Locus Redux at the Yuchengco Museum

This begins a series of thoughts on the last 2 weeks at the Yuchengco Museum. The other weekend, I was part of Locus Redux: Speaking Across Contexts, Learnings and Negotiations in Writing and Teaching Art. Three meaty days of discussions with speakers from Hong Kong, China, Korea, 2 from Japan, Singapore, Morocco, The West Indies, and Indonesia.

Representatives from teachers, museum curators, deans and artists from across the Philippines, including Feliz Perez of Cafe by the Ruins (my favorite Baguio spot) joined in. Lovely!

Thank you May Ann Pernia, for inviting me to take part in this. I thought i was going to be so out of place, but i tried to feel my way through. Met the very intelligent Ina Cosio, daughter of Ivi Avellana-Cosio and Allan.

Dr. Brenda Fajardo: artist, painter, art educator, university professor, the CV list is long, opened Locus Redux with a comprehensive history of teaching art in the Philippines. Naturally, Dr. Fajardo started off with Damian Domingo, Filipino artist who opened the first art school in the country in the 19th century.

 For those who don't know Dr. Fajardo was essential in the initiatives in developing an art curriculum in the country's educational system. Tapped by renowned painter Araceli Dans in the 1960s, Dr. Fajardo has pioneer, first-hand experience with art, and the teaching of. Dr. Fajardo expounded in detail the arduous process in the creation, the drafting, and the implementation of an art curriculum.

The vast difference between the running of public schools, directly under the DECS, and the private schools, which have more freedom in their teaching formats, truly matter in the cultivation of a comprehensive, successful, and relevant art curriculum.

In its early days, the teaching of art has been very basic: drawing, lines, color, and cutting paper. All based on U.S. curriculum.

Then, there is the problem of qualified art teachers. From its inception, art teachers have not been qualified to teach art. Rarely do artists have the DECS qualifications, license, what-not, necessary to teach. The teachers assigned to art are those who have artistic inclinations, and lack the proper exposure, terminology and expertise on the subject.

There's a whole lot of learning experienced from Dr. Fajardo's talk. The meat of the matter is sustainable development of teaching art. The lady Emeritus of the University of the Philippines Department of Art Studies named various cross-disciplines and multi-venues as crucial int he development of art studies and art appreciation in the country.

Among those are the PETA,the Philippine High School for the Arts in Makiling, the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Of course, the opening of museums serves to expose the community to art forms and movements.

Accessibility, interest, inspiration, these venues and movements in the spread of art interest and art studies truly matter.

Next up, some learning from the speakers.