Through the Eyes of a Child

The University of the Philippines’ Committee for Culture and Arts (CCA) has been active in coordinating outreach activities since 1989. Outreach projects take the form of art workshops in and around Baguio. They provide perfect venues for budding young artists to discover and develop their innate skills. When I was younger, I remember taking part in some of them, and I have to say that they were a lot of fun. Incidentally, the CCA is celebrating October as Children’s Month. To kick off the celebration, a pro-children’s rights campaign called "Tsinelas kong Bigay, Bata’y Ipagpupugay" was launched on September 4. According to Rozel Balmores, CCA chairperson, the campaign was simple. Used slippers were collected from UP Baguio offices as well as from outsiders. The act of donating a slipper was an affirmation of support for the rights of children. But why tsinelas? On one hand, it is a symbol of comfort, a simple joy that represents the basic things in life that we might take for granted. On the other hand, it can symbolize the difficulties that we may have encountered as children. Some (not me ) may recall being spanked by a tsinelas for one reason or the other. Hence, the tsinelas is a paragon of the different faces of children - their pains, joys, and most of all, their rights.

On September 24, a workshop was held for elementary kids. Art professor Bobby Acosta enlisted UP Baguio’s Fine Arts students to help out that day. It wasn’t my first encounter with young kids busy "making art," but it was the first time that I actually paid close attention. At first I just wanted to take a peep at the mural they were working on, but before I knew it, I was fixated on the entire scene. The expressions on the children’s’ faces were priceless. Armed with brushes, they stooped over the canvas, painting away. I wondered what it was like to be inside their heads - to see for myself how they perceive their environment, the imaginary world they play in, and what it was like to be a kid again. For a fleeting moment I was able to capture the feeling. It may sound trite, but watching these youngsters "create" gave me a sense of well-being. I was genuinely moved. I got a glimpse of what it feels like to be an art teacher.

When children express themselves through art, it is remarkable how their innocence shines through. The mural alone depicted a world that was filled with trees and waterfalls, smiling faces, bursts of sunshine, and other symbols of peace - a far cry from the realities of environmental degradation, violence and injustice. Regardless of how ugly our world has become, just watching these kids made me think: "Yeah, there is still hope for all of us."

Balmores says that the workshops they facilitate are geared towards letting children fully express themselves through alternative ways. Since there is no "right" or "wrong" when painting or drawing, the workshops serve as an outlet for breaking the boundaries and limitations that may have been previously set by teachers, parents, and perhaps, even peers. I saw this for myself when some of the older folks who accompanied the participants tried to dictate what the kids should make. I even overheard a chaperone criticizing his ward about the "sloppiness" of his work. The facilitators were quick to step in, saying that imposing guidelines defeats the purpose of the workshop. Hence, the children were totally free to make whatever they please, in whatever manner they saw fit.

The exhibit entitled "Pagpupugay sa Batang Pinoy" formally opened on October 9 at the Galerya Cordillera in UPCB. It features the mural done during the workshop, photographs of street children by Edward Gerlock, and drawings made by an autistic child.

Rozel Balmores says, "Our childhood will remain a wellspring of creativity, spontaneity and passion for life. To view the world through the eyes of a child will allow us to rediscover the child in us."

As the children painted away - engrossed in their personal "worlds," unlimited by lessons in form, shape and color, the artist Vincent Van Gogh came to mind. He once wrote his brother Theo, "It is not the language of painters but the language of nature to which one ought to listen."