The talented Michael Bacol in his studio, Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao. It was interesting to visit Michael’s studio and see the neighborhood kids practically invite themselves in to play with his art supplies. His paintings are populated with children (and doorways), and after visiting his workspace, it felt like seeing a layer of his work in motion. Another theme in Michael’s earlier paintings is the motorela, a trike-jeepney hybrid common in Cagayan de Oro. Siete Pesos is the motorela fare, and also the name of a collective art group Michael exhibited with at the Singapore Biennial. The other artists of […]
I had the opportunity to workshop the Ivatan story with ten 3rd graders at Basco Elementary School. With the help of Awee Abellardo (of Yaru Artists Collective), and Basco’s Vice-Mayor Ann Viola, we got the kids drawing some Ivatan words to start, then read them the story and held a group discussion to see what they thought of the themes. They seemed to really like the story. Although it was text only, I had their full attention during the reading. There were smiles and stolen glances at the written story while I read it aloud. Some photos of the experience, […]
At the beginning of the Ivatan story process, Alyssa Sarmiento visited Batanes and spent several days interviewing kids, teachers, artists, elders, and others in the community. She created this word cloud based on that, as one of the tools for discussing story themes. In practical terms, Elders is the biggest theme. But for random giggles, I am glad “Lost Carabao” made it in there. What are your random favorites, dear readers?
From Itbayat Folktales, collected by Professor Yukihiro Yamada and introduced by Celerina Mirabueno Navarro – – – – – – – – – – – – A long time ago, during the time when my grandfather Aplakati was still a little boy, there was an old man who lived in the fields of Kagawran. This old man was so kind that when he saw dead snakes under the heat of the sun, he would take them to a shady place. Although he was already very old and weak, he still would go to his farm. One day he went to […]
If you’ve been to the Philippines, you’ve surely run across a sari-sari store at some point. They are what we call bodegas in New York, cornershops in England, mama shops in Singapore. The word “sari-sari” is Tagalog for “variety / diversity.”Sari-sari stores are flexible, common, convenient, and located everywhere. They’re packed with all the things you need for daily living (from toothpaste to canned sardines, soap to coffee) in tiny, affordable packages. Sometimes they also sell cold drinks, cooked snacks, or vegetables. They are entrepreneurial, usually run by women from a home as a side business. Sari-Sari Storybooks takes the […]