, talks, and workshops. It also includes the NutriAsia Del Monte Lobby Lounge — the main gathering space of the theater where a larger-than-life photo mural by Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala is on display — and the W Global Lounge and the Daiichi Properties Lounge, which both serve as reception halls.
“You don’t have that many mid-sized theaters. We only have a few. And that’s really where smaller productions can thrive,” Ms. Llamas- Garcia said. “It’s not like the Cultural Center of the Philippines — which is still the center — but it’s a little nice hub that is flexible.” BGC Arts Center hosts its first show on Dec. 11, when A Very Broadway Christmas in Manila opens at the Globe Auditorium. The production features Andrew Keenan-Bolger, who was part of the original Broadway cast of Newsies, and Miss Saigon alum Tanya Manalang. Those who catch the show can also check out Alveo Central Plaza and Sun Life Amphitheater, landscaped areas perfect for community events and cultural bazaars; or grab a quick bit at the first stand-alone McCafé.
BAFI’s vision, according to Ms. Llamas- Garcia, is to populate the arts center the way it did during its opening night on Nov. 23. “It means you will see stuff happening in the theater, something going on in the recital hall, then another in the exhibit hall — and they are all different shows,” she said. “BAFI is about being able to make art relatable, approachable, and accessible.”
An arts festival is tentatively set for Jan. 14-15, 2017, with various activities such as exhibits, shows, art marts, and film screenings to be held at the arts center. More events have been penciled in, but BAFI is waiting for details to be finalized before announcing anything.
In addition, BAFI is inviting donors for its Seats for the Arts program, where people can give any amount ranging from P50,000-P500,000 in exchange for a name on a seat in the theater and corresponding benefits. Proceeds will be used for venue grants, educational grants, residency grants, and tickets for public school students. “There is a need and a clamor for more spaces and more venues. Art has always been relegated to the fringes. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s about when you put it in the heart of the city or a development, it kind of signify that art is really important in somebody’s daily life,” Ms. Llamas- Garcia said.