DTI expresses willingness to help local visual artists

CEBU, Philippines - While Cebu's creative sector starts to gain a foothold, industry prime movers are encouraging visual artists to reach out to the government to help the industry establish connections with concerned agencies.

The creative sector in Cebu, which is now strongly facilitated by the Department of Trade and Industry Cebu Provincial Office (DTI-CPO) is trying to help the visual arts sub-sector in the creative industry to maximize its world-class potential.

 “They [visual artists] should let us know what they need and how we can help them. We are ready to assist here. There are a lot of supporting programs towards the development of visual arts sector in the government, including the foreign support groups,” said DTI-CPO director Nelia F. Navarro.

In fact, Navarro said the DTI’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) has included the visual arts in its budget, through inviting visual artists to participate in the world trade fairs, and promote their works to the international market.

With this, there is a big chance for good Cebuano artists to take advantage of this opportunity. After all, Cebuano talents have already gained a name in the world’s creative sector, Navarro said.

In a separate interview, multi-awarded visual artist Fred Galan said although there is now an increasing number of visual artists in Cebu, market for these kind of work of arts are also increasing.

Surprisingly, Galan said the more informed and educated new generation or young market have started to appreciate the local work of arts through paintings, thus demand is becoming dynamic.

Because of government’s lack of support for this kind of “profession”, Galan said serious artists are doing their own promotional campaigns, and participating exhibitions here and abroad required in order to establish their names.

Luckily, the construction boom in Cebu has sustained the players’ livelihood. Unlike, in the past, that consumers were only “collectors” and painting investors.

Galan, who has been in the profession for over 40 years now, said the Cebu market for paintings have improved significantly, boosted by the appreciation of young generation to invest in paintings.

On the other hand, Visual Arts Industry association in Cebu president Dennis E. Montera earlier said that Cebuano visual artists have potential to be worldwide players, if given the right technical support.

At present, he said the industry has no “direction” and players and visual art hobbyist are only doing their own “thing” as individual, without hitting the right market, with no proper venue to display their craftsmanship.

“We need proper direction—where to go. We see art exhibits all around, but most artists need learn more and avoid the redundancy of their works. We always see sunsets, sunrise their works,” said Montera.

He said although Cebuano visual artists are very talented, but they need to have a constant technical training and workshop in order to compete with the world’s visual arts industry, “we are lagging behind.”

The Cebuano visual artists should be given the right training and adopt new styles and trends in the world’s visual arts industry.

Cebu, as a tourism destination, should be a good venue for visual artists to make their creations sell to the global market.

    Montera added that in Cebu, most visual artists’ exhibit their creations in different locations, and has become a traditional “Sunday thing”, with no support from other government agencies, or development organizations.

 “There is a big potential for the visual arts industry in Cebu, only if players will come and reach out to the right people,” Navarro said.  (FREEMAN)