Nat’l arts fair opens / Artists need brokers

The following official announcement of the first National Arts Fair has been edited, revised and modified (by me).

Philippine arts possess a profound and meaningful heritage which spawns the country’s colorful history and rich diversity as influenced by various cultures, including Western and Eastern.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has long recognized the imperative need of providing a venue for Filipino artists — seasoned or aspiring — to understand, express and share this distinct artistic heritage not only with the public, but also with one another. With this realization, the NCCA headed by executive director Cecile G. Alvarez, and the Committee on Art Galleries headed by Sid G. Hildawa, CCP’s department manager for Visual, Literary and Arts Media, in cooperation with the Negros Cultural Foundation (NCF) headed by President Lyn Gamboa, are spearheading the country’s first National Arts Fair.

To be held in Bacolod, Occidental Negros, from Feb. 28 to March 3, the Arts Fair will be a gathering of gallery owners, collectors, art brokers and artists all over the country, a gathering aimed at raising people’s awareness of our cultural heritage and at promoting Philippine art as a major component of the creative industry. Ambassadors, government units and agencies, art lovers, business communities, the academe and students are invited to participate in the Art Festival and be involved in the meaningful enterprise.

Its various activities are divided into four categories. The first, Art Fair, is a venue for gallery owners and artists to display and sell their works. The second, Art Chat, is a series of symposia on art-related subjects aimed at increasing appreciation for cultural, artistic, innovative and trend-setting endeavors. Experts and leading art patrons will be invited to give talks on various artistic issues. The third, Art Exchange, will hold workshops and demos aimed at enhancing skills related to art and art management. The fourth, Art Experience, will include performances and alternative artistic endeavors.

The NCCA is an independent agency created by law to formulate policies for the development of the country’s culture and arts, the encouragement of artistic creation within a climate of artistic freedom, the development and promotion of the Filipino national culture and arts, and the preservation of the Filipino cultural heritage.

The NCF aims to provide a formal, institutional medium which will expeditiously promote and enhance cultural, artistic and socio-historical awareness, and develop the NCF as an exemplary learning and outreach center particularly in Negros Occidental.

NCF President Lyn Gamboa said "Bacolod, with its rich artistic history, is willing to play host to the Fair not only to showcase our valuable pool of visual and performing artists but also to prove that Filipino creativity deserves global appreciation and admiration."

Gamboa recalled that the art scene in Negros was at its brightest when sugar export prices were high but dimmed in the early eighties after export quotas declined and suffered a big blow. But with the industry back on its feet, the governor has decided to host this first National Arts Fair. "Disorganized as Filipino artists are, they deserve all our support and attention so that their genius will live," Gamboa added.

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In an article related to the National Arts Fair, Rose de la Cruz writes: "For the most part, visual artists sell their masterpieces to relatives, friends and kin in time of dire need; therefore, the prices are not truly reflective of the actual market value of their works. This highly personal trading of art must stop; artists must learn to deal with art brokers and art galleries to professionalize not just their works but their status as well, said Sid Gomez Hildawa, noting that quite often, the artist becomes the sole judge, marketer and designer of his product, and chances are he will not be able to do justice to his work in terms of pricing it right. "When one buyer finds out that the same artist sold his pieces at a lower price to another person, the discovery will have disastrous effects on the trading of his future pieces. But this can be corrected if he deals with a professional trade like a gallery owner who realizes his personal needs."