The featured artists with Professor Jerry R. Yapo
The month of May celebrated two groups of people that society would not be able to function without: laborers and mothers. These identities often intersect, as many laborers are mothers who work inside and outside the home. Exploring the concept of motherhood also means raising questions about the maternal and domestic labor expected of women. Mothers provide food, shelter, safekeeping, and protection to the whole family, undeniably playing a major role as a pillar of the home and the workforce. Guest viewing the mosaic art Philippine Pitta (𝑃𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑎 𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟) by Elaine Lopez-Clemente
"Rise for Rice: Mothers for the Earth" pays tribute to the unique strength, kindness, and love of mothers; attributes that more often than not manifest themselves through women’s labor. The featured ceramic works in the exhibit draw particular inspiration from the stories of Filipino peasant mothers from the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women. These works honor peasant mothers’ unrecognized labor in the fields and at home, their intimate relationship with the natural world, their struggle for land and livelihood, and their tireless pursuit for a just and peaceful world for themselves and their children. Rise and Rice participating artists from left Elaine Lopez-Clemente, Kristine Chan, Yllang Montenegro, Aba Lluch Dalena, Zenaida Soriano, Laura Fermo, Jing Sinay-Ocampo, Melanie Libatique, Yolanda Batara and Rara Carrillo
Agriculture is an industry that both shapes and is shaped by the land. The exhibited ceramics, made from clay personally mixed by artist and peasant advocate Yllang Montenegro, were shaped by peasant women and women artists into images of food, the environment, motherhood, and femininity. The works express solidarity with the agriculture sector’s calls to protect the country’s agricultural lands, and to support and strengthen local food production— calls on which the survival of peasant women’s way of life is hinged. Peasant mothers play a crucial role in the country’s food production. They are primarily responsible for sourcing food for their families, and they are also responsible for growing and harvesting crops. However, they are often exploited and underpaid, and they do not receive the recognition they deserve for their hard work. Fr. Gerard Ma. de Villa, OSB Rector President of San Beda College Alabang viewing Mosaic Art the Philippine Trogon (𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠) Ibong Adarna in real life by Elaine Lopez-Clemente
The Rise for Rice: Mothers for the Earth exhibit is a powerful reminder of the importance of peasant mothers and their work. It is also a call to action for all of us to support peasant mothers and to fight for their rights. *The Rise for Rice: Mothers for the Earth exhibit is located at San Beda Alabang Museum and Archives and last until Aug. 3, 2023.*