The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates the life of #ManlilikhaNgBayan Estelita Tumandan Bantilan on her 82nd birthday.
MB Estelita Tumandan Bantilan, also known as Labnai, is a renowned master weaver of Blaan mats called igêm and was conferred with the Manlilikha ng Bayan award in 2016. She advocates traditions, including the indigenous way of creating her masterpieces, from the careful selection, drying, and stripping of romblon (Pandanus sp.) leaves to dyeing and weaving. She passes on the tradition by training the younger generation of Blaan weavers in her community with the assistance of her daughter at the GAMABA Cultural Center in Malapatan, Sarangani.
On 11 May 2022, an igêm with sulif design by Bai Labnai was part of the newly donated works of Manlilikha ng Bayan, which the GAMABA Executive Council of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts turned over to the National Museum of the Philippines. Sulif is a two-colored pattern of wavy stripes representing the act of swimming, diving in, and going back to the surface of the water—a reflection of the influence of the natural environment of Sarangani on her work. Her other signature designs are sangbangkil (wavy patterns of quadrilaterals), sulong-sulong (windows), and daksina (propeller-like pattern).
Learn more about MB Labnai and her works by visiting the Manlilikha ng Bayan Hall at the 3F National Museum of Anthropology in Manila as we reopen soon.
#EstelitaTumandanBantilan #GAMABA #Igem
Article and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division and the GAMABA Executive Council
The arcade that lead from the church to the convent, Bohol. AABHD 2022The convent. AABHD 2022The open space between the church and the convent. AABHD 2022The façade of Santa Monica Church in Albuquerque, Bohol. AABHD 2022
Although we all know of Albuquerque (‘Albur’ as it was colloquially known) in Bohol for its ‘Asin tibuok’, a type of rare artisanal sea salt from the Boholano people made from filtering seawater through ashes, lesser known is that immediately across where these salt beds are found is a church complex whose walls are the oldest witness to the burning coconut husks in which salt is derived. As in many Philippine pueblos, the town started humbly as described by Regalado Trota Jose in his book Visita Iglesia Bohol:
“This parish had its beginning as a visita, an extension of the parish of Baclayon. The settlement was then known as ‘Sagunto’, named after a town in Catalunya, Spain. Upon the request of one of the settles, Doña Mariana Irag, a chapel, convento, and school were erected in 1842, on the land which she herself preferred. The church complex stood at the boundary between Baclayon and Loay. The site was made a town in 1861, separate from Baclayon and with some land taken from Loay. This time it adopted a new name, Albuquerque, after a town in Badajoz, Spain. The parish was formally inaugurated in 1869; it was under the care of the Augustinian Recollects until 1898 when the clergy took over”.
Compared to its adjacent town church complexes (La Purissima Concepcion del Virgen Maria Parish Church in Baclayon and Santissima Trinidad Parish Church in Loay), which are designed as church fortresses, the church complex in Albuquerque is more of an open park, partly because the parish was canonically erected in 1869 and during that time, a church fortress is less necessary since Moro (pirates) attacks are less frequent. The church complex includes the church, the arcade that leads to the convent, and the convent. A property left of the church is the original twin building for the Escuela de Niños y Niñas.
From its humble beginnings in wood and bamboo as a capilla visita from Baclayon in 1842, to a larger and studier shed-type church in 1856, to a more permanent structure with tabique walls in the 1880s; the present three-aisled plan church in coral stone was commenced by Fr. Manuel Muro in 1885 and construction continued until 1896 and finally the tower bell-gable (espadaña) type façade in the 1920s thru the 1930s.
Most noticeable in Bohol churches are the interior ceiling paintings, a replacement made by Guy Custodio of the original Ray Francia is what we see today. Remnants of the original painting are framed and scattered all over the church’s sacristy and other auxiliary rooms for the parish. Ray Francia is the most prolific artist in Bohol and Cebu and has many commissions in the 1920s and 1930s. The baroque-inspired retablos by Arsenio Lagura Jr. and his team are also new (2015), none of the original main retablo remains, while two neo-gothic side retablos survived prior to its replacement.
Noteworthy is the unique arcade that links the church and the convent. Remnants of unfinished construction suggest that there is a plan to develop the area probably an extension of the church or the convent. The convent has a façade and grand scale typical to those of an Ayuntamiento rather than an enlarged bahay na bato that is archetypal in the islands.
On 13 October 2013, the provinces of Bohol and Cebu were stuck by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and the church was moderately damaged. Cracks, detachment of facing stones, and collapsed parts are visible within the perimeter of the unreinforced masonry walls of the church.
A proposal for restoration work for the damaged built heritage in Bohol and Cebu was immediately funded by the national government thru cultural agencies (National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). The conservation for Santa Monica Church Complex in Albuquerque, Bohol was assigned to the NMP. The restoration was completed on 18 August 2018.
The collective efforts of the national government through its cultural agencies, the Local Government Unit of Albuquerque, and the Provincial Government of Bohol, show an ideal collaborative work for the protection of built heritage and sites. We are assured that the architecture, art and values of which these built heritage and sites represent are available for everyone to learn and appreciate.
Article by Architect Benjamin Concepcion Empleo. Photos by the NMP Architectural Arts and Built Heritage Division.
How does one become a master of his art? For Manlilikha ng Bayan Eduardo Mutuc, it takes practice and sheer hard work that entails committing mistakes and honing one’s skills. We give tribute to MB Eduardo Mutuc on his 73rd birth anniversary #OnThisDay, for his exceptional mastery of metalwork on religious and secular art pieces.
Conferred as Manlilikha ng Bayan in 2004, MB Mutuc dedicated his life to creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and wood. He took inspiration from traditional religious designs and infused them with his ideas, which are seen in the intricacy of his retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas found in churches and private collections. One of his first commissions was a tabernacle for Monsignor Fidelis Limcauco for a parish in Fairview in Quezon City.
Some of his works are large, exceeding 12.19 meters, while others are tiny and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship. Most of the time, his creation demands large and expansive designs to make them stand out from afar. Careful detailing is done, requiring close observation before the design becomes evident.
In metalsmithing, mistakes are costly as brass and silver are expensive. For this reason, MB Mutuc believes that craftsmanship begins with respect to one’s tool and medium. The first lesson he teaches his students is the proper handling of chisel and hammer for ease of use and prevention of mistakes. More importantly, he cautions against working with an eye toward easy money. For him, the improvement of one’s skill is through the immersion of oneself, learning the technique, and practice—only in the perfection of one’s craft can there be a real reward.
To know more about MB Eduardo Mutuc and see his silver-plated artwork with a calado design, visit the Manlilikha ng Bayan Hall at the 3/F of the National Museum of Anthropology once it reopens this October in time for the #MuseumsandGalleriesMonth.
#ManlilikhangBayan #GAMABA #EduardoMutuc
Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division and GAMABA Executive Council
Rodolfo Samonte’s Serigraph IX, 1974, on loan from the collection of the Philippine Center New YorkAfter more than four decades, Rodolfo Samonte reunites with his serigraphs from the Philippine Center New York Collection. These serigraphs were created from 1973 to 1974. This photo was taken during the artist’s visit to the National Museum of Fine Arts on June 7, 2022.
For this week’s #ArtStrollSunday, and as we greet artist and printmaker Rodolfo Samonte on his 81st birthday, we are featuring his ‘Serigraph IX” from the collection of the Philippine Center New York.
Serigraph IX is part of the “Philippine Center New York Core Collection of 1974: A Homecoming Exhibition.” This exhibition is at Galleries XXVII and XXVIII, Fourth Floor, National Museum of Fine Arts. This serigraph print, colored in layers of greens and yellows, was completed in 1974 during the height of Samonte’s career as a printmaker. During this period, he also created large-format paintings using automotive paint. He learned serigraphy from his UST professor, Cenon Rivera. His interest in printmaking further developed after his frequent visits to the Philippine Association of Printmakers (PAP) studio workshop at Philippine Women’s University (PWU). He recalled picking up scrap etching plates, drawing or putting acid on them, and joining them together to create works. Arturo Luz (1997 National Artist for Visual Arts) was impressed by his serigraphs that he invited Samonte for an exhibition in Luz Gallery. Serigraphy or screen printing is a printmaking technique wherein printing ink is forced through a screen. The method gained popularity in USA and Britain in the 60s. Samonte is credited as one of the pioneering figures of serigraphy in the Philippines.
Born in Manila in 1941, Samonte graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UST in 1964. The UST School of Architecture and Fine Arts (UST SAFA) was under the directorship of Victorio Edades during this period. Galo Ocampo and Cenon Rivera, who were part of the faculty of the UST SAFA, became his favorite professors. After graduation, the artist worked in a printing shop in Quezon City and eventually in advertising firms such as Advertising and Marketing Associates (AMA), and Ace-Compton Advertising. He received many recognitions and awards, including the annual art competitions by the Art Association of the Philippines and the PAP. In 1974, the City of Manila presented him with the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award for his artistic contributions. In 1979, he moved to the United States of America. Samonte now resides in Burbank, California.
We invite you to view “Serigraph IX” and his 11 other works at the PCNY Homecoming Exhibition! We are open Tuesdays-Sunday, 9 AM to 6 PM. Know more about the PCNY Homecoming Exhibition by viewing the 360-degree Virtual Tour through this link: https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/pcny360/HTML5/pcny360.html
Happy Museums and Galleries Month and see you at your National Museum!
Karsts are areas of land made of limestone, a soluble sedimentary rock. These regions have landscapes that are largely shaped by the dissolving power of water. They typically have irregular terrain punctuated by caves, underground rivers, and cliffs created after thousands of years of water dissolving and eroding them.
Karst forests consist of isolated steep-sided hills that tower from the ground. This topography forms in wet, tropical regions, like the Philippines, which have thick beds of highly fractured limestone where water has dissolved large volumes of limestone, leaving these residual towers.
The development of karst processes is more rapid in tropical climates due to the abundant rainfall and increased carbon dioxide from decaying tropical vegetation. It means more carbonic acid is available for the dissolution of limestone.
A remarkable stone forest is found in Kunming, China. Meanwhile, the Philippines is also gifted with a wide array of karst landscapes that vary in landform and age. And some of these are steep-sided karst towers resembling stone forests in Coron Island in northern Palawan and on the west coast of Palawan. Magnificent karst towers are also found in the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal.
Aside from the diverse ecosystem that thrives in karst regions, it is also ideal for storing waste as an aquifer providing clean drinking water to people, animals, and plants. We also benefit in terms of tourism and recreation from these regions. But, it is essential to note that their conservation, protection, and sustainable management should be our priority.
The National Museum of the Philippines joins in commemorating the 76th birth anniversary of Pacita Abad. Born in Batanes on this day in 1946, she had to leave the Philippines in 1969 due to political turmoil. She decided to remain in San Francisco to paint and later pursued painting in the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Art Students League of New York. Pacita was a well-traveled artist, drawing inspiration from her travels in Mexico, India, Afghanistan, Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia. A prolific artist in various media like ceramics, glass, and fabric, she was inspired by their local art forms’ vibrancy and intricate patterns and took the time to learn their art traditions and practices. She even developed a technique called trapuntopainting, a quilting method that involved layering quilted material with various objects such as glass, shells, and mirrors to give it a three-dimensional effect. Her art’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from landscapes to sociopolitical commentaries.
Featured today from the National Fine Arts Collection, is an oil on canvas painting by Pacita Abad entitled “Horseshoe Drive” created in 1983. You may view this artwork at the GSIS Northwest Wing Hallway Gallery, Third Floor, National Museum of Fine Arts. Her masterpieces are also part of the collection of museums located in the Philippines and in countries such as Australia, Bulgaria, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Jordan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the USA.
Follow this page for more features from the National Fine Arts Collection. The #NationalMuseumPH is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance is free!
Click this link for the 360-degree virtual tour of the nine select galleries at the National Museum of Fine Arts: https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nmfa360/HTML5/NMFA360.html
#OnThisDay #PacitaAbad #MuseumFromHome
Article and photo by the NMP Fine Arts Division. With contributions from Museum Volunteer Mikaela Reyes.
