Thank you! Let the Judging Begin!

We received a record number of entries to our 2010 Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition - 89 official entries in all! And, that number does not even include quite a few that unfortunately went over our 1,600-word limit, and which therefore cannot be considered for the contest.

Thank you again to all the participants!

Let the judging begin!

*** It will take some time to go through all the stories. We hope to announce the winner by the end of May 2010. Abangan!

Positive Press for the Philippines...

...from The Lonely Planet... :-)

Technology + Music (or Art or Poetry) = Beautiful

The possibilities for using technology to create art, music, poetry, and stories are truly limitless.

Here, composer Eric Whitacre took over 200 submitted clips and made a composite virtual choir from 185 amateur musicians singing “Lux Arumque” in front of their web-cams with himself as virtual conductor.

Pretty amazing!



And here's a bonus track. Not that we're endorsing Honda, but this clip should blow you away, too.



And after watching that, here's the inevitable spoof. Enjoy!

A Mural That Helps Clean Air

CANVAS today supported the Makati City government as it joined the US-based paint company, Boysen’s “One Wall, One World” initiative. Artist Roel Obemio, who illustrated our "Message in the Sand" painted a mural on a portion of the 225-meter long wall along Lawton Avenue using Boysen's environmental-friendly KNOxOUT paint.


“A typical wall coated with three layers of KNOxOUT could last up to three to five years and absorb nine cars’ worth of pollution per square meter of painted wall surface as long as it is exposed to enough light, moisture and air,” says Eric Cuisia, a representative from Boysen.

How does it do it? Well, here's the technical description - Boysen’s KNOxOUT, which is a portmanteau of knockout and nitrous oxide (NOx), contains fine titanium dioxide which serves as a catalyst for a light reaction capable of breaking down pollutants like nitrogen oxides (one of the primary causes of acid rain and global warming) into nitric acid, which is then immediately neutralized by the paint’s alkaline calcium carbonate particle. The paint also converts water vapor into hydroxyl and peroxyl, both disinfecting substances.

Johnson Ongking, vice president of Pacific Paints (Boysen) Philippines puts it in simpler terms. "By merely painting one wall, everyone has the power to do his share to improve the one world we live in. It’s like tree planting — we plant trees to help offset our carbon footprint. But trees can’t handle NOx, VOCs or smog. A wall painted with KNOxOut can help take some of those noxious gases out of the air... That’s the idea behind the “One Wall, One World” advocacy," he says.

Makati is now on board, and it aims to be the first smog-free city in the Philippines - simply by going at it one wall at a time. And it all starts with Roel's mural along the Lawton Avenue wall, which, we can now proudly claim, becomes the longest air purifier in the Philippines.

A Prayer for All Daughters Everywhere

2 Shows for Meaningful Elections

This May, the Center for Art, New Ventures and Sustainable Development (CANVAS), in cooperation with the Vargas Museum, and with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), launches two major exhibitions that serve as artistic contributions to the goal of promoting meaningful and transformative elections in the Philippines.

In Everyday Filipino Heroes, artworks from dozens of artists send a collective message that elections are not about looking for saviors or heroes, because they are already all around - and within - us. Images of their original works will also be used for outdoor banners that will line the University’s famed acacia-sheltered Academic Oval, and create a parallel public art exhibit that engages in a relaxed and non-intimidating environment.

Then in Dekalogo, ten Salingpusa artists (Elmer Borlongan, Manny Garibay, Anthony Palomo, Karen Flores, Jose Santos III, Cris Villanueva, Jim Orencio, Tammy Tan, Neil Manalo and Ferdie Montemayor) reflect on Apolinario Mabini’s “ten commandments” for Filipinos. Their interpretations will then be incorporated with Mabini’s words to create ten thought-provoking “Vote Wisely” posters that will be made available as high-resolution files, and downloadable for free on the Internet, as affordable pieces of socially-relevant art.

It is CANVAS’ hope that these two initiatives will somehow help to fulfill the national dream for meaningful, relevant and truly transformative elections.

Both exhibits open at 4pm on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at the Vargas Museum of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, and will run until May 31, 2010.

See you there!

No Justice for Stolen Art

Still no update on the stolen BenCabs, except that Fedex is apparently offering the astounding sum of $100 for the two missing pieces! Anyways, in light of that sad heist, this article from Forbes is particularly timely.

The Land Issue Hits Home

CANVAS is a non-partisan organization. The linked article, however, obviously casts a major candidate in an unflattering light, so we wish to emphasize that this posting is not an endorsement, denouncement or a judgment for or against any candidate.

It makes, however, for a very interesting read. Land and farming, and the continuing unjust legacy of our feudal past, continues to define the lives of millions of Filipinos. As we like to say - there's a lot to think about when we talk about our national identity, and this New York Times article offers some starting points.

Pacman Time! Woohoohooo!!!

Ang Pinagdaanang (Maiksing) Buhay ng Batang si Negro

A story worth telling and thinking about. Words and photos by Chris Linag.

Ang buhay ay maiksi lamang. Literal ang naging kahulugan nitong kasabihang ito kay Negro. Nung isang buwan natagpuan na lamang syang lumulutang sa ilog Pasig. Masyadong tragic ang naging pagkamatay ng pobreng bata.

Ang tanong nyo siguro ay kung ano ang kinalaman ko kay Negro. Nagsimulang lahat ito mula nung magsimula akong mag-street photography nuong October 2007. Sa aking kauna-unahang photowalk ko sya nakilala. Nakatira ang pamilya nya sa isang abandonadong building sa Escolta, katabi mismo ng Pasig Riverbanks. Ito na ang naging palaruan ni Negro at ng kanyang mga kababata. Wala man lang harang o railing ito na sobrang delikado lalo na sa mga batang tulad nila.

Maraming batang kalye na akong nakuhanan ng larawan at naging kaibigan. Nandyan si Kirara ng Quiapo Church, si RJ ng Baywalk, si Michael ng Sta. Cruz. Pero kay Negro na yata ako pinaka-na-attach. Itong batang ito, napakabibo at masiyahin. Ang tawag nya sa akin, Kuya Leon (pangalan ko sa flickr). Pag dumadalaw ako sa kanya, sasalubong kaagad yan at manghihingi ng barya para makabili sya ng kanyang paboritong ice cream sa Ministop. Game na game din si loko na mag-pose sa harap ng camera. Ilan sa mga paborito kong street portraits ay sya ang subject. Ginawan ko pa nga yan ng isang album sa flickr account ko. Sa multiply, dami rin syang litrato. Na-feature na rin sya sa Picture Perfect section ng Manila Bulletin.

Matagal-tagal rin mula nung huling dalaw ko kay Negro dahil naging busy sa paghahanda sa Bar exams. March 13, 2009 pa yun – 4th birthday nya. Nung Sabado lang ako ulit nakalabas sa kalye para makapag-shoot. Sinama ko ang ilan sa mga kaibigan dahil gusto ko ring makilala at makuhanan nila si Negro.


At dun ko na nga nalaman ang nakakalungkot na balita. Ang plano ko pa naman ay i-treat sya ng ice cream nung araw na yun. Pero wala eh, wala na sya. Nakaka-frustrate dahil di ko man lang nalaman agad ang sinapit nya. Nakadalaw man lang sana sa burol nya. Isang buwan akong late.

Naisip ko tuloy ang tunay na kalagayan ng marami sa ating mga kababayang nakatira sa kalsada. Kung may maayos na tirahan lang sana sila, hindi nangyari sa kanya to. Hay. Sana magawan ng paraan to ng mga pulitkong nangangako ng pagbabago at magandang bukas para sa mga batang mahihirap.

Kung nasaan ka man Negro, sana masaya ka dyan sa kinalalagyan mo.

Hanggang sa muli.

Alert - Stolen BenCab Paintings

Two BenCab paintings have gone missing in transit, apparently while under the care of FedEx, from Los Angeles to Singapore.

This is to warn you not to purchase these paintings if offered to you and to please let BenCab know immediately if you hear anything about these paintings.

Please forward this information to anyone else who you think might come across these paintings.

Doll Eyes Ongoing!!!

We had a successful opening for the first set of artworks that Joy Mallari beautifully and painstakingly prepared for our upcoming children's book, "Doll Eyes." Written by Eline Santos, and the winner of our Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition, it will become our tenth book when it is launched this June 2010.

Author Eline Santos and artist Joy Mallari pose in front
of one of the signature artworks for "Doll Eyes".

The tale is our darkest and edgiest yet. It's about a witch in Quiapo who takes little kids and turns them into dolls.

You can read the whole story when you catch the show at the Ayala Museum. The exhibit runs until March 9.

See you there!