At a recent media engagement to launch Chris Millado as the new vice president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines or the CCP, I have to admit I was a tad bit concerned. There was a white elephant in the room. And no, it hadn’t been the afternoon’s festivities, or Millado himself. In fact, it was an intimate sit-down affair that made for great acoustics, sound exchange, and artistic, intellectual discourse. Also, Millado, a known theater director and arts and culture proponent, had a calmness and certainty about him that could whistle down a roaring wind. No, the white elephant in the room hadn’t been any of the two. Rather, it was the room itself — a fluorescent white space famously (or infamously) known as the CCP Main Gallery which became home to the controversial “Kulo” exhibit that got everyone from tricyle drivers to Malacañang talking.
You will remember a certain installation artwork by Mideo Cruz depicting cornerstones of religious iconography with phallic symbols that solicited nervous outrage on the socio-political front, as well as tirades from the Catholic Church. The matter became contextual fodder for both mainstream and online media, turning everyone’s attention to the often-neglected arts and culture scene. Millado, who stepped into the position sometime during the controversy, opted to get the white elephant out of the way.
“Something good came out of it,” Millado shares. “For the first time, the issues of arts and culture were being talked about.” He adds, “One thing we learned is we had to show the public what this gallery is about — which is to exhibit contemporary art. And contemporary art deals with difficult topics. And sometimes, it brings you over the edge.” He mentions that in Chinese symbology, the character representing crisis also represented opportunity — and this became a powerful metaphor through which he segued his plans of renewal for the CCP.
Millado shares, “I see the artistic mission of the CCP focusing on these four areas: One, artistic excellence; two, Filipino aesthetics; three, arts education; and four, complex development.”
Art That Matters
The CCP’s mission is to create, produce, and present engaging cultural experiences from the Philippines and all over the world, on-site (meaning within the four walls of the CCP), off-site (pertaining to its satellite venues) and online.
Millado shares, “We want to showcase the best artists and products of this generation and provide the venue for the creation of new works. More importantly, we want to provide new contexts for the presentation of traditional work.” He adds, “We are brimming with content. We just need the four walls to showcase this.”
Aimed at promoting a representative view of Philippine society and culture via its exhibits, the CCP Contemporary Art Museum of the Philippines exhibits everything from traditional musical instruments to avant-garde bamboo installations. Millado teases, “A new complex will soon rise.”
He also plans to boost CCP’s satellite venues through which he shared of the ongoing negotiations for regional centers outside of Luzon. “Touring is very expensive,” says Millado. “We are looking for ways to open up performances to include underserved communities while maintaining the standard of excellence that CCP shows are known for.” He also rapped about digitizing the CCP and creating an online portal through which the public may be engaged. “We need to tap into more compelling and interactive digital platforms that can be accessed via the web. At the moment, it’s 50 percent done.”
On Eco-Tourism, Cinemalaya, And Breaking Records
Furthermore, Millado spoke of the transformation of CCP into a cultural eco-tourism zone. This means engaging developers, different architectural firms, universities with architectural departments and the public to come up with their own vision of the CCP, and in the future, possibly tap businessmen and students to recommend business plans and alternatives. He adds, “Government subsidies cannot answer all this. We need to be realistic and turn to the private sector in terms of private partnerships and corporate sponsorships.”
He shares that the recent Pasinaya 2011 festival had a record-breaking 75,000 attendance as compared to last year’s 50,000, and was largely successful in terms of engaging audiences at the community level. Similarly, this year’s Cinemalaya saw new patrons heading to the theater in support of Pinoy indie films. “It broke revenue records,” proudly shares Millado. “This time it earned money,” with the festival expanding to other commercial outfits because of its newfound popularity. “We now have a reenergized family who wants to support.”
New Horizons
With the aim of making the CCP into a regular destination, as well as broadening engagement, Millado also plans to hold weekly events free-of-charge for the general public which include Jazz Tuesdays — a weekly jazz fest for enthusiasts of the emerging genre, Filipiniana Sunsets at the CCP, which will present community-based and school-based folk dance groups against the dazzling Manila sunset, and ballroom dancing during Thursdays. Other plans include CCP Cinema, which will showcase films curated under a themed cinema series and a master class series that will allow audiences to take a peek into the academic exchanges between master and student in the field of the arts. Also, next month, Pampanga lanterns will bedeck the façade of the main building — a joint effort between the CCP and the local government of San Fernando.
Plans for next year also include the 3rd International Guitar Competition, the highly-anticipated Mamma Mia! musical, an exhibit on Roberto Chabet, Philippine contemporary art’s founding father and the gallery’s first curator, Cinemalaya 2012, a national theater festival, and a centennial exhibit on national artist for fashion Ramon Valera, among others. With all these projects titillating our artistic and cultural horizons, one can only hope for a brighter future for the CCP.