On January 28, we held the school's annual on-the-spot art contest. Participated in by grade schoolers from Grades 1 - 7, the competition extended to high school with the following categories. Category 1 (Grades 1 - 3) painting; Category 2 (Grades 4 - 5) painting; Category 3 (Grades 6 - 7) Mobile-Making; Category 4 (high school) painting; and, Category 5 (High school)painting. We invited artists like Mr. Boy Ventura, Mr. Mario Patdu, Bro. Lazaro and our own alumnus, Mahal Adams to judge the entries. When the winners were known, we put these on exhibit together with selected works and various works done by students for the schoolyear. We awarded the winners and opened the exhibit on February 15 with a simple ceremony attended by no less than the President of the school, the principals and their assistants, coordinators, teachers, winners and some guests.
The Judges Judging!
As part of the affair, I wrote a short article to introduce the exhibit which we entitled: The Start of Something Big I am reprinting it here for safekeeping for whatever it is worth.
People’s view of Art as a subject has often been misdirected. This is borne out of the misconception that art only involves doing things that are mere pieces of indefinable hubristic ornaments perceived with an even-a-child-could-do-that attitude that, at best, are hung on walls or those that are put on pedestals to adorn hallways; however, art is about a nation’s history and culture giving the people not only a sense of pride but more importantly, endowing it with a soul. It is during the Art subject that one finds meaning to what one is as a human being, a citizen of a country and, eventually, the world. It is in the Art subject that one begins to know how his forefathers lived, what clothes they wore, etc. It is in the Art subject that students begin to see how his/her people view things around them.
Given the right treatment in teaching the subject, the lessons learned and the values derived from it can be limitless. While it is true that engaging in art can be frolicsome, it is not as superficial as it is purported to be. Engaging in Art can be as important as the other subjects. More than anything, it is more accessible and even much more timelessly relevant than any other. Unbeknownst to even more, we use art in our everyday life more than we know it. There is Art in everything we see and do. There should be art in your choice of clothes- making your color choices match or even designing your own. The most complicated product could not have been successful had not the designers known how to make its packaging as beautiful as it is. From the latest car models to the smallest everyday gizmo one can have in his/her collection, everything started with paper and pencil to make the product not only workable but enticingly beautiful and, most especially, saleable.
The Art subject provides you with the mundane to your most essential needs. It not only teaches you about aesthetics, it also teaches you how to observe the handling of materials and the characteristics of colors to enable you to come up with your own style. The subject is where you start to fulfil your fantasy, make your reality known and shape your future and the world.
From this exhibit, you will find budding artists who will design beautiful packages, engineers who will build strong machines, architects who will create astounding buildings and painters who will record our history through their art. Together, these people will carve the landscape of tomorrow be it in the visual arts, fashion, industry or technology. So in essence, this is the start of something big.
