How Shell National Students Art Competition took art further
Most of the time, art is meant to be seen and appreciated by many; its artist encouraged and recognized.
This is one of the commitments of the Shell National Students Art Competition (NSAC) program — to take Philippine art and culture further by encouraging young artists to strive beyond the competition.
As a legacy program of Shell, a leader in power, energy and gas technology in the country, Shell NSAC has for 49 years developed the youth’s skills and values. It is one of the ways the company powers a sustainable energy future by creating leaders that are well-versed in the meaning of life.
“Shell does not only provide a bright future for the winners. We also teach them the importance of community work and collaboration. We provide learning experience for the students and communities, wherein the participants can also make a positive difference through their talents. The Filipino potential is rich and Shell wants to enable these talents to succeed and be able to pioneer relevant innovations, now and in the long run,” Melanie Bularan, Social Investment and Social Performance manager at Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. said.
Inspiring art, uplifting lives
Shell NSAC continues to inspire artists and appreciation for the arts through collaborative projects that uplift peoples’ lives.
In the company’s centenary year in 2014, for one, the program gathered its past winners in Pandacan, Manila to color the walls of the Carlos P. Garcia High School with nationalistic and educational concepts depicted through art.
The murals served as tribute to Shell’s customers and partners who have shown support for the company for over one hundred years.
Moreover, the images illustrate the company’s achievements not just as an energy and gas technology leader in the fields of smarter mobility, clean and effi transport, developing new energy sources and the like, but also as a contributor to nation-building with its various social investment programs concerning issues such as road safety, environmental management and many others.
Moreover, Shell NSAC winners were also tasked to paint the underpasses of Makati City. The hustle and bustle of the Central Business District can add to the pressure felt by pedestrians in their daily lives. Hence, Shell’s Salcedo underpass project, done in partnership with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MaCEA), energizes urbanites through its harmony of colors and interesting subjects that depict vibrant facets in the Makati way of life.
Keeping the spirit of art alive
Truly, for the winners of the art competition, getting recognition is just the beginning of their journey to share their craft with others.
Motivated by this goal, Shell NSAC participants keep the spirit of the arts alive among the Filipino youth however they can. For one, many of the student winners joined the mobile classroom library-clinic organised by DZMM TLC (Teaching, Learning, Caring), the public service arm of ABS-CBN DZMM Radyo
Patrol 630, where they taught their fellow youth some basic skills in drawing, illustration, and coloring. Through the program, Shell NSAC student artists visited provinces to educate kids in the arts, such as the Sto. Cristo Elementary School in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
Getting a place at Shell NSAC served as a stepping stone for the student-winners. In turn, the budding artists used their knowledge as well as their experiences working with national artists during the competition to encourage others to continue expressing their abilities as well. Due to the lack of exposure to museums, art workshops, and mentors, Shell prioritized reaching out to communities and inspiring potential artists through a grassroots approach.
Through the art tilt’s workshops and art interaction programs in the community, values and insights are honed. These help propel young artists to take their artistry further and transform how people see art.
The Shell National Students Art Competition is one of Shell’s innovative methods in contributing to nation-building, along with its many other projects reflecting its socio-civic advocacies such as on environmental conservation, youth development, energy efficiency, and pioneering smarter products, smarter infrastructure, clean and efficient transport, and many others. Now with almost 50 years in the country, aspiring young artists and the greater Filipino community can look forward to even greater heights that the annual competition will scale for more decades to come.