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BY RHODA GARZON CAMPILLAN
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Celebrating visual art, the Viva Excon way

VIVA Excon or Visayan Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference will be launched on Nov. 17, 2016.
Viva Excon, according to the brochure they distributed during the press conference, is the only and longest running art biennale in the Philippines. Biennale, which means a large exhibition or music festival, is usually held biennially or every other year. This year Iloilo City hosts the grandest art event.
The desire of this event is to gather as many artists from the Visayas region and welcome guest artists from various parts of the country and the world. Ilonggos can expect exhibits in different venues. It will display the obra maestra of artists from all parts of the Visayas.
There will also be a conference which will put together experts in different creative forms from the local and international arena. Speakers include Ma. Victoria Herrera, Joyce Toh, Eugene Jamerlan, Elvert Bañares, and Liza Ito, among others. The event will run for five days. Each day there is a plenary session at the Casa Real Ballroom.
According to the organizers, the audience can choose which specific event to attend and participate. In my case, of course, I want to watch the Cultural Night at the University of San Agustin on Nov. 17. In terms of plenary sessions, these are my top choices:
* Intangible Heritage to Sustain Communities by Eugene Jamerlan, Nov. 18
* Creative Crossover: From Visual Art to Cinema and Back – The Visayan Artists’ Experience by Elvert Bañares, Nov. 19
* Building a Professional Career in Art by Gus Albar, Benjie Cabangis, Lena Cabanbang and Gerry Tan, Nov. 19.
It is also important to honor Ilonggo sculptor Timoteo Jumayao. There will be a tribute exhibition at Museo Iloilo (Nov. 19).
The Culminating Night features 12 Ilonggo musicians and bands at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol Amphitheater (Nov. 19).
You already have a lot in your plate just looking at these activities. However, another important event that no spectator should miss is the Garbo sa Bisayas 2016.
Garbo sa Bisaya honors are conferred on artists and cultural workers in the Visayas who have demonstrated remarkable practice in their respective disciplines. The following are the artists which will be given recognition:
* Antonio Alcoseba from Cebu for Visual Arts (painting)
* Dulce Cuna Anacion from Leyte for Arts and Humanities, Visual and Performance Arts
* Elvert Bañares from Iloilo for Film and Visual Arts
* Oliver Exmundo from Iloilo for Film Animation
* Allain Hablo from Iloilo for Visual Arts (painting)
* Mariano “Manny” Montelibano from Negros Occidental for Visual Arts (multi-media), and
* Jose “Javy” Villacin from Cebu for Visual Arts (painting).
The Garbo sa Bisaya Exhibition will run from Nov. 18 to 28, 2016 at Casa Real Gallery. The Reception Night and Awards Nights will be on Nov. 20 at the Casa Real Ballroom.
One question I asked from the organizers during the press conference was, how far has visual arts in Iloilo evolved and what should be done to better strengthen art in the city?
Retired University of the Philippines professor and renowned visual artist Edward Defensor replied that years ago, there were only three of them who pioneered visual arts in the city. Now, he said, more and more artists are sharing their talents.
He also mentioned that he is very happy that the University of San Agustin (USA) has a Fine Arts program. Through education, new breed of artists would be discovered, he said.
Art in the city will continue to flourish and there will be new advocates who will carry on the legacy.
Libby Norman Limoso, USA Fine Arts academic supervisor, agreed with Prof. Defensor’s observation. He said education is a major key in developing artists. Mr. Limoso’s Fine Arts students are very active participants in his advocacies, especially in the preservation of Sugidanon epics.
Helping Limoso in training students is Miss Rosalie Zerrudo, also a USA Fine Arts professor and her art advocacies are centred in the community. Miss Zerrudo was the teacher of my AB Com students in Drama Class. The students were very much privilege to be a part of Zerrudo’s goal in propagating art in the community, especially for the women inmates of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
I am very proud of the organizers of Viva Excon for putting all these events together. This is no joke flying in various artists and shipping hundreds of art works. Hence, they deserve all the support they can get.
This is a rare opportunity where celebrated artists gather and treat Ilonggos to a magnificent and once-in-a-lifetime art exhibition. Mabuhay, Viva Excon!/PN
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