College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines, Diliman

This year’s twenty-seven (27) thesis grants awards will be featured in a special year-end exhibition that will open on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 4 pm at the Amorsolo Hall.

The thesis grants are given to the best thesis projects that are deliberated on by a selection committee which evaluates submitted projects of students from the Studio Arts , Visual Communications and Industrial Design programs.

The Thesis Support Fund was first implemented by CFA for the schoolyear 2007-08 through the Office of the Chancellor. The program is effected annually.

A Design Workshop focusing on the ” 2nd Space Age” will be conducted by  Ms. Pernilla Johansson,  Asia Pacific Director for Design for Electrolux will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 10 am at the CFA Auditorium.

Ms. Johanssen is in Manila to be in attendance as well  for the UP CFA/Electrolux MOA signing and industry partnership which will provide among others for 5 (five) thesis grants of P20,000 each  for industrial  design thesis projects.  CFA ID students will be have the opportunity to learn about the Design Lab of Electrolux and their thrust for innovation and technology.

The  “ 2nd Space Age” is premised on a study that by year 2050, seventy-five per cent (75%) of the world’s population will live in a more compact urban environment, emphasizing the need for space efficiency around the home.

Internationally recognized Australian-based installation artist Fred Aquilizan will be a visiting artist- in-residence at the UP College of Fine Arts from February 24- March 22,2010.  He will be conducting workshops and will mount an exhibition at the Vargas Museum. The residency is a collaboration between UP CFA and the Vargas Museum.

We had a full and hectic last quarter with several international visiting artists conducting residency programs at CFA.

After having master printmakers Mr. Devraj Dakoji and Ms. Elizabeth Harrington from the Blackburn Studio in New York,  in January 2010, M. Francois Boisrond from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts (ENSBA) in Paris arrived for a two week residency accompanied by eight of his French students who interacted with the students of our school.  At the end of the workshop, both CFA and ENSBA students under M.Boisrond collaborated on a mural at Alliance Francaise based on the places they all visited . The cultural exchange  was made possible by the French Embassy and Alliance Francaise.

An institutional linkage between UP CFA and ENSBA in Paris is in the works, as we send one of our students to ENSBA in Paris on scholarship this coming September to December 2010. This is the first time a four month (one semester) scholarship to an art institution ( ENSBA) in Paris, France is being offered , under the joint auspices of the French Embassy and UP CFA.

For this whole month of March, we also had Australian-based installation artist Fred Aquilizan fulfilling a residency program at CFA in partnership with the UP Vargas Museum. Students from CFA will be creating site-specific works in and around the UP campus.

We have reached the end of yet another school year.  CFA is now busy preparing for the thesis deliberations/ exhibition of works/projects of our seniors, which will be held from March 20-26 in different venues within and outside CFA.

A few weeks ago, UP honored all its University and College Scholars (US and CS), and those who have won awards and distinctions for UP in various competitions, and national exams at the UP Parangal sa Magaaral.  CFA congratulates all of our US and CS scholars, awardees of Shell, Metrobank and PLDT national competitions.  This year, we also had three Pitoy Moreno scholars  and one (1) Tito de Santos scholar.

We are likewise proud to announce the 27 awardees of the 2009-2010 CFA Thesis Support  Fund for Student Artists and Designers.  You are all invited to view the exhibition showcasing the best of Thesis Projects at CFA.

Mabuhay to all our student achievers!