NCCA celebrates National Arts Month
FEBRUARYis National Arts Month (NAM), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA), the country’s prime agency for arts and culture led by its chairman National Artist Virgilio Almario and OIC-executive director Marichu G. Tellano, is leading the whole nation in celebrating creativity, artistry and imagination for the whole month.
This year, the SCA has come up with a theme for the NAM celebration: “Malikhain. Mapagbago. Filipino.” The theme underscores the creative power of the arts and its role as a catalyst for change. It also highlights arts as a reflection of the nation’s soul, and from it our pride of being Filipino.
For the whole month of February, the Katig Writers Network Inc. will hold “Pagparibhong Magsusurat sa Leyte ug Samar,” a celebration that includes poetry reading, lecture-forum on Ninorte-Samarnon writings, poetry reading and book launching, and poetry reading on air in Samar and Leyte. They will hold a poetry reading at the Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU) in Calbayog City, Samar.
At the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, the “Kwentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan” will be held for the whole month and it includes an art installation exhibition by five visual artists from UP, a night of music featuring songs based in and inspired by Philippine folk narratives, a puppet retelling of popular Filipino legends, a theater play entitled Si Faust at ang Dalumant ng Kasamaan to be performed by Dulaang UP, a dance interpretation of Ang Unang Aswang to be performed by UPDC, and a conference on kuwentong bayan.
The Cebuano Artists Center will hold “Mamugnaon, Mabag-ohon, Sugboano” at Robinsons Galleria Cebu on February 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. which will present different events in the seven arts to promote creative change among the art community such as a spoken word poetry workshop, a performance of a zarzuela excerpt, haiku on demand, Cebuano band performance and book launches.
Theater group Sipat Lawin will hold “Bantayog: Bata, Banta, Bantay, Tayo, Tayog” on February 12 and March 3 at the Bulwagang Sarimanok of the National Arts Center on Mount Makiling, Laguna. It is a devised theater production taking the form of vaudeville comprised of two parts. Part one, on fiction, features scenes from Chris Millado's Ilokula and Buwan at Baril, Rolando Tino's May Katwiran ang Katwiran, and F. Sionil Jose's Pragres. Part two, on life, features scenes devised by Grade 9 and 10 students based on interviews, documents and data gathered about and from actual victims/survivors and witness of history.
On February 12, Guitar Paladins and Friends, Inc. will hold “Lover of Music” at the Amoranto Theater of the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is a free Valentine musical festival with booths and bazaar, and kundiman, classical, jazz, blues, bossa, nova, reggae, classic rock and acoustic performances.
“Cinema Rehiyon 8 Reloaded” will be held on February 14 and 16 at SOJR Auditorium, fifth floor of the Sentro Oftalmogico Jose Rizal, Philippine General Hospital, and Rizal Hall, UP Manila.
Hubon Manunulat and Kasingkasing Press will hold Magsugilanonay Kita: Second Western Visayas Mother Tongue Books Summit on February 18 and 19 at Robinsons Place Iloilo to heighten awareness of parents and teachers on the importance of children's literature, and expose them to the wealth of children's books in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a and Aklanon. Activities will include lectures, a book fair and film showings.
Para sa Sining will hold “Salin” from February 20 to 23 at a space palet_launchpad. The two-part program will focus on creating a platform for an exchange of ideas, across different art disciplines and genres. The first part of the program is a series of conversations (forum) focusing on various art forms: music, visual arts, dance, literature, theater and film. The forum aims to engage both established, and young, emerging artists to share their knowledge, understanding and practices of their craft. The second part of the program is a culminating event where there will be collaborative performances, open jams and interactive performances.
University of the Philippines Los Banos’s Department of Humanities will hold the Philippine Cinema Centennial Lecture-Screening Series, a series of one-day lectures and screenings of landmark