STORYBOOK FOR A CAUSE

ABOUT THE BOOK: The KAYABANG Love Basket - Symbol of Bounty & Gift Giving

2010-11-12T07:58:00.023+08:00

Greetings!

THE KAYABANG LOVE BASKET is a story book which is meant to promote multicultural education. This is to help integrate our culture by providing teaching and reading materials where our children in the Cordilleras could feel that they are represented. This helps in building up their self-esteem and dignity to be more competitive in school and in their community.

Life in the mountains is bliss! This is the essence of the story. It is significant to educate other people by sharing our way of living. This is intended to promote the appreciation and respect of diverse cultures.

“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. “

Please be a BOOK BENEFACTOR by sponsoring my book. Sharing your blessings could benefit a number of recipients, which could be your own loved ones, friends or relatives or the underprivileged children who would be happy to receive a gift of inspiration from you.

The book project responds to the global campaign on Basic Education for All! Hence it collaborates with agencies, groups, organizations, and institutions by participating with their cause. It also supports advocacies on environment, health, culture and art. The proceeds would finance the ongoing development, production, publication, and distribution of resource materials. It is also used to promote educational activities, research, and documentation.

Please help the book project prosper by recommending it to other sponsors and inviting other generous book benefactors. Thank you so much.

Yours Sincerely,

ÿLepan

THE STORYBOOK PROJECT

FOR A CAUSE ¨

It is a pleasure to share with you this storybook. It promotes discussion of social issues and advocacies on: Education, Environment, Health, Culture , Art & Spirituality.

This story was written in 1998, which was inspired by the nuances of the mountains and the simplicity of life in a far-flung barangay in the Cordilleras, Philippines. This fiction story showcases life in the highlands.. It is a symbolic reflection of the struggles of people and issues in a community. It communicates the mountain peoples’ ideals and their collective aspirations.

This story was presented in a number of occasions abroad and in the Philippines, adapting the storyline but on the process, changing the version. HIGHLAND BLISS, the first naïve painting used for the book artwork was done in Los Angeles, California, USA in 2002, to give life to the story. There were at least seven (7) naïve paintings that were defragmented into photo images. These book art pieces were used to illustrate this story and its other versions. The naïve paintings reflected the highland people’s endearment to the mountains and how they are anchored to their roots. The painting images are presented on the cover of the book. They resonate the essence of the sacred spaces of the mountains.

The book presents the ingenuity and ingenuousness of highland dwellers as they survive self-sufficiently in their mountainous environment. It is replete with imagery of how blissful it is to live in the mountains!

The Gran Cordillera is the highest and largest series of mountain range in Northern Luzon. It is a resource base for the Philippines, an archipelago in the orient seas. It offers a haven of natural beauty, cool weather, and abundant organic products. It has

diverse flora and fauna, rich mineral deposits, and supplies the country with major resources.

The elements of this story highlight the cultural values that are worth emulating. A handicap made it happen that a basket called KAYABANG be created. Simple it maybe, but it became a symbol of generosity and gift giving. Its utility was valued like gold, and its making became a tradition. The virtue on humility coupled with the theme that ‘creativity flows in the midst of adversity’ behooves that indeed, “Disability is an art. It is an ingenious way to live. ”

Read the book. J

It is deliberately simple and easy to read, yet the depths in its simplicity can unravel threads of essentials and analogies… certainly a springboard for an interesting roundtable discussion on man, language, art and culture… for all ages!”
Ursula Alfa Bangaan-Daoey July 4, 2010

Share a blessing.

Be a Book Benefactor ¨

Do you remember your first book J?

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”¨

It is a treasure forever. Share your blessings.

Sponsor books as gifts to inspire and strengthen the appreciation of READING and WRITING. The proceeds of this book project will help implement a Multicultural Education Program to:

ADVANCE BASIC EDUCATION FOR ALL!

"The Philippines has a pressing need for multi-cultural education. We have a plethora of ethnic minorities but there is no real representation of their existence in our textbooks, curricula, or history.This book is a contribution in providing our children a reading material where they are represented. It introduces them and the many other children to cultural experiences, they might otherwise miss. Such knowledge of other cultures is an important—and useful component of education for students who live in a multicultural society.” (Education and Race Handbook ARC 1998)

In solidarity with the global campaign to advance basic education for all, the goal is to share this book not only to the indigenous peoples of the Cordilleras in the Northern Philippines, but also to all Filipinos nationwide, and to all peoples around the world!

The Book Project collaborates with institutions, organizations, groups, and individuals to promote and effect advocacies on: Education, Health, Environment, Culture & Art.

Contact:

PUREZA GOMEYAC—EGMALIS

IPhone # (63) 74 916 640 9611

Lepan_art@yahoo.com

http://lepanart.blogspot.com/

Brent School, Baguio City

Brent Road 2600 PHILIPPINES

Thank you very much.

May God bless you.

THE KAYABANG LOVE BASKET BOOK PROJECT FOR A CAUSE

2010-08-25T07:31:00.059+08:00

HOW
THE KAYABANG Love Basket

BOOK PROJECT FOR-A-CAUSE

WORKS:

ACKNOWLEDGES book benefactors by keeping a list where their contributions are duly recognized.
COLLABORATES/NETWORKS with groups, organizations, and institutions in the local and international levels.
DOCUMENTS services delivered to secure operations and make accountabilities transparent.
REFERS fairly selected beneficiaries as recommended by authorized agencies and institutions.
CONDUCTS information, education, communication activities to promote the advancement of BASIC EDUCATION FOR ALL and to integrate MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION in the school system.

BE A BOOK BENEFACTOR ¨

ADVANCE BASIC EDUCATION FOR ALL!

BOOK benefactors are persons who love books. They consider owning books as a birthright, hence they share their blessings by sponsoring books. They give books as gifts to help benefit a person, groups or organizations, and at the same time contribute assistance for an endowment to help a cause.

They value books as a foundation of education. They “traveled the world twice over, met the famous; saints and sinners, poets and artists, kings and queens, old stars and hopeful beginners, They had been where no-one's been before, learned secrets from writers and cooks All with one library ticket to the wonderful world of books!”

Being a BOOK benefactor is a privilege as you would help nurture young minds and give inspiration to ADVANCE BASIC EDUCATION FOR ALL!The gift of a book is a treasure forever. THE KAYABANG LOVE BASKET is specially created as a novelty book item to be given away with your own dedication, message, and information. The page at the back cover of the book is specially reserved for book benefactors.

Perpetuate the Generosity:

SPONSOR BOOKS FOR A CAUSE

Fill-up the form:

I am sponsoring (number ____ of books for [check box]

¨ Underprivileged children

¨ Out-of-School Youths

¨ Agency / Institution __________________________

¨ Name and address of recipient / relative / friend / group:

____________________________________

Book Benefactor

Printed Name & Signature Date:

Choice of Sponsorship:

1. International Price / Book

Without Benefactor dedication - ADD: Postage

2. Philippines Price / Book

Without Benefactor Dedication

For Pick-up

3. 100 Books with Benefactor Dedication, Free Handling (local)

4. 50 Books with Benefactor Dedication

Free Handling (local)

5. 25 Books with Benefactor Dedication

Free Handling (local)

6. 20 Books with Benefactor Dedication

Free Handling (local)

7. 10 Books with Benefactor Dedication

Free handling (local)

WHERE WOULD THE PROCEEDS OF THE BOOK PROJECT GO? ¨

1. Production of Multi-cultural teaching resources and development of a curriculum to be integrated with the school system.

2. Promote basic educational activities such as READING, WRITING, VISUAL & PERFORMING ART activities through seminars, workshops, fora, contests, projects, exhibits, exposures, and productions.

3. Research and documentation to help develop and promote the advancement of basic education and the integration of culture, art, and spirituality of the Cordilleras in the national and international levels.

4. Support Advocacies on the global campaign to alleviate poverty through education, sustainable environment, preventive health, and the protection of women and children.

5. Production and Marketing of the

18 Versions of THE KAYABANG Story

Credits:

Mr. Harry Basingat, lay-out of the book-project flyer

Miss Andrea Domique Cosalan, photo

Ms. Glo Abaeo, photo

LESSONS IN PHOTOGRAPHY

2007-11-19T14:44:00.001+08:00

Completed Workshop on

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH 2-D AND 3-D ART

Photo:
LouieBrett Fangki

Gallery 825

825 North La Cienaga Boulevard

Los /angeles, CA 90069 USA
February 19, 2005

This workshop taught techniques that artists could use to photograph both 2-D and 3-D art. Three different methods were covered: using natural light, tungsten light, and strobe light. Consideration of photographic presentation and lighting presentation, especially that of 3 dimensional work were covered. Artists who chose to create professional quality photographs of their own work would understand the process. Lytle/

Instructor:

LARRY LYTLE - is an artis and member of Gallery 825/LAAA. For 10 years, he photographed all types of artwork including - painting, drawing, photography, bas relief sculpture, 3-D sculpture, installation art, and neon/electronic art. His photographs of artwork had been in various publication including the LA Times, and Schiffer Publications. He teaches lighting techniques at Otis Evening College ans is a part time faculty member in the art department in the California State University Channel Islands.

Photography is a world of compromises. When you photograph your work, it's an interpretation and a representation of the original. You are going from one media - oil, watercolor, gouache and so on - to another media, film. Sometimes you find strange, inexplicable surprises. For example, watercolor paper, for the most part, has a blue cast on film, so does museum board. You may find a color in your work that doesnt photograph true although the other colors look true. In the end, you just want to get as close as you can and give a gallery or client the best representation you can do. Lytle/

CENTER FOR CULTURAL INNOVATION

2007-11-18T00:55:00.003+08:00

Certificate of Completion

244 S. San Pedro Street, Suite 401, Los Angeles California USA

March 2005

Artist
Benefits
CCI Blog
The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) was launched in 2001 to promote knowledge sharing, networking and financial independence for individual artists and creative
entrepreneurs by providing business training, grants and loans, and incubating innovative projects that create new program knowledge, tools and practices for artists in the field. CCI taps leading experts from both the nonprofit and commercial business sectors to develop next generation tools and support systems that artists need. Programs developed and incubated in California will be made available to other cities and communities nationally. Knowledge is power. Personal networks build community. And financial independence supports creative freedom. This is the Center for Cultural Innovation.
------------------
Lecture & Workshop on:

Strategic Planning - by Hope Tschopic Schneider

Websites for Organizations and Artist-Owned Small Businesses - by Jean Hester

Managing Change - by: Jerry Yoshitomi

Copyrights, Collections, and Contracts - by Greg Victoroff

Press Relations for Artists and Arts Events Planners - by Judith Luther Wilder and Margo Upham

Financing your Project - by Phil Borden

------------------------
My heartfelt gratitude to Mr Harry Basingat for his sacrifices in helping me out go through my classes and finish it. May God bless you a thousandfold.

VICS MAGSAYSAY Fine Art Photography Exhibit

2007-11-17T22:52:00.002+08:00

PRESERVING A CULTURE OF PEACE
World Heritage Sites in the PhilippinesA Fine Art Photographic Exhibit of

VICS MAGSAYSAYCurated by Zen Lopez
October 9 - November 11, 2003
West Los Angeles College Art Gallery

VICS MAGSAYSAY'S photographs transport us to the sacred spaces and serene places designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in the Philippines, while capturing the essence of its people and culture. The exhibit aims to heighten awareness of the beauty of the land, peoples and culture, hopefully to inspire the viewer to be an active participant and to protect these natural and cultural properties of outstanding universal value against the threat of damage in a rapidly developing world. One of the sites on the verge of extinction, the world-renowned Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, is now included in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The looting and destruction of cultural sites, treasures and peoples due to the world in conflict attest to the fact that the loss of one nation is the loss for all the nations in this planet.

Funded in part by:
West Los Angeles College
Foundation And the Durfee Foundation

West Los Angeles College Art
Gallery, 9000 Overland Ave., Culver
City, CA, USA.

WORKSHOP & LECTURE SERIES PANEL SPEAKERS' BIOGRAPHIES:

Prof. Virginia Flor-Agbayani - Professor
Emeritus, Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines. She
stands as a pioneering figure in the field of Philippine art education. Born May
20, 1922, Pangasinan, Philippines; North Hills, Ca resident. Considered as a
"living treasurer", her stature in the academe marked by unquestionable
integrity and credibility, continues to be a source of inspiration and guidance
for many. Throughout her teaching career, she vigorously emphasized the concern for humanity and the inter-relationship of the arts. Today she instills in the minds of her audience , acquaintances and friends the values inherent and the shared sentiments among various cultures, impressing on them the concern for the harmonious existence among those societies and their relation to the contemporary changes.

Nenita Pambid Domingo, PhD - Lecturer of the Filipino Language at the University of the California in Los Angeles. Born in Manila, Philippines, she is a mother, artist, and teacher. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Philippine studies. For the past twenty-five years, she was a practicing theater artist in the Philippines essaying different roles until the academe beckoned to her to contribute to the preservation of Filipino culture that was included the 1954 and 1835 dictionaries entitled Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala by Fathers Noceda and Sanlucar. Her study focused on the "personhood" of the Filipino based on the language used by the common people to describe the different types of personalities that until now is still being used by the people.

Pureza Gomeyac-Egmalis - born to the applai tribe of Sagada in the Northern Philippines where rich deposits of gold are massively mined. She graduated College with a Masteral Arts in Education from the Baguio Colleges Foundation / University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City. She is active in research work, community development, networking, enterprise development, education, gender issues, indigenous culture, reproductive health, and the development of sustainable environment. She expresses her spirituality, culture, and values through literary and visual art forms, which stress the vanishing indigenous cultural values and folklore of the Igorots in the Northern Philippines.

Vics Magsaysay - A self-taught artist, graphic designer and fine art photographer, with a formal education in chemical and civil engineering. An experience with a photographer from the popular German magazine Stern and Geo shooting extensively in the Philippine rain forests, rugged terrain and valleys, led to a profound interest to explore and capture the nature of the land and people through his camera. Some of his works have been published in travel magazines and coffee-table books in Asia, including the book "Place of Tides: Visualization using Nature's Energies" featuring his nature photographs. He has held several one-man painting and sculpture exhibits in Asia. Vics conducted workshops in acupuncture and other indigenous healing practices. Vics recently published a booklet entitled "Love Thoughts: A Prescription for All Worries." Vics is a 2003 Durfee Foundation ARCS Grant recipient. zlopez/

AMBASSADOR KRISTIE A. KENNEY RECEPTION

2007-11-16T13:41:00.003+08:00

The Ambassador of the United States of America Kristie A. Kenney (center), artist and Brent IS teacher Mr. Robert (Bob) Joaquin (left), and myself (invited as the EO of Women's Access, Inc.) at the US Embassy Residence in Baguio City for a cocktail reception on November 5, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 o'clock in the evening.

DAVID CASUCO FEATURES MAT RELOX

2007-11-15T00:26:00.001+08:00

hi there pureza,
i found your charming blog, and the display of your works and the items therein really made a connection to my love of philippine arts and culture. the time you were here in l.a. i was really trying hard to attend your presentations, but crazy work sked and other immediate family concerns would not allow me. my name is david casuco. i am a friend of zen and mat relox. last week, i wrote a feature story of him for a real estate magazine (see attached). you can include this in your blogspot if you like. i will tell mat that i found you in the net.

(David Casuco is a seasoned Fil-Am journalist from Hacienda Heights , California . He finished journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and took post graduate course at the Angelus Bible Institute in Los Angeles . In Manila , he worked as a sportswriter for the Journal Publications. In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles with his family and became editor of several Fil-Am publications. This multi-awarded writer who was president of the Philippine Press Club International (2001-2003), is currently the editor-in-chief of the California Examiner).

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MAT RELOX'S PAINTINGS IMMORTALIZE THE CHARMING MANGYAN LIFE

By David Casuco

Almost all the interesting things about the storied Mangyan tribal life are now gone never to be seen by the future generations of Filipinos. Imprudent and insensitive, the people who were supposed to be the curators of Philippine culture were not looking as the Mangyan natives in Mindoro disintegrated from genuine tribe’s people with exotic and distinct lifestyle into just another group of poor and underserved villagers.

Sure the charming Mangyan life will soon be an important item in Philippine history books, but it will not even be a guarantee that historians can capture the essence of what a true Mangyan life was.

It looks like the job belongs to the multi-awarded Mangyan maestro Mat Relox, one of the most celebrated global Filipino contemporary artists. Relox, an exceptionally gifted painter, muralist, and sculptor loads his canvas with a generous stroke of the Mangyan life as he knows it first hand. Relox remembers, recreates, paints and immortalizes the images of the Mangyan people, their temperament, their lifestyle and original habitat with cunning accuracy. He knew them. He grew up in their midst. He was, and is always one of them.

“Napabayaan man ang mga Mangyan, di pinansin ng lipunan ngunit sa trono at pinakamataas na antas ng sining ay aking iwawagayway ang tagumpay ng mga Mangyan na walang kamatayan (The Manyans, as a people, may have been ignored, but I will immortalize them thru the highest form of the art),” he said.

And immortalize he did, and continues to do so; in most of his works (over 300 pieces of objet d’arts), the strain of the Relox’s subject matter waves in and about the milieu of the Manyan life. He is a master of all mediums – pastel, pen and ink, watercolor, and charcoal.

Now based in Riverside County, a place near one of the artists colony in California where the famous “Tournament of the Masters” is held annually, Relox continues with his artistic vision of elevating the Mangyan life through the power of his works, even as he regularly reaps honors in art competitions here and there; the most recent of which was an honorable mention at the Winter Juried Art show in Pittsburgh, California.

Relox winning work, “Sa Piling Ni Inay,” is a rendering of a bucolic Mangyan Madonna and Child ( 14”x 20 pen and ink on paper). It portrays an amazingly powerful impression of the unbreakable cycle of life. It was chosen along with three others from among the 170 entries. A total of 58 artists participated in the said art show.

Relox is such an enormous talent. He’s one artist that cannot be ignored; even without trying, his works lay bare to people that the man is a consummate artist. As a testimony to Relox celebrated stature as a painter, the prestigious Phil-Am Expo, an annual undertaking by noted FilAm broadcast journalist Ms. Awee Abayari, honored Relox as one of the Most Outstanding Fil-Am Professionals. In that event, Expo-goers had the chance to see first hand the works and shook hands with the maestro.

Humbled by the recognition, Relox was self-effacing in his acceptance speech, saying: “Sa aming mga artists kapahingahan naming ang maparangalan ng ganito (To artists like me, recognitions like this are greatly-appreciated consolations).

Relox acknowledges that he gets motivated and becomes more passionate about his craft whenever he wins art competitions, gets recognitions, and when big time patrons and patroness of the arts take a second look and buy his paintings. He still can feel the thrill that he had when Imelda Marcos, then the powerful first lady and known for her collections of expensive and beautiful things, took home one of his paintings on display at the Cultural Center of the Philippines gallery.

“That was big deal for me. I felt like I made one little step up the ladder of eminence leading to the exalted pedestal of Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo ,” he said.

Relox, essentially a realist-impressionist, does not have illusions to even get near around the area where the legends dwell. For him, it is enough that he can do whatever he want to do with his God-given artistic talent. He is glad that every now and then he can put up solo art exhibits in Southern California . He is, right now, deep at work on some art pieces that he wanted included in his next one-man art show in Los Angeles .

His relative success as an artist notwithstanding, Relox’s road to becoming a serious artist was a rough one. He was barely 12 years old when his father became disabled due to freak stabbing incident. He took the place of his father in supporting the family.

“I worked manual labor out there in the open fields and had to take long lonely walks just to attend school,” he said. “But even then I always knew I wanted to become an artist. I always thought of doing what painters do, and imagined my works displayed in the august halls of some art galleries.”

His break came one night when Rodolfo Ignacio, then the governor of Mindoro , saw him doing some painting. The governor was so impressed that he promised to bring Relox to the Big City to learn and enhance the finer points of his craft.

In Manila , he took the job as an illustrator at the Rex Printing Press, at the same time studying civil engineering at the University of Manila . The problem was when his boss demanded that he must stop school if he wanted to keep his job; options that came down to him like the devil and a deep blue sea.

“I cried. My young mind couldn’t figure out why life can have tough choices,” he said.

Little did he know that the problem would bring him right into a place where serious artists work and where high level of art is a norm. Hermilio Burad, the editor of Rex Printing having seen him suffer for his art, introduced him to the University of the Philippines Sunday Group, composed of seasoned artists like Juan Hidalgo and Loreto Racuya.

It was while he was with this Group that he blossomed as an artist, even as he honed his raw artistic skills and his passion for the art reaches a new level. He basked and later shone in the presence of greatness around him, and his works were featured in prestigious art galleries and hotels in Manila . The rest is, well, a history that is still unfolding.

But right now, the one legacy that Relox has secured for himself right now is that he will be remembered as the Filipino artist who immortalized the charming Mangyan life.

PAINTING 001: HIGHLAND BLISS 1/6

2007-11-08T20:28:00.003+08:00

HIGHLAND BLISS
Mixed media, 18 x 24 inches, April 2002, LA CA USA

UNITY FEST: CELEBRATING UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY

2007-10-28T23:00:00.001+08:00

I was invited as an official participant of Unity Fest of the City of Glendale for 2002 and 2003. This community affair was held at Glendale Verdugo Park in California, USA.

Verdugo Park was transformed into six international global villages from the cultural communities that represented the City of Glendale. There were performances of the villages and on the main stage, international music and dance, arts and crafts from around the world, and international painting exhibitions.

I participated in the Asian Village by showcasing the vanishing indigenous cultural traits and folklore of the people of Northern Philippines.

PISTAHAN: FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTS EXPOSITION

2007-10-28T18:30:00.002+08:00

San Francisco, California, USA

August 28 -September 29, 2002

Loob at Labas (Inside/Outside Gallery Walls)

The visual art exhibits have made the Festival stand above all other cultural celebrations through the years. Selected artists are invited to exhibit their works at different galleries around town and / or out in the field at
Yerba Buena Gardens during the Festival. There are eclectic styles, social commentaries and emotional impact that resonate every year.
While it is hard to contract indoor galleries in a town like San Francisco, we continue to give space to visual
artists to express their art and for our community to be educated about our culture. Loob at Labas has forged collaborations with galleries, schools, churches and libraries to bring our artists in touch with the people and vice-versa. The encounter always results in transformation of sorts and an uplifting feeling - whether in buying an artwork, talking with our artists, or marvelling at the capacity of the artist to imagine and to disturb us into thinking deeper. It is always an enriching experience. (Pistahan 2002 Programme)

The artists who exhibited their artwork at the Art Lane are:

Bill Bon, Los Angeles

Papo de Asis, Los Angeles

Dulcie Dee, Alameda

Tessie Dichupa, Vancouver, BC

Orlando Distor, Walnut Creek

Ulysses Duterte Jr, Hayward

Pureza G. Egmalis, Los Angeles

Mat Relox, Los Angeles

Ro, Vallejo

Cota Yabut, Berkeley

TALES & EPICS IN THE CORDILLERAS

2007-10-10T16:23:00.002+08:00

"KEEPERS OF THE STORIES: SOLACE FOR THE MIGRANT SOUL"

2007-10-10T13:59:00.001+08:00

Curated by: Connie Longno-Zamora

Project Director: Zen Lopez

Exhibit Venue: Glendale Central Library, 222 East Harvard Street, Glendale, CA, USA

Co-Sponsors: "Keepers of the Stories" Project & Glendale Public Library

The exhibit is a priceless collection of personal memorablia, family heir looms and other treasured pieces brought by Filipino American immigrants as they came to the United States or patiently sent for as they started settling into
their new life. Some pieces date back to the 18th century or early 20th century, and are important items in the personal collections of the New Americans of Filipino Heritage.

An original 19th century baro't saya made of pineapple and sinamay fibers, inticately handcrafted tamborines, Ifugao bulol (rice gods wooden figures) belonging to a family for generations, tribal jewelry, handwoven baskets, indigenous musical instruments and textiles, amulets, antique jewelry, intricately beaded purses, Spanish gold coins during the reign of Queen Isabela II of Spain, a turtle shell comb with gold filigree trim, and a 19th century bible are but some examples of interest in this exhibit that attempt to poignantly capture the intimate aspects of the "immigrant soul's journey".
These are the "story keepers" -for each piece has a story to tell. Each one pegs memory to a person, an experience, a home and a time in history. These are the keepers of the family story, as well as the Filipino people's story, chapters in the book of life for the storyteller to weave into interesting tales.
Through these "story keepers" we learn of the immigrants' journey, and in this, their openness to life while remaining deeply rooted in their culture and personal history, and their desire to keep their culture alive by the transfer of this knowledge to the next generation of Ameircans of Filipino heritage. Thus, the immigrants' heritage is preserved, and the understanding of who they are, defined within the framework of a specific culture and a personal history.
The storyteller is also a keeper of the stories. In stroytelling the ancestors come alive, and the dearly departed join in the conversation through stories that are shared to comfort and soothe tired and lonely souls. Through nostalgic rituals such as these, culture is transmitted, the psyche fed, and wisdom is passed on. Our "interior" ear listens, and a connection is made to the domain of the soul. We are a captive audience to the "lectures" of life, engaged in a cyclic pattern of meaning making.

Nuances of life are learned and gathered through these stories, and various layers of meaning are visited, creating the lens through which a people understand and live their lives. And as the stories travel to different shores through migration and trade, so is the dispersion of their knowledge into other societies and cultures, contributing in time, to the development of a global culture. /flyer: "keepers of the stories project"

MAT RELOX' ARTIST STORY

2007-10-08T20:29:00.001+08:00

Mat Relox with his original painting:
Himig ng Kalikasan
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 36" x 48"

I wrote Mat's story in Los Angeles, California in 2002. Personally, I would like to thank Mat for his selfless sharing of his artistic gift. He was a very good friend.

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Mat Relox is a gifted artist. His initial ticket to his becoming a professional artist came not from a college diploma but a handmade birthday card he made for a friend at the raw age of 18. A seascape on a piece of folded paper is not a big deal. But it was for a run-away, self-supporting boy who had to work so early in the morning until midnight, and got caught at work, with a drawing on his hand. This proved however that he could do something better.

Mat's employer then discovered that he had a gift. He was sent to Manila in 1979 and apprenticed to work as an artist illustrator at the Rex Publication. He was 19 years old. He learned the hard way, being an unskilled naivete uprooted from the ragged mountains of Oriental Mindoro and planted amidst the impersonal bustle of the big city. He studied the trade of illustrating by sneaking a look at the work of his companions. He gained knowledge of art with each painful stroke, copying and learning at a distance, practicing and improving his drawing to cope up with the demands of his work.

As a child, Mat lived, played, and ate with the Mangyans in the thick sprawling forests of Villa Pag-asa, Bansod, Oriental Mindoro where he was born. His parents were migrants from Romblon in the Southern Philippines. His hard life experiences toughened him to work practically night and day to be able to do his job as an illustrator and at the same time a fledgling exhibiting artist. He was happy with each step that he took knowing that he got a leap forward with his accomplishments. He was popularly called the MANGYAN ARTIST with his depiction of the Mangyan Ethnic tribe with their beautiful culture and their plight for survival.

As he worked, he went to the University of Manila with the course of Civil Engineering, but he had to stop after 2 years. He cried when he had to choose his job, as he had to support himself. He narrated that he had to stop for 3 years when he was in high school as he had to help support his family when his father met an accident. His unabashed begging that he finish his course, paved the way to his becoming a serious artist. It was then that his friend overcome with pity at his plight invited him to join the University of the Philippines (UP) Campus Sunday Group with activities as painting on the spot and live drawing. This gave focus and direction to his work.

After 5 years of hard work, he was promoted as the Art Director of the same publication. He supervised the art department designing the book cover illustrations. His ascent was coupled with struggles in his job responsibilities and his desire to graduate a course. He enrolled as a working student going to school from 5:30 in the afternoon to 9:00 o'clock in the evening every other day for 2 years. He then finished Commercial Arts at the Arellano Evening Vocational School.

In 1987, he joined a contest and he won first prize. He was awarded cash and a contract to make 108 chronological paintings of the New Testament. With this load, he resigned from his job and started to work as a freelance artist accepting commissioned work, portraits, and paintings for exhibit. He participated in about 100 exhibits, which included solo and group shows. One of this was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) sponsored by the Virginia Tobacco Association, with the guest of honor as the then first lady Imelda Marcos where she bought one of his paintings. He became an award-winning veteran of art expositions. His work were exhibited in the International Art Festival in Houston, Texas; the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France; the Malacanang Palace; and art exhibitions in New York, Boston, California, Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. He also received the first prize award in the Spanish Embassy's National Open Painting Competition.

He went to Saudi Arabia as an artist-visualizer- illustrator-painter. He worked with an indoor advertising agency where he worked from visualization to finished product. After his contract, he went back to the Philippines and struggled as a full time artist-painter for more than 10 years, selling his paintings to his collectors. Art dealers helped much in marketing his paintings. For a few months in 2001, he worked in Dubai and Oman as a designer of landscapes specializing in rock works, sculptures, waterfalls, and murals.

In March 2002, he went to California, USA as an exhibiting artist at the Philippine Consulate. While there, he was invited, selected, and given certificate of awards as one of the best Filipino artists who could depict the authentic cultural heritage of the Philippines. He exhibited his work in variuos art galleries which included the Inshala Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles sponsored by Gabriela Network, Pacific Asia Museum sponsored by the Philippine Arts Council, and the Eagle Rock Community Art Center.

He was included in the published books entitled Kayumanggi by Jean Stangle, Collectors' Guide by Manny Duldulao, Philippine Artist Encyclopedia by Marlyn Aguilar, and listed in the unpublished book of Rey R. Resurrction in the Who's Who in the Philippine Visual Art.

----------------------

Mat Relox' artist statement:

Bilang isang alagad ng sining na pinagkalooban ng Diyos ng isang
talento sa pagguhit, ang aking buong buhay, panahon, isip, puso, lakas, ay
nakalaang gugulin upang maiguhit ang lahat ng mga magagandang bagay na ginawa ng Diyos, upang lalo siyang mapangarangalan ng tao.

Ang mga magagandang kulturang katutubo, at matatandang kaugalian ng ating
bansa o mga ninuno ay siyang malapit sa aking puso. Sa pamamagitan ng aking
sining, ang unti-unting pagkakawala nito ay may magagawa ang mga blankong
canvas. Ito ay puwang upang kung tuluyan man siyang limutin ng diwa ng iilan, sa pamamagitan nito'y magsilbing ala-ala at patuloy na pagyamanin ang isang diwa ng lahi ng Pilipino.

Kay sarap na gunitain na minsan, tayo ay naging isang bata.
Ang kalayaan at katatagan ng ating pagkatao ay nagbubuhat kung paano tayo
lumaki, pinalaki, at inaruga ng ating mga magulang. Kay sarap maglaro,
kumanta, tumula, sumayaw, magbasa. Ang lahat ng ito ay taglay ng aking damdamin upang bigyang puwang ito sa aking mga obra.

Ang mga nilikhang tanawin, magagandang bulaklak, bato, tubig, at mga
halaman, ay nagbunsod sa aking damdamin na gamiting inspirasyon sa aking
trabaho. Sa bawat kulay, hibla, at mga hugis nito ay tanda ng aking iba't ibang
antas ng aking lalo pang lumalalim na paghanga sa Diyos na may likha ng mga
lahat ng ito.

Kulang ang aking buhay upang iguhit ang mga kahanga-hangang bagay sa
daigdig na ito. Mayroon bang bagay na sa paningin mo ay hindi kaaya-aya?
Kaibigan, tandaan mo: Kung maroon mang pangit sa paningin ng iba, isang
sulyap niya pa, nandoon din ang ganda.

Lahat ito ay nailalarawan sa aking sining ng pagguhit.

ZEN LOPEZ, Independent Curator, Los Angeles, California

2007-10-07T23:05:00.001+08:00

Zen Lopez, is second from left on the second row. With her are representatives of the Igorots and Ifugaos in Los Angeles during the exhibit of Vics Magsaysay at the West LA College Art Gallery, October 2003.

Zen Lopez is an independent curator of Visual, Verbal, Performing Arts and Educational programs for general audience that promote understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures. In June 2001, she was the chair for the Philippine Heritage Month, a month long of free series of community events in Glendale celebrating heritage and diversity. Past visual Curatorial work includes: the First Filipino Animation Artists Exhibit, West Los Angeles College, June 2001; "Dances of My People", One-Man Exhibit of Artist Edgar Soller, Philippine Consulate, 2000; Visual Arts Exhibit Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, San Pedro, September 1999 and 2000; "Mother-Daughter-Sister" Art Exhibit, Warner Bros, Studios, October 1999. /Life USA

Zen Lopez (left) is here in the Philippines until November 2007 for the 50th Anniversary of Bayanihan.

WELCOME to the Philippines Zen!

Here are her emails to me. I am hoping to introduce her to the Igorot Global Organization (IGO) here in the Philippines and other art organizations in Baguio City. I will be calling the attention of my friend Grace Chungalao, the first lady of the Honorable Congressman of Ifugao. I hope your visit would be productive.
.....

(Oct 2, 2007)

Hi Pureza!

How are you doing? Hope everything's fine
with you.I'm here now in Manila for the 50th year anniversary celebration of the
Bayanihan the week of Oct. 7-13th. Am going back to LA on November 7th. I wanted
to take this opportunity to get to know my country a little better. It seems
I've been to so many countries around the world and have been promoting the
beautiful arts and culture of the Philippines, but I don't know my own country.
I have never seen the rice terraces, never been to Banaue, never even seen the
beautiful places of the Benguets, Ifugaos, Apayaos, Kalinga. I want to see the
place where they have the 'ulog'.

Pureza, I would love to experience the life
and culture of your beautiful people which we have so proudly promoted
especially in Los Angeles.If you have any suggestions on how we can make this
happen, and I'll be happy to be a paying guest, except I don't know anybody and
of course I don't like to be kidnapped. Also, I would love to see you and find
out what you've been up to. It has been a while since we last saw each other in
LA.

Please respond to this email and give me
some suggestions. Hope to hear from you soon.

Take care and best regards,

Z e n

.........

(Oct 4, 2007)

Hi Pureza!

What
a great blog! I especially I like your artwork in the 'Art is the realm of my
free spirit.' Thanks for including me in yourblog despite the fact that I had to
be in the Philippines the day of the event.

Thanks to all your support and the support
of allthe artists and friends Jo Solomonson and Kai El Zabar, and AlexDean Bru,
President of the Philippine Arts Council.Also, thanks for responding to my
email. It's great to hear from youand to know that you can be our guide!

Oct. 27th is the Ullalim Festival.Perhaps
the 4th week would be the best time to go.

Give me your cell and landline so I can
call you.

Thanks and keep the wonderful creativity
flowing!

Z e n

STORYTELLING PRESENTATION IN CALIFORNIA

2007-10-06T14:19:00.001+08:00

Storytelling...?

Storytelling is something that I have not done in the Philippines. I did have speaking engagements related to my job as an educator and community development worker from 1985 to 2000. I talked about leadership development, women’s issues, enterprise development, community development, and anything about the development of communities and organizing people. But storytelling? It was not my cup of tea. Or so I thought.

When I went to Los Angeles, California in 2002, I was invited by Zen Lopez to give a presentation. Why not? That was easy. All I had to do was to make a collage of my writings. I had been researching about Igorot folktales as part of my job with Igorota Foundation, Inc in 1998. I even wrote a story and an article about storytelling when I was the Executive Director of Women's Access, Inc. I just had to put on my costume and present.

I realized that highlighting my indigenous culture was empowering as it defined my identity. It actually gave me leverage as other people found my topic interesting. Something ethnic. Something exotic. I did not revel on these labels, because being ethnic and exotic were some sort of a fad, people in the west were crazy about. But I found an opportunity to talk about my own culture. I recognized that that the customs and traditions of the indigenous peoples in the Cordilleras of the Northern Philippines were radically changing with modernization and getting distorted with the effects of commercialization and miseducation. The good values and the organic integrity of the Igorot people must be put forth so that their good images would be viewed with dignity and respect. With that in mind, I agreed to do a presentation in my own way, as follows:

Storytelling Presentation [excerpt]

Pacific Asia Museum
46 N. Robles Avenue Pasadena,
California
May 19 2002

..Story telling for Igorots in the Northern Philippines is an art, and it is for life. They are vibrant colorful strands that continue to weave our culture. It is an age-old art, chanted in private or sacred moments, in a given time in life or in death.

Igorot folktales had always been creatively told. It is like a traditional fine woven tapestry, where the basic strands dominate the fabric but different threads intertwine to make up the design and enhance the overall appearance. Traditional storytellers, just like the weavers, highlight the basic story with their personal tales, anecdotes, and allegories.

As a covenant to my culture, I dared to try the art of story telling. It is then my hope that this story serves its purpose, which is to link the past, not only to the present, but also to the future.

This morning, I would like to tell you the story of the KAYABANG BASKET, which I entitled, THE LOVE BASKET. This story is intended to showcase the value of the vanishing culture of the Igorots.

The KAYABANG is a simple handcrafted bamboo basket. Humble maybe, but it is a cultural symbol of an indigenous tribe. It highlights their heritage, values, and lives.

...........cut..........
[The story of The Kayabang Love Basket will be published in another page]
........................
Thank you very much for this opportunity to tell my story. As an ending, I would like you to hear how stories are told in the traditional Igorot way.

[Audio sound from my father’s (Lucien Gomeyac, Sr.) flute (kalaleng) and his Igorot chant (day-eng) was played.] after this presentation, I was approached by Ms. Connie Longno-Zamora, curator, Glendale Central Library to write about my piece and invited me to do another presentation in Glendale. The featured artists: Mat Relox, Rafael Maniago, Bill Bon expressed their intention to do Igorota images.

Animated story telling
Igorot dance: Pureza Egmalis with Hospicio Dulnuan

My Portrait in Pastel by Rafael Maniago

2007-10-04T17:00:00.002+08:00

I met Rafael Maniago in Pasadena, California, USA as one of the featured artists of the ”Images of our Heritage" Visual Exhibit in 2002. After my presentation, he came to tell me that he appreciated my ethnic background. He even requested that I model in his class in full Igorot costume. Unfortunately however, our schedules did not jibe.

Rafael Maniago was not only a versatile artist. He was also humble and generous. The walls of his art studio were peppered with ribbons, medals, trophies. He explained later that he accumulated those as he persevered to attend art classes in California. That was interesting. When he left the Philippines as an immigrant to the United States in 1989, he was already a master artist in his own right. He operated a gallery in the Philippines for at least twenty years before he left. He had been doing portraits using his own art formula. Learning is a continuing process, but what were those art classes for?

Art, he explained to me is a world in the west that you cannot just conquer. So he had to start from the bottom. He patiently attended art classes even right from work. So, most of the time, he was in snooze mode. He did not have to learn the basics of art however; he just had to take time to integrate himself in art societies. Slowly, he gained the confidence of his classmates and their respect because in every art competition, he would have those awards.

He graciously toured us around art galleries in Southern California. He brought us to Disneyland in Orange County where he worked part time as an artist. He drew my portrait in pastel. A precious gift. Thank you, Ka Raffy!

Rafael Maniago was not only very professional in his work, but more importantly, he was intensely passionate with his art. He portrays a person from within, and focuses not on the visible physical attributes. He depicts what radiates from the inside.

A real artwork is a portrait to the soul.

Filipino Artists in Los Angeles

2007-09-29T15:30:00.003+08:00

Celebration of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2002. Featured were acclaimed artists Papo de Asis, William Roger Bon, Nelson M. Castillo, Rafael Maniago, Mat M. Relox, Jesse Santos, Hospicio Dulnuan, ZenLopez (curator), and Pureza Egmalis (presenter).