ANTIPOLO AS A CREATIVE CITY The Crescent Moon Café mural

As part of National Heritage Month, Crescent Moon Cafe, together with the City Government of Antipolo, local creatives, and artist collectives, invites everyone to Sining to the Moon to be held at Crescent Moon Cafe, Antipolo on May 20 and 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Showcasing select artists, makers, and craft workers, the art fair aims to re-introduce Antipolo as a locale full of creative hubs, such as sculptor Lanelle Abueva-Fernando’s Crescent Moon Cafe and Pottery Studio.

Timed with the declaration of Antipolo Cathedral (designed by 20th-century Filipino artist and architect Jose Lorenzo de Ocampo as an International Shrine, Sining to the Moon aims to re-introduce Antipolo City as a creative city consisting of various destinations and collectives, initially ignited by Pinto Art Museum. ARTipolo Group Inc. continues the spirit of art appreciation becoming art practice.  Emerging Antipolo artists will display their works side-by-side with established artists.
Featuring artists such as Lanelle Abueva-Fernando, Carl Regalado, Maxi Tungol, Amihan Abueva, the Mahilum Brothers, Pedrong Masipag, Daniel Dumaguit, Racquel Akisha (Habi ni Ake), the plant art of Wendy Regalado, and Jovel Lorenzo (Box Camera PH), Sining to the Moon also highlights collectives such Inlayo Art Gallery, ARTipolo, the decades-old Thursday Group, and Creative Apes & Twisted Hearts. It also features works by beneficiary communities such as Tahanan Santa Lucia for Girls and Sulyap sa Nakalipas comprised of inmates. Vibal Books will also be showcasing its art, heritage, and history books.

Different artists working with different mediums, such as clay art, sketching, ice carving, and more will also hold workshops open to all who are curious. Lanelle Abueva will deliver an address on the first day as the Antipolo City Band serenades visitors with kundiman classics and while HIYAS Dance Troop of the University of Rizal System Antipolo will deliver folk dance performances.

Antipolo also welcomes visiting artists from other locales, such as Jovel Lorenzo, known for reigniting interest in antique photography through his Box Camera PH project, designing a camera based on the specs of late 1800s cameras, and shooting contemporary subjects in a heritage style. He has since attracted a steady, notably young following buoyed by a nostalgia for an era that was never theirs.

At the center of Sining to the Moon are works from local art collectives such as ARTipolo and The Antipolo Thursday Group, which anchor the spirit of collaboration, community, and folk art.  The Antipolo Thursday Group is a casual collective that has been meeting every Thursday for decades. Never intended to be a formal group, its participants, who are friends, simply gather once a week for the love of art and art-making.

This environment inspired many members to take on a more committed art practice, as the group continues to welcome younger artists over the years. Veterans generously share knowledge, techniques, and networks to help acquaint their juniors to the art world. And now, even their children are actively creating their own artistic expressions.

Sining to the Moon won’t be the last, as the city government of Antipolo is committed to pursue similar initiatives. Last February Arts Month saw Sining Taktak held at the rehabilitated Hinulugang Taktak National Park. The overall goal is to re-introduce Antipolo as a lively creative community of artists, all while furthering the social status of artists and creating a local directory of creatives of all levels.

Magel Cadapan at +63 917 792 9020 for more info.