MANILA, Philippines— Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, recently named this year’s Art Ambassador for the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), is calling on the Filipinos to learn the country’s arts and culture with her.
“As ambassador for 2020, I really hope to be able to learn a lot about the different regions coming together sharing their arts and culture to be able to spread joy and awareness and really captivate the newer generations in developing their love for the Filipino arts,” Gray said.
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Gray said it is a great honor for her to be named the country’s arts ambassador.
“I always wanted to showcase the beauty and the intricate uniqueness of the Philippines to the universe platform,” she said in a speech.
“My love for our arts and culture was not something I was born to due to my mixed heritage. It was something that was grown, learned and embodied,” she added.
The beauty queen said her new role means so much to her because she is an artist and is very fascinated by the country’s textile history, music, bands, among others.
“It has so many different facets and we all are united through art,” Gray said as she called on Filipinos to “celebrate, preserve and connect one another” through art.
Aside from Gray, local singers Julie Anne San Jose and KZ Tandingan were also chosen as ambassadors by the NCCA.
This is Philippines Luzon Part 2
On Monday, Gray released a video on her social media account showcasing Manila’s arts and the launch of her role as an NCCA ambassador. She called the it “This is Philippines Luzon, Part 2,” a sequel to her “This is Philippines Luzon” video released in 2018 as part of her national costume series for the Miss Universe 2018 competition.
Like her 2018 video, Gray once again showcased the beauty of the walled city Intramuros. She visited revisited Fort Santiago and mingled with local tourists.
February has been declared "National Arts Month" by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 683 issued in 1991.
The proclamation states that "the disciplines of theatre, dance, music, visual arts, architecture, literature, media arts, and film need to be preserved, enriched, and evolved in a climate of free artistic and intellectual expression."