THE BLANCO FAMILY AND RIZAL’S FOLK ARTS TRADITION AT SM CITY SAN MATEO
The province of Rizal has a rich folk art tradition that has its roots in its colorful fiestas and festivals. There is Angono’s joyous fiesta in honor of San Clemente where higantes or papiermâché giants parade in the streets together with the parejadoras, devotees dressed in colorful costumes, wooden shoes, and carrying boat paddles.
During the feast of San Isidro Labrador in May, there is a colorful procession of carabao pulling carts filled with farm produce. Prizes are awarded to the bestdecorated papier-mâché carabao, always an attraction during this festival.
Aside from papier-mâché, bamboo arches are another form of folk art in the province. During Cardona’s Kaluskos Festival in December, exquisite bamboo arches with intricate details are carved by skilled artisans.
Mallgoers recently had a chance to discover how Rizal’s rich folk arts tradition, as well as close family ties, has led the way to a greater appreciation of culture and the rise of artist’s communities when “My City, My SM, My Art” recently made a stop at SM City San Mateo.
A joint project of SM, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Shell Philippines, the
Philippine STAR, with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Centerstage Productions, “My City, My SM, My Art” is a celebration of Philippine visual arts — painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and filmmaking.
The campaign brings art and people together by showcasing the works of masters, modernists and millennials in a road show around the SM Supermalls. Advocating art for all, the team works with communities to mount exhibits, workshops and contests in key cities around the Philippines.
Rizal Vice Governor Reynaldo San Juan Jr. and Board Member Atty. Rolando Rivera, along with Angono Councilor Jeri Mae Calderon, led the local government officials in this event jointly hosted by SM City San Mateo and SM City Taytay.
SM officials led by SM senior vice president for marketing Millie Dizon, SM Supermalls SAVP for operations Allan Brosas, SM City Taytay mall manager Maureen Fernandez, and SM City San Mateo mall manager Joey Tanyag warmly welcomed them.
Guests enjoyed the program, which included an AVP hosted by Binibining Pilipinas Rizal representative Gillian Colcol featuring the groundbreaking works of artists in the province known as the Cradle of Philippine Art. These works were exhibited in and around the My Art Gallery, which was inspired by the bahay
na bato in Luzon. These included second- and thirdgeneration artists from the Vocalan family — Rembrandt and Franz Marion — descendants of the late lakeshore artist Perdigon Vocalan whose Balaw-Balaw gallery-restaurant is a showcase of Rizal’s rich folk art tradition. Just as the works of the elder Vocalan, who conceptualized the Higante Festival, portray Filipino folkways, Rembrandt’s center of folk art images highlights his cultural identity. Franz Marion or Nano, on the other hand, has created his own identity with lively contemporary images on large canvases.
Edrick Daniel also grew up in a household where creativity is omnipresent. Mentored by his cousin Jerson Samson and nurtured in the beginnings of the Pinto Museum, his works are visual narratives that stir emotions. He is part of the Sangviaje group of artists of Antipolo, as is Daniel Aligaen, who uses images from pop culture or religion to deliver his grand vision.
Also featured were the amazing works of Rizaleno sculptor Don Kishin Javier who elaborately makes use of wire stands which he twists and bends to create oneof-a-kind sculptures; and Lucky Salayog who transforms metal machineries into meticulously assembled pieces of kinetic art.
The members of the multi-awarded Samahan ng mga Litratista sa Rizal or SLR, one of the most dynamic camera clubs in the country, also exhibited their works.
Highlight of the event was a tribute to master artist Jose “Pitok” Blanco and his family. A protégé of Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Blanco was born to a family of fisherfolk in Laguna de Bay on March 19, 1932. He worked as a fisherman to pay for his education until he graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in fine arts in 1955.
Known for his mural-sized paintings depicting the joyous celebrations in Angono that capture the faces of real people in the town, his “Pag-ahon ng
Pagoda,” a depiction of the fluvial parade of the San Clemente Fiesta in the 1970s, was obtained by the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. His most famous work, the “Angono Town Fiesta,” is a giant canvas showing more than 100 figures in various states of delight and celebration during the feast of San Clemente, Angono’s patron saint.
While Blanco passed on in 2008, his legacy lives on in the Blanco Family Museum and his seven children who have followed suit in his colorful life of canvas, pencils and brushes. While it is said that Blanco never forced his seven children — Glen, Noel, Michael, Joy, Jan, Gay, and Peter Paul — to be involved in the arts, they are all today practicing visual artists whose canvases represent Filipino culture and tradition in their realistic style.
With its aim of bringing art and people together, “My City, My SM, My Art” also staged a printmaking workshop conducted by visual artist Rembrandt Vocalan. Judges, including visual artists Glenn and Peter Paul Blanco, and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila’s Jayson Vicedo selected Louise Labrusca as the grand prize winner. David Homer Rizalte placed second, while Jomer Lozada placed third. They were all awarded SM gift certificates.
“My City, My SM, My Art” is a takeoff from the previous “My City, My SM” campaign which promoted tourism; “My City, My SM, My Cuisine,” which highlighted regional culinary specialties; and “My City, My SM, My Crafts,” a celebration of traditional art and modern Philippine design in cities with SM has malls. “My City, My SM, My Art”’s next stop will be at SM City Rosales.