Just a heads up on our September Tour specials for the month!

In brotherly partnership with Ultimate Philippine Tours, may we present:

The Ultimate Pampanga Food and Culture Tour!

Journey to the central heartland as we immerse ourselves in things Kapampangan! From Baroque to betute,its fun-filled day as we poke around and get intimate with the very best of Pampanga’s cultural offerings!

Gawk at the jewel-box of church in Betis while wading through the lahar-buried town of Bacolor.

We’ll stuff ourselves silly with the best Kapampangan fare by one of the country’s best known Pampango chefs!

A tour with nothing but Kapampangan cool!

Itinerary: Betis and Bacolor Church, breakfast at Everybody’s cafe in San Fernando and 5-hour lunch i Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung

When: September 18, 2010 from 7:00 AM-7:00 PM

Rate: P4,500.00/head (inclusive of tour, breakfast, lunch, transportation, celebrity sightings and lotsa fun!)

When: December 18, 2020 from 7:00 AM-10:00 PM (in time for the Christmas Ligligan Parul Festival )

Rate: To Be Announced, seating slots to the Lantern Festival limited, book now!

Walk for a Cause!

S.O.S. Save our San Sebastian!

The 120-year old all-steel church of San Sebastian is in slowly rusting itself too death. And want to do our bit so this architectural jewel will survive another century! Join as as on this special walk as we explore the history, the architecture and pressing challenges that is eating up (literally!) this engineering marvel. Together with steel conservationist Tina Paterno, we’ll climb where no parishioners have climbed before as we explore every nook
and cranny of the San Sebastican Basilica!

Rate: P1,000.00/head (inclusive of tour and merienda)

When: Saturday, September 25, 2010 in the afternoon. Time to be announced

* All the proceeds of this tour will be donated to the San Sebastian restoration program
* As there a load limits with certain parts of the church that we’ll be visiting, slots are will be limited.

And our regular walks!

The BIG Binondo Food WOK!
Nibbling Our Way Through Chinatown

September 03 (Saturday) at 9:00 AM
September 11 (Saturday) at 2:00 PM
September 25 (Saturday) at 9:00 AM

Power, Palace and a SHOT of Beer!
A San Miguel- Malacanang Palace Walk

September 24 (Friday) at 9:00 AM

Walls of THIS Content!
An Intramuros Interactive Walk

Book anytime!

Ivan Man Dy
Old Manila Walks
“Your First Step to Knowing Manila!”
www.oldmanilawalks.com

Images of Manila – Then (1946) and Now (2010)
(Talk by Carlos Celdran, with an introduction to Teodulo Protomartir by Uro de la Cruz)

Little known to the general public, Teodulo Protomartir is considered as the Father of Philippine photography, and credited with bringing the 35 mm format to the country. He captured Manila in ruins from the Second World War, its battle wounds, and its restoration. He caught post-war Manila with Filipinos going about their daily business in familiar places like Intramuros, Luneta, Ermita and Quiapo. He took shots as well of buildings and bridges that are no more.

Protomartir was there in 1946 when the Americans gave the Philippines its independence. On July 4, he witnessed the birth of the Philippine Republic: for the first time the Philippine flag flew proudly alone. Filipino crowds cheered, planes flew overhead, floats passed in parade. Protomartir caught it all on still camera. Beyond their importance as historical evidence, Protomartir’s images are cultural treasures that are part and parcel of the Filipino’s identity and collective memory.

TV director and photographer Uro de la Cruz will give an introduction to Teodulo Protomartir and tell the interesting story of how he serendipitously came across his photographs. And in his inimitable way, Carlos Celdran, celebrated tour guide and authority on Manila’s history, will bridge the decades with a talk illustrated with pictures of the places Protomartir photographed in 1946 as they are today in 2010.

This lecture will be on September 8, 2010, Wednesday, 6:30 pm, at the Silverlens Gallery located at 2320 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati City. MFPI Fellowship will follow right after the lecture.

Fees: P200 for non-members, P100 for MFPI members, and P50 for students. Kindly download, fill out the reply form and fax to 404-2685 / 722-9073/ 810-6912 or email to inquiry@museumfoundationph.org. You may also text/call 0928-5039392 (Elvie) or 0927-8484680 (Mae) to reserve slots.

Join the Museum Foundation as it explores the oldest city in the Philippines!

Explore the museums, churches and old homes of Cebu with Architect Melva Java, Professor Florencio Moreno, Dr. Jocelyn Gerra and Mr. Balbino Guerrero.  These specialists on Cebu history and culture will show us the architectural jewels of Cebu City and the environs to the South including the towns of Boljoon, Sibonga and Carcar.

Marvel in the contemporary furniture and accessories design that Cebu has become renowned for with a visit to the workshop of Kenneth Cobonpue and those of fashion accessory designers.

Savor the cuisine that has made Cebu world-famous.

We will depart Manila for Cebu the morning of Friday September 10 and spend two nights at the Marco Polo Hotel, departing Cebu for Manila in the afternoon of Sunday September 12. Package details can be found at the lower portion of the email.

You can download the invitation, itinerary and the reply form here. You also have the option of just downloading the reply form.

Deadline for reservations is August 25, 2010. To reserve a space, or inquire further, please call Elvie or Mae at telefax number 404-2685, or on mobile number 0928-503-9392 (Elvie) or 0927-8484680 (Mae). You may also email us at inquiry@museumfoundationph.org.

Thursday, July 29, 3:00 – 6:00 pm

Marble Hall
Museum of the Filipino People
Valencia Circle, Rizal Park, Manila

Performance by SPIT
(Silly People’s Improv Theater)

Afternoon Tea

Sale of posies, herbs and small potted plants
Sale of books on Philippine art and culture

You can download the reply form from here. Please take the time to print and fill it up and fax to 404-2685 or 722-9073. You can also send e-mail to inquiry@museumfoundationph.org.

STEREO 2 by Juan Caguicla and Christina Dy
July 27, 2010, Tuesday
6-9pm

Silverlens Gallery celebrates MANILART 10 with STEREO 2 by Juan Caguicla and Christina Dy, July 27-31, 2010 at Silverlens

STEREO by Juan Caguicla and Christina Dy continues on July 27 at Silverlens Gallery. As a special extension of the Silverlens Show at MANILART 10 , the Philippines’ second international contemporary art fair to be held from July 30 to August 01 at the SMX Convention Center, Caguicla and Dy join Frankie Callaghan, Leslie de Chavez, Mariano Ching, Chati Coronel, Christina Dy, Wawi Navarozza, Gina Osterloh, Hanna Pettyjohn and Rachel Rillo.

Showcasing the second part of two series marrying Caguicla’s edgy photography and Dy’s large-scale charcoal drawings, Caguicla and Dy present only one image, albeit a very strong one. As in January’s STEREO 1, the two choose their body as their subjects to produce an altogether new and grotesque image. It is indeed “stereoscopic”, as described by mutual friend Raymond De Veyra, the source of the show’s name.

In this show, called STEREO 2, Caguicla and Dy go much further with what they bare and where they connect. And by also going much bigger in scale, STEREO 2 is meant to make an impact. There is a thrill in seeing it for the first time.

Complementing STEREO 2 is their collaboration for Brian Tenorio and Emi Jorge’s design exhibition, Tenorio/Jorge on Fifth Avenue, which ran from April 29 through May 22 in The Philippine Center in New York. “As a backdrop to Tenorio and Jorge’s designs are two of the most-photographed faces in the Philippines, Piolo Pascual and Angel Aquino – both excellent specimens of quintessential Filipino beauty.”* Caguicla photographed Pascual and Aquino while Dy drew on the decorative details. To highlight what is ‘Pinoy’, they thought to put together Pascual and Aquino’s iconic beauty and Catholic iconography.

As in STEREO 2, they lay out imagery that is familiar, full of detail and with perhaps a milieu of metaphors to be found. But the idea behind Caguicla and Dy’s work is not to prescribe, but rather to look with new eyes.

STEREO 2 is shown alongside Beautiful Inside My Head Forever with Martha Atienza, Bea Camacho, Sam Kiyoumarsi and Pow Martinez, curated by Norberto Roldan at SLab; and Sure Sure, Happy Happy, Picture Picture by Maria Jeona at 20SQUARE.

MANILART10 will be at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City from July 30 to August 01,2010. For more information and tickets, please visit www.manilart.com

Words: Bea Davila, Image: Juan Caguicla and Christina Dy, Piolo Pascual / Filipino (left), Angel Aquino / Filipina (right), 2010

* Words by Brian Tenorio (www.briantenorio.com)

Traditional images worked in new technology – why? What are its effects in various media? In Gaston Damag’s case, it was an opportunity to utilize his culture and turn institutions\’ ideas about it on their heads. For Keith Sicat, it enabled him to push cinematic tehcniques In their works, the artists try to articulate how their works link past and present. On July 17, Saturday, 2-4 pm, they will speak about their process and its effects in light of diaspora.

Gaston Damag is a Paris-based Filipino performance and installation artist and Keith Sicat is an independent filmmaker. Both artists’ works are featured in the exhibition After the Fact, ongoing until September 2010 at the Lopez Museum.

The Lopez Memorial Museum is at the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig. Museum days and hours are Monday-Saturday, except holidays, from 8am-5pm. For more details call 6312417 or email pezseum@skyinet.net

Artist Talk: Bato Bato sa Langit by Alfredo Esquillo Jr.
June 26, 2010, Saturday
3-5pm

Alfredo Esquillo Jr.\’s Bato Bato sa Langit, is a game of throw-and-catch, where criticism constantly bounces back and forth. \’Who throws\’ and \’who gets hit\’ are questions that require some stepping back, humility in tow, to arrive at an answer. In this show, the game is framed by three large paintings and three jeepney-wheelchair installations, through which Esquillo looks at the Philippines’ sense of nationhood and the obstacles in its way forward.

On June 26, Saturday, 3-5pm, Esqui (as he is called) will have his artist talk on Bato Bato sa Langit. Setting the backdrop are his paintings that depict the first stone cast by America – leaving a wound extensive and deep -; and his jeepney-wheelchair installation pieces that painfully reveal that the biggest and powerful stone is one that Filipinos threw at themselves. Get to know Esqui\’s journey with Bato Bato sa Langit, and join him referee the game of throw-and-catch.

This event is free of charge. RSVP call 8160044 or email manage@silverlensphoto.com

Bato Bato sa Langit is on display until July 03,2010. It runs simultaneously with Being There 1946: The Legacy of Teodulo Protomartir in Silverlens Gallery; and Lover Lay Down by Christina Dy in 20SQUARE.

Bato Bato sa Langit is in partnership with Tin-Aw Art Management.

Words: Bea Davila, Image: Alfredo Esquillo Jr., B.I. Joe, 2010

Being There 1946: The Legacy of Teodulo Protomartir
June 9, Wednesday
6-9pm

Teodulo Protomartir was there in 1946 when the Americans gave the Philippines its independence. On July 4, he witnessed the birth of the Philippine Republic. For the first time, the Philippine ag ew alone and free. The Filipino crowd cheering by, planes flying overhead, oats lining the parade…a celebration it was. And Protomartir caught it all on still camera.

Protomartir, the photographer who first brought the 35mm format to the Philippines and actively promoted photography through his photo club and radio show, shows us a monumental event in Philippine history and the Manila that enveloped it. Considered as the Father of Philippine photography, Protomartir captured the city in ruins from the Second World War, its battle wounds and its restoration – scenes we thought only survived in memory. He captures post-war Manila’s architecture and landscape, with Filipinos going about their daily business in familiar places such as Intramuros, Luneta, Ermita and Quiapo as well as in buildings and bridges that are no longer, including the old Sto. Domingo Church, which is one of the six Churches that once stood in Spanish Intramuros. For almost four centuries there stood the home of Our Lady of La Naval before it was bombed in 1941.

Beyond historical evidence, the significance of Protomartir’s images is meaningful. Protomartir hands to the Filipino people cultural treasures that should remain part of Filipino consciousness and memory. Sixty-four years later, we celebrate Protomartir because through him we were there too.

Complementing this exhibit is a talk on July 1 by Carlos Celdran, celebrated tour guide and authority on Manila’s history. Entitled Placing The Transition, the talk bridges 1946 and 2010 with photos of the places Protomartir photographed as they are today. Uro dela Cruz will also be giving an introduction to Protomartir, the man behind it all.

The talk will be on July 1, Thursday, 6-8pm at Silverlens Gallery. This event is free of charge. RSVP call 8160044 or email manage@silverlensphoto.com

The Images of Being There 1946: The Legacy of Teodulo Protomartir were printed by Billy Mondoñedo. Being There 1946: The Legacy of Teodulo Protomartir runs simultaneously with Bato Bato Sa Langit by Alfredo Esquillo Jr. at SLab, and Lover Lay Down by Christina Dy at 20Square.

For inquiries, contact Silverlens Gallery at 2/F YMC Bldg. II, 2320 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati, 816-0044, 0917-5874011, or manage@silverlensphoto.com. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10am–7pm and Saturdays 1–6pm. www.silverlensphoto.com / slab.silverlensphoto.com.

Words: Bea Davila, Image: Teodulo Protomartir, 4 (top left), 12 (top right), 417-418 (bottom), 1946

Feeling nationalistic? Shop!

In this sweltering summer of politics when campaign jingles and promises fill the airwaves, cynical citizens can rekindle their love for country in MaARTe: A Contemporary Filipino Arts and Crafts Fair. Presented by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Filipino Heritage Festival Inc., National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Department of Tourism, the bazaar will run on May 20 and 21, Thursday & Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Museum of the Filipino People (Old Finance Building).

Celebrating the creativity really makes this country great, weavers from the north and south showcase their fabrics and hand woven items, alongside contemporary jewelry designs by Michelline Syjuco. Colorful bags crocheted from recycled plastic and wires by the women of the Invisible Institute revive an old craft with a new twist.

To highlight the event, there will also be a concert dubbed Himig at Kultura: A Night at the Museum featuring Palawan’s Sinika, Sinosikat, Drip, and Up Dharma Down on May 21, Friday, 6:00 pm. The concert will also be held at the Museum of the Filipino Courtyard.

An entrance fee of Php50 to the bazaar entitles the holder to free admission to the Museum of the Filipino People during museum hours and to the concert on May 21. Proceeds will be donated to the National Museum as a fundraiser.

So spend some time at the National Museum – see Filipino art, buy local products and revel in the glories of our ancient and evolving heritage as we celebrate Filipino Heritage Month this May.

Join the Museum Foundation as it celebrates Heritage Month in Cebu from May 28 – 30, 2010. On the first evening of the tour, we join Cebu city in its Gabii Sa Kabilin, which literally translated is “Night of Heritage”.  It is Cebu’s celebration of the Filipino Heritage Month and International Museums Day when from 6 pm to 12 midnight, six museums will welcome visitors with tours, activities and cultural presentations.  Walk from one museum to the next or take the tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) and spend the evening leisurely taking in Cebu’s old downtown.

Explore the museums, churches and old homes of Cebu with Architect Melva Java, Professor Florencio Moreno, Dr. Jocelyn Gerra and Mr. Bino Guerrero.  These specialists on Cebu history and culture will show us the architectural jewels of Cebu City and the environs to the South including the towns of Boljoon, Sibonga and Carcar.

Marvel in the contemporary furniture and accessories design that Cebu has become renowned for with a visit to the workshop of Kenneth Cobonpue and those of fashion accessory designers.

Savor the cuisine that has made Cebu world-famous.

We will depart Manila for Cebu the morning of Friday May 28 and spend two nights at the Marco Polo Hotel, departing Cebu for Manila in the afternoon of Sunday May 30. Package details can be found at the lower portion of the email.

Join the Museum Foundation as it explores the oldest city in the Philippines!

Proposed Tour Itinerary

Friday, 28 May 2010

• Arrive Cebu, go directly to the University of San Carlos
• Lecture on Cebu heritage architecture at the University of San Carlos by Arch. Melva Java
• Lunch and introduction to Cebu history and culture by Dr. Jocelyn Gerra
• Check into Marco Polo Hotel
• Visit Kenneth Cobonpue\’s workshop
• Merienda in Abaseria, a Filipino deli where can buy everything including the chairs. Great Filipino merienda: suman & budbud, latik, puto, cucinta
• Gabii sa Kabilin walking/ kalesa tour by Mr. Bino Guerrero
• Late dinner at STK Paolitos Seafood House, four generations of family cooking epicurean Filipino food in an antique Filipino house and you dine in their extended living room… a must dine
• Continuation of tour till midnight for those inclined

Saturday, 29 May

• Early breakfast at the hotel
• Tour of Southern Cebu by Mr. Florencio Moreno: Boljoon, Sibongan and Carcar towns
• Boljoon: Tour of Boljoon Museum, Boljoon Church complex
• Brunch at the Boljoon convent with view of Bohol Strait
• Sibonga: Tour of Our Lady of Pilar Church with murals by Raymundo Francia and the only domed mortuary of Cebu built probably in 1839 based on a bas relief inscription on the portal of the cemetery.
• Carcar: Walking tour visiting heritage homes and buildings
• Merienda
• Back to Marco Polo Hotel
• Dinner

Sunday, May 30

• Breakfast
• Driving tour of city and shopping: Vision Theatre on Colon Street, Malacañang sa Sugbu and the Shamrock Hotel or popularly known as Compania Maritima Building, Capitol Building
• Shopping for fashion and home accessories
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Check out
• Depart hotel for Airport
• Check in at the Airport
• Depart Cebu for Manila

Dr. Jocelyn Gerra is Executive Director of the Cultural Heritage Program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation.

Arch. Melva Java is Director of CHERISH (Conservation & Heritage Research Institute and Workshop) of the University of San Carlos. She was former Dean of the College of Architecture and Fine Arts of USC. It was during here term that the Architecture Bldg was conceptualized  and consequently built together with the current Dean, Maxwell Espina.

Prof. Florencio Moreno is on the faculty of the San Carlos History Department, a researcher for the Cebu History Project and is affiliated with Casa Gorordo Museum as a researcher.

Mr. Balbino Guerrero is a tour guide specializing in heritage and museum tours.  He also co-anchors “Sugbanon na ni”, a radio show on culture, history and language.

Tour Package

Depart on 28 May 2010, Friday
Manila – Cebu 08:00-09:15
Cebu Pacific 5J 563

Return on 30 May 2010, Sunday
Cebu – Manila 17:35-18:50
Cebu Pacific 5J 570

Our package, inclusive of airfare on Cebu Pacific, transfers between airport, hotel and tours, accommodations at Marco Polo Hotel (Twin Rooms, sharing), all meals, the Cebu Heritage Tour, and travel insurance is P24,000 for MFPI members and P25,000 for non-members. Twenty slots are available.

You can download a copy of the reply form here. If you are interested to join us, please fill up the form and fax it to 404-2685.

Deadline for reservations is May 14, 2010. To reserve a space, or inquire further, please call Elvie or Mae at telefax number 404-2685, or on mobile number 0928-503-9392 (Elvie) or 0927-8484680 (Mae). You may also email us at inquiry@museumfoundationph.org.

Thank you.