The celebration of art pushes through!
With this year’s theme “Sining ng Pag-asa,” the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) leads the celebration of National Arts Month (NAM) this February. “Sining ng Pag-asa” aims to recognize arts as a source and expression of hope as shown in the creative ways we respond to the effects of the pandemic, natural calamities, and other social realities, as well as the arts’ role in improving our community life as Filipinos.
Helmed by NCCA chairman, Arsenio “Nick” Lizaso, executive director Oscar Casaysay, and deputy executive directors Marichu Tellano and Bernan Jospeh Corpuz, through its Subcommission on the Arts (SCA), led by its commissioner Rolando Tolentino, NAM 2022 is mainly composed of flagship projects by SCA’s seven national committees: Architecture and Allied Arts, Cinema, Dance, Literary Arts, Music, Dramatic Arts, and Visual Arts.
Miss Universe 2018 and Arts Ambassador Catriona Gray, and P-Pop boy group SB19 join the celebration of NAM 2022 this month. SB19 is the newest Youth and Sentro Rizal Ambassador of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
To show Catriona’s support in the annual celebration, she released “The Grand Reveal,” a short fashion film shot at the historic Metropolitan Theater. “I’m so excited to create a vision with an amazing group of creatives within the iconic Metropolitan Theater,” she said. On her second year (going third) as NCCA Arts Ambassador, Catriona expressed that the thought of presenting an aspect of Philippine culture and arts in a creative and modern way always excites her.
NAM 2022's opening ceremony will be held on Feb. 4, streamed via NCCA’s Facebook page, showcasing various performances, virtual exhibits, poem and story reading, film excerpts, among others from the seven art forms.
“Saan Ka Lulugar: Creativity as the Catalyst for Recovery” is the flagship project of the National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts for the celebration of the NAM 2022. The project is composed of four webinar sessions that highlight conversations on the dynamic transformation of public and private spaces in the new normal. The webinar series will be hosted via zoom and will be livestreamed through Facebook from Feb. 11 to March 4. The project aims to promote and popularize the outstanding creations of Filipino artists in the time of pandemic as well as to increase awareness and knowledge of innovations in planning and design as a response to the pandemic, other natural hazard, and the new normal.
“Cinema Rehiyon: Cinema Society in World Change” bears the flag for the National Committee on Cinema, which will be composed of webinars and round-table discussions among regional film makers, showing of best regional films produced in 2021 such as Mindanao short films. Cinema Rehiyon will be conducted from Feb. 16 to 28.
“Sayaw Pinoy Goes Virtual: Dance of Hope,” the longest running flagship project for NAM of the National Committee on Dance, aims to provide venue for established and upcoming dance groups from all over the country to interact, exchange choreographic ideas, and discover more groups from the regions and provide them opportunities to showcase their works. At this time of the pandemic, Sayaw Pinoy hopes to provide continuity for dance creation while providing some kind of assistance to the different dance troupes, encouraging hope by engaging about 80 groups and staging eight shows on Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26, and March 5.
The “16th Tanghal National University & Community Based Theater Festival,” National Committee on Dramatic Arts’ project for this year’s celebration of NAM will run from Feb. 14 to 26, featuring 30-minute school/university-based and collaborative performances from all over the country.
The National Committee on Literary Arts will conduct “Himaya: Panitikan ng Pagbabanyuhay” for this year’s celebrations, which is mainly composed of publication of learning materials and a two-day conference on March 25 and 26. There’s also a call for papers along with a tribute to National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera as well as Gawad Lumbera.
“Musikapuluan: Gems of Contemporary Music in the Different Genres” is the project of the National Committee on Music featuring various types of music written in the last five or 10 years namely choral works, a cappella groups, pop-ethnic/protest songs, classical music, traditional ensemble such as rondalla and kulintang ensemble, vocal classical music like kundiman, Philippine music theater, large instrumental ensemble, symphonic band, and pop music.
For this year’s NAM, National Committee on Visual Arts is set to conduct “Bagong Biswal 2022.” It will be composed of five installments of 30 to 40 artists and artist groups to be given P22,000 each, exhibition walk through, pop outdoor exhibition, community project, murals or workshop, and webinar series.
Ani ng Dangal will also be a part of the celebration. It recognizes artists, cultural workers, and works that have earned international awards and accolades during the past year. Details for this year’s Ani ng Dangal as well as the calendar of activities will be released through the NCCA Facebook page by the National Arts Month Secretariat.
National Arts Month is celebrated annually thanks to Proclamation No. 683, which dedicates the month of February as a celebration of artistic excellence, and to pay tribute to the uniqueness and diversity of Filipino heritage and culture.