College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines, Diliman

Dear Friends:

The twelfth month of the year reminds us just how time flies with another year coming to a quick close.

It is also the most festive time of the year when we all celebrate the joys of Christmas, and look forward to a new year.

“ Noche Buena”

Our ceramic studio is abuzz with a pre-Christmas activity called “Noche Buena”, in keeping with the Christmas season. Spanish ceramic artist Xavier Manosa, a 28-year old artist from Barcelona, and who is also known as Apparatu (www.apparatu.com) will be conducting a four-day workshop producing a ceramic  banquet of foods. This activity has been conceived as a cross pollination between culinary and ceramic arts. The banquet will translate into a real culinary experience (“ crowdfunding” ) that will raise funds for new artist projects.  The project is made possible by the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, and the Office of Culture and Design.

Lantern Parade. For many of our students, and alumni, December means the participation of the UP College of Fine Arts as the most awaited contingent in the UP Lantern Parade.  The days that lead up to the parade can be the most memorable for our students who work very hard and ingenuously on their floats, costumes, hand held objects and performance numbers.

CFA, as the UP Lantern Parade’s Lantern Parade Hall of Famer,  has gone on full gear to visually translate concepts on Our Filipino Culture: Then and Now. Hope to see you all at the UP Lantern Parade on Friday, December 16, 2011.
May you and your families enjoy the blessings and joys of Christmas, and a happy healthy and bright 2012 to each and everyone.

This month has brought torrential rains, and with it providential opportunities for students and faculty in terms of academic art scholarships, residencies, and an overseas study trip for a group of our students. Second CFA/ENSBA Scholar to France

Congratulations to Mr. Jose Martin “Jaz” Gabriel , a senior student of the Studio Arts Department for having been awarded the 2nd CFA scholarship to the EcoleNationaleSuperieur des Beaux Arts (ENSBA) in Paris, France. Jaz will be leaving this September to spend a full term ( October to January) at ENSBA as an exchange scholar. The scholarship is made possible through the Embassy of France in the Philippines.

CFA art exhibition and study trip to Vietnam

The UP College of Fine Arts recently organized a students’ art exhibition and study trip to Vietnam on the invitation of the Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Santos , United Pharma VN and the Philippine Business Group in Vietnam.

The CFA delegation opened the exhibition “Art by the Square Foot” in Hanoi at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts (VUFA), and in Ho Chi Minh at the Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition was conceptualized and curated by Prof. Ruben Defeo (CFADepartment of Theory and OICA Director) , and assisted by CFA Studio Arts faculty Rey Concepcion. As part of the study program, the students and faculty interacted with their Vietnamese counterparts through studio collaborations and an academic forum at VUFA. The project was initiated and coordinated by Mr. Renato Villavicencio for the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam and CFA on the occasion of celebrating thirty five years of Philippine Vietnam relations.

Ms. AmbieAbano completes her PARP Artist Residency in France

We are happy to welcome back, Ms. AmbieAbano, one of our faculty from the Studio Arts Department who has completed an exciting three-month artist residency program in France. Ms. Abano was awarded the residency program by the Alliance FrancaiseManille for 2010, besting more than 200 applicants. She was enrolled at the La Taille-Douce and held an open studio at the Cite Internationale de Arts in Paris.

Ms. Lenore Lim , Adjunct Professor of CFA

We also welcome Ms. Lenore Lim as adjunct professor at CFA. Ms. Lim is a multi-awarded printmaker and visual artist who has exhibited extensively in Austria, Canada, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, the Philippines and the United States. Ms Lim, who received the presitigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, will be conducting classes and workshops in new printmaking techniques and technologies to the faculty and students of CFA. As part of her workshops, she invites US-based master printmakers to work in tandem with her for lectures and workshops.

We thank our sponsors, donors, partners and benefactors for making all these possible, and for sharing their blessings with CFA.

As the schoolyear opens we welcome our Freshmen , and returning students back to the UP College of Fine Arts for the academic year 2011-12.

We open our new schoolyear with very high hopes for our students and so much enthusiasm for everyone to interact in the different learning environments where art and design can be fully expressed and experienced.  We have a number of student scholarships available for those with outstanding academic credentials including the CFA/ENSBA scholarship which provides for an academic experience from September 2011-January 2012 at the EcoleNationaleSuperieure des Beaux Artes( ENSBA) in Paris.

We are proud to inform parents and students that we have a new multimedia classroom to further stregnthen courses in digital and computer art and design.

The Corredor Gallery, our academic exhibition space has also been renovated with new walls and lighting system.  The flooring of the foyer has been upgraded, and this area be further improved as an  extended exhibition space of the Corredor Gallery.

I take pleasure in introducing to all students and faculty this year’s incoming members of the CFA College Executive Board:

• College Secretary : Rey Concepcion
• MFA Graduate Coordinator :  Leo Abaya
• Studio Arts Department Chair : JamelObnamia
• Theory Department Chair : Armando Burgos
• Visual Communications Dept Chair : Leonardo Rosete

I take this opportunity as well to announce the awardees of the CFA Professorial Chairs for 2010-2011. We congratulate these members of our faculty who have distinguished themselves with solo exhibitions and creative works last year.

• Tito de Santos Chair :  Ruben de Jesus
• Alcuaz Chairs : Benjamin Cabangis
• AmorsoloChair :  Neil Doloricon
• Diamond Chair :  Leonardo Rosete

We can all look forward to a very exciting year ahead with a program of lectures from industry leaders,  interaction with Visiting Professors and significant art exhibitions at the Corredor Gallery.  On July 2,  we will have as guest lecturer, Mr. Alan Whittaker who is a ceramic artist and the head of the Department of the Fine and Applied Arts  of the Liverpool Hope University in the UK.He will be giving a lecture and workshop at the Ceramic Studio, where he will interact with CFA faculty and students from CFA and Ateneo.  This will be a joint activity of Ateneo Art Gallery, the UP College of Fine Arts and the British Council.

On July 6^th, an exhibition by Roberto Chabet entitled “Sitting Standing Lying Walking” will open at the Corredor Gallery. This show is the sixth in a series of exhibitions to open in and around Manila and Southeast Asia throughout the year. Chabet is know for his experimental works, ranging from paintings, drawings, collages, sculptures, and installations made out of mostly ordinary and found material formalisms. Chabet taught at the UP College of Fine Arts for over thirty years. The exhibition will run until August 5, 2011.

A Conservation workshop to be conducted by Dr. Teresa Castellano from Italy will be conducted on July 18-22,2011 at the Bulwaganng Dangal at the Main Library. The activity is a joint collaboration by OICA (Office for Initiatives for Culture and the Arts,  the Italian Embassy, and the UP College of Fine Arts.

We wish everyone a good and productive academic year.

November/ December 2010

This second semester at CFA isgetting into a heightened momentum with classes that will see many of our students participating in two very important activities of the school.

On Saturday, 27 November, 2010, we will be holding our 2010 CFA ArtFair bannered <OPEN STUDIO> at the campus grounds from 9 am to 5 pm.

As in previous years, all classrooms and studios will be open to art friends, parents of our students, and alumni , to showcase the works of CFA student artists, their talents and skills in live academic studio settings.  The 2010 CFA ArtFair will witness artists at work -creating ceramics and pottery, painting Chinese calligraphy, demonstrating batik prints, body art, silkscreening, cartooning, and printmaking.  Artworks of students, and some alumni will go on exhibit throughout the day, and will be sold for the benefit of CFA and its students.

Dear Students, Faculty, Alumni and Friends:

Congratulations to Mr. Emmanuel Ano-os, who has been selected as the first CFA scholar to the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, France.

Mr. Ano-os who is in his senior year in the Painting program of the Department of Studio Arts will be leaving for Paris in Spetember to attend a a full term at the Ecole Nationale Superiuere des Beaux Arts (ENSBA) located in the Saint Germain de Pres district, from September 27, 2010 to January 30,2011.  This scholarship has been made possible by the CFA/ENSBA academic cooperation agreement, the full support of the French Embassy in the Philippines, and the Sanlikha, Maison des Artistes Philippins a Paris.

The recent artist residency of Paris-based artist Gaston Damag will culminate with a round table discussion to be led by him and ENSBA professor Goetz Arndt to be held on Friday, July 9, 2010 at the CFA auditorium at 9 am. They will be tackling aspects of
“Traditional and Industrial Materials in Current Sculpture Practice and Urban Settings” together with Philippine-based sculptors Jeremy Guiab and Reggie Yuson, as they deal with problematic on-site production, conditions of  acquisition and/or commission of large scale sculpture.  Sandra Palomar, an alumna of CFA and ENSBA, will be moderator of the panel discussion.

On Thursday July 29, 2010 at 1pm, veteran photographer Vic Sison will lecture at the CFA auditorium on Portrait Photography.  The lecture has been coordinated by the CFA photography faculty led by Mr. Joey Tanedo in cooperation with the Federation of the Camera Professionals in the Philippines.

The 2010 Guidelines and Call for applications for Thesis Grants for CFA Student Artists and Designers has been sent out. In addition to the 30 thesis grants of P15,000/per student grantee available this year, Electrolux Philippines has kindly donated 5 additional grants to deserving thesis projects in Industrial Design.

We are definitely looking forward to an exciting year of thesis projects by our seniors across our different programs. We thank Electrolux for supporting design education at the UP College of Fine Arts.

As we start the new schoolyear 2010-11 , the faculty and staff of the UP College of Fine Arts extend their warmest greetings and WELCOME to all our freshmen, as well as to all returning students.

We start the school year with some very exciting news for our students and faculty.

•    We are very pleased to announce that the UP College of Fine Arts and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Artes (ENSBA)  in Paris, France has entered into a formal agreement of Academic Cooperation.

The purpose of the Agreement is to develop collaborative activities in academic areas of mutual interest such as: exchange of faculty and students, collaborative research and creative projects, lectures and symposia, exchange of academic information and materials, and other academic initiatives.

As part of this newly established international linkage, we will be sending our first CFA/ENSBA scholar for a full term at ENSBA in Paris from September 2010 to January 2011.  We will be announcing the name of the CFA student awardee shortly.

The Agreement and the scholarship has been facilitated by The French Embassy in the Philippines through its cultural and academic officers.

CFA June Activities

1.     June 8, 2010. UP Freshman Welcome Assembly at the University Theater.  8:00 am .
2.     June 21 – 27 , 2010
Artist Residency at UP CFA of Paris- based Filipino artist Mr. Gaston Damag. Mr. Damag will be working on a sculpture using Ifugao pestles, resin, fiber glass and wood. The Visiting Artist Residency Programs at CFA provides  hands on experience with masters and experts in the art production process.

3.    June 21, 2010, Monday.  CFA College and Departmental Freshman Orientation

ADDITIONAL COMPUTER CLASSROOM

We are also pleased to announce that we have opened a new computer classroom right next to the existing Computer Lab 1.  Students have additional new computers to work on for basic imaging and computer design skills.

FIVE ( 5) NEW STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Starting this semester, five CFA students in their junior and senior years will be awarded tuition scholarships by the Friends of Cultural Concerns of the Philippines. The generosity of FCCP will be very beneficial in assisting CFA students with their tuition expenses. We thank FCCP for choosing students in our school as their scholars.

We hope to be bringing more of the same dynamic news for CFA during the schoolyear.

Blessed of Easter holidays to everyone!

April has quickly come around with much relief for graduating seniors who successfully hurdled thesis deliberations, and for many more students who completed another challenging year.

We are, of course, gearing up for the Candlelight Ceremony which will be held on Saturday, April 24,2010 at the Bathalaman Garden for our 2010 graduates. This year we will have about 130 students who will be recognized for completing and fulfilling requirements for BFA and Certificate degrees. College graduation is perhaps one of the most important and memorable of rites of passage for students, their parents and their teachers. Our guest speaker for this year’s Candlelight Ceremony is Mr. Wilfrido Nepomuceno, a CFA alumnus, former managing editor of the Philippine Collegian, and Master Artist of Mime and Impersonation.

A tradition of recognition for our graduates that we began in 2008 is the opening of  the THESIS GRANTEES’ EXHIBITION entitled “ANI” during the week of graduation. Outstanding thesis projects given a grant of P15,000 each will be presented in a culminating exhibit curated by Prof. Dakila Fernando, the director of the Corredor Gallery of CFA. Exhibition opening will be on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 4:30pm.

The month of April brings some of the most exciting SUMMER ART WORKSHOPS at CFA for children and adults.  The classes in Ceramic Art, Photography,  Basic Drawing, Oil and Acrylic Painting and Printmaking will run from April 5 to May 15,2010.

The Application Period for Admission at the UP College of Fine Arts for the coming schoolyear 2010- 2011 is ongoing. The deadline has been extended to April 15,2010 to accommodate those unable to submit during the Holy Week break. The Talent Determination Test will be administered on Saturday, April 17,2010.

Once again, we extend our heartiest CONGRATULATIONS to our 2010 graduates , and their parents!

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!

We welcome 2010 with some proud announcements, congratulatory messages and exciting news of lecture/workshops by internationally recognized master artists at CFA, as great year openers.

• Three members of our faculty have been named University Artist for the period 2010-2013. Prof. Leonilo Doloricon was awarded Artist II, and Profs. Ruben Defeo and Cesar Hernando were given the Artist 1 award. The University Artist distinction is being given for the first time this year by UP to regular faculty members with outstanding and exemplary creative and scholarly works across seven artistic disciplines ( Visual Arts, Literature, Theater, Film, Radio and Broadcast, Music , and Architecture).
We extend our heartiest congratulations to our colleagues, and wish them more successes in all their endeavors.

• Visiting Master Artists from the US and Australia

• Master Printmakers, Mr. Devraj Dakoji and Ms. Elizabeth Harrington, from the Blackburn Studio in New York will be giving lecture/workshops at the de la Rosa Printmaking Studio of CFA from Jan 26-29,2010. Mr. Dakoji is recognized as an “Eminent Artist” in India, while Ms. Harrington is a prominent artist who has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in the US and all over the world. The visit of Mr. Dakoji and Ms. Harrington has been made possible by the LRSL Foundation.

• An exhibit of Blackburn Studio artists will be held at the Atelyer of the Bulwagan ng Dangal space at the Main Library from January 14 to Jan 29, 2010.

• Master glass-blowing artist from Australia, Ms. Clare Belfrage will hold a lecture/ master class at the CFA Auditorium on January 27, 2010. Ms. Belfrage has received numerous awards for her works which are now part of private and institutional collections of the Museo do Vidro, Portugal and the Australian National Gallery. Ms Belfrage is part of a group exhibition on glassworks that will open at the Ayala Museum on January 26,200.

• We would like to congratulate the 2009-2010 CFA Thesis Grantees . Now in its third year, the Thesis Support Fund for Student Artists and Designers selects the best thesis projects that are given a grant of P15,000/per student towards the completion of their thesis output. An exhibit in April 2010 showcases the finished works of the grantees.

We look forward to an energized year of art making with many opportunities for faculty and students to create and design as far as spirit and imagination will take us at CFA . We thank Ms. Lenore Lim, the Australian Embassy and all those who support our school, and sponsor activities that enrich our learning environment.

Congratulations to our students who swept the First Prizes in the Sculpture and Watercolor categories of the recently concluded 42nd Shell National Students Art Competition.The UP College of Fine Arts proudly recognizes the achievements of the following students who won top honors and prizes:
Jose Ma P. Tanierla (2nd year- BFA Painting)- 1st Place Watercolor
Raphael Daniel O. David (3rd year- CFA Painting) – 1st Place Sculpture
Ediefer C. Gutierrez (1st year- BFA Painting ) – 2nd Place Oil/ Acrylic
Romeo C. Abasolo (1styear–CFASculpture)-Honorable Mention Sculpture

The Spanish Embassy through its Cultural Office brought some visiting artists to the school last semester to share and impart to our students their knowledge on their processes and techniques on Casting and Reproduction in Large Scale. We thank Ambassador Luis Arias Romero of the Spanish Embassy, Mr. Alvaro Trejo and Mr. Cesar Caballero for making possible the two week workshop at the UP College of Fine Arts with artists Mr. Javier Martines Cifuentes and Mr. Pellus Gonzales. Our MFA graduate students Mr.Toym Imao and Ms. Sandra Pallelos generously shared their time and presence facilitating the workshop.

The UP Office of Initiatives for Culture and the Arts ( OICA) and the UP College of Fine Arts will open a special exhibition of works by Manuel Rodriguez Sr on Friday, 27 November 2009 at the Bulwagan ng Dangal at 5:00 pm. The 97-year old artist will grace the opening of RE-VIEWING MANUEL RODRIGUEZ SR.

Our UP CFA Alumni Association recently held their elections at a homecoming held at the Bahay Alumni. We congratulate the incoming members of the Board as we look forward to working together with them on various projects for CFA.

To the outgoing Officers and Board of UPCFAAA led by Ms. Janice Young (president); Mr. Bim Bacaltos (vice president), Ms. Mitzi Reyes (secretary) and Ms. Ching Abad Santos (treasurer) and Joey Tanedo, I would like to express, in behalf of CFA, our utmost thanks for making possible urgent repairs and renovations at CFA such as the auditorium and the installation of electric fans at Amorsolo and Tolentino Halls.

During the last three years of my term as Dean, the generosity and kindness of so many really touched and inspired all of us at CFA. I take this opportunity to thank our alumni, generous donors, friends, the UP administration, fellow faculty and staff . We were able to make infrastructure improvements (like the new student center, the new ceramics studio, the new wifi connections, the joya and bathalaman gardens, and the renovated auditorium among others). We also launched new support programs for students like the Thesis Grants Fund and increase scholarships. Faculty and staff have been able to attend professional development workshops and training courses here and abroad.

I am once again honored to be given the opportunity to serve a second term as Dean of CFA starting this month. I look forward to working together with all the constituents of CFA. Together, we wiil continue to address the needs of CFA for the present and future, so that CFA ensures and strengthens its position in nurturing the best student artists and designers in the country.