The UPV Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA) concluded its celebration of the 2024 National Arts Month with "Ugnayan Iloilo: An Art Education Series" at the Performing Arts Hall of the UPV Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage (MACH) on 28 February 2024, from 9am to 3pm. The event was a collaborative endeavor between Linangan Art Residency and the SIGAHUM Art Group with support from the UP President’s Committee for Culture and the Arts (PCCA).
UGNAYAN is an extension program of the Linangan Art Residency launched in 2023. The program, composed of artist-led initiatives, aims to connect and engage artists and cultural workers all over the country to promote the appreciation and understanding of art through mentorship and dialogue.
The Iloilo leg of Ugnayan featured a line up of established and esteemed artists and art community pillars as invaluable resource persons. The morning session commenced with a welcome message from OICA Director Prof. Martin Genodepa. It was followed a lecture by with Manny Garibay (Linangan Art Residency) on Art History as the Evolution of the Sacred. Michael Delmo shared on the topic Art as the Way of Life, and Leslie de Chavez of Project Space Pilipinas talked about Art In/And the Community.
The afternoon session panel was composed of one of the forerunners of Martial Law period social realism Renato Habulan (Agos Studio) who talked about Art Ecosystem: an Artist Initiative. Ilonggo award-wnning artist Melvin Guirhem (Puluy-an Gallery) shared Puluy-an’s Concept and Engagement to Community. Orland Espinosa, another award-winning Ilonggo artist from the art group SIGAHUM talked on the topic Growth as Group. The program was moderated by Len-Len Sacapaño and Alee Garibay.
The lecture series drew an avid audience of over 80 students, artists, artist collectives, museum workers, community organizers, and art educators. Their active participation in the forum made the event an enriching exchange of ideas that deepened everyone’s appreciation and understanding of the arts.
