Looking for Juan - the Official Blog of CANVAS

JOIN THE 2012 ROMEO FORBES CHILDREN'S STORY WRITING COMPETITION!!!

2012-01-12T09:34:00.010+08:00

Imagination. Originality. Vision.

Bring it on!

The 2012 Romeo Forbes Story Writing Competition is now officially open! And this year, artist Jon Jaylo provides us with this inspiration piece.

Untitled piece by Jon Jaylo
36x36 inches, oil on canvas (2012)

The contest rules are provided below.

But first, here are a few more pictures of the painting's details. Enjoy, and we look forward to reading your entries soon!!!

Contest Rules and Conditions

1. CANVAS' Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition is open to all Filipinos.

2. Entries must not have been previously published or submitted in any other competition, and all entrants must warrant the originality of their submitted entries.

3. Writers may submit only one entry, which may be in English or Filipino. The entry must not exceed 1,200 words.

4. There is no particular theme, other than the use of Jon Jaylo's untitled contest piece, shown above, as the inspiration or basis for the entry.

5. Judging Process. A CANVAS review panel shall read and award points for all stories received based on the following criteria:

* Originality and Storyline (35%)
* Imagery (35%)
* Quality of Writing (20%)
* X-Factor/Judges' discretion (10%)

Based on the points received, CANVAS shall forward a shortlist of at least five stories with the highest scores to the Artist. The Artist shall then provide comments on any or all the stories, for consideration by the panel of judges. The panel of judges - taking the contest criteria and Artist comments into non-binding consideration - shall collectively choose the winner from the shortlist of stories. If the judges cannot come to a consensus on the winner, they shall take a vote and the entry that gains the most number of votes shall be declared the winner. None of CANVAS' review panel, the judges or the Artist shall see the entrant's name until the winner is chosen.

6. Entries must be submitted by email, as a Microsoft Word attachment, to storycontest@canvas.ph with the subject heading 2012 ROMEO FORBES CHILDREN'S STORYWRITING COMPETITION. In the body of the email, entrants must provide their name, the title of their entry, mailing and email address, and telephone/cellphone number. Only the story title should appear on all pages of the attached entry.

7. The deadline for submission of entries is 5:00 p.m. (Manila time), Friday, 06 April 2012. Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition.

Kindly note that CANVAS acknowledges each and every entry that we receive. If you submitted a story, and do not receive an acknowledgment from us within 24 hours, please assume that your story was not received and kindly resend it to us.

CANVAS shall not be responsible for entries which are not received, or which are received after the deadline, due to technical failure or for any other reason whatsoever.

8. All entrants hereby agree to authorize CANVAS to post their entries on its website, as CANVAS deems fit, and free from any payments, royalties or fees whatsoever.

9. There shall be only one winner, who shall receive a cash prize of PhP 35,000.00 (less applicable withholding tax) for his/her entry. The winning writer shall also be entitled to five (5) free copies upon publication of the book. The winner shall grant and transfer to CANVAS all intellectual property and publication rights to the story, including any translations, adaptations or modifications thereto. It is hereby understood that the cash prize to be awarded to the winner shall include consideration of such intellectual property and publication rights to the story, and the writer shall not be entitled to any other royalties or fees from earnings, if any, that may result from future publication of, licensing of, or other transactions on the same.

(Please see our note below on why we have this rule.)

10. Except for the right to publish any received entry on its website, CANVAS shall not retain any other rights to entries that are not selected as the winner, except where separate agreements are reached with the writers.

11. CANVAS shall exercise full and exclusive editorial and artistic control over the publication of the winning entry and resulting book. While, it is the full intention of CANVAS to publish the winning entry as a full-color children's book, CANVAS reserves the right not to publish the same for any reason whatsoever.

12. The winner of the CANVAS storywriting competition will be announced on this blog and on our facebook page on or around the second half of June 2012. The winner will also be notified via email and by text message on the same announcement date.

13. CANVAS reserves the right not to award the top competition prize in the unlikely event that the judges decide that no entry was received that is deserving of the top prize. In such event, however, CANVAS shall have no right whatsoever over all entries that were received; and shall not publish any entry, in its website or in any other venue, without the prior written consent or agreement of the author.

14. The decision of the competition judges shall be final, and no correspondence or inquiries into the same - including requests for comments/feedback on received entries - shall be entertained.

15. Employees of CANVAS, and members of their immediate family, as well as the Artist's immediate family, are disqualified from participating in the competition.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Why We Ask for the Transfer of Rights

The competition rules (Rule 9) clearly state that the winning author should agree to transfer all rights to CANVAS and "...shall not be entitled to any other royalties or fees from earnings, if any, that may result from future publication of, derivative works, licensing of, or other transactions on the same."

This rule has understandably raised quite a few eyebrows in the writers' community, and this note is just to clarify where it is that CANVAS is coming from.

First of all, having complete ownership of the story rights makes it easier and less complicated for us to quickly give it away.

We have always liberally shared and give our consent to anyone who may ask for permission to use the winning story. It is for this very reason that the stories and illustrations of books we publish are all available for free viewing and enjoyment on our website (www.canvas.ph), despite the concern of some that the easy availability of the stories on the Internet could eat into the sales of our books (which, happily, has not proven to be the case).

We have, in fact, taken it several steps further.

All our stories are now available and downloadable on our website FOR FREE, in both English and Filipino. Just as we were fortunate enough to have been given permission to adapt "The Man Who Planted Trees," into our maiden publication - "Elias and His Trees," - we hope that the stories that we work on will inspire similar creativity.

We've also started to publish subsequent versions of the stories as collections, that are then given away for free to public schools and hospitals all over the Philippines. You can read about this effort on our Global Giving update page.

A second reason why we ask for the transfer of rights is that CANVAS is a small nonprofit, and is not equipped to document and track royalty shares that ideally should accrue to authors and artists. It is for this reason that our prizes (we think), are quite substantial and approximates (if not exceeds) what writers would normally expect to receive in royalties.

Third, we are also trying to get the stories published abroad. Should we get really lucky and end up on the NY Times Bestseller List or say, get our book endorsed by Oprah, be assured that we will make things right with the artist and writer (you'll just have to trust us on this). But until then, having demonstrably complete ownership over the rights makes it easier and less complicated for us to approach and negotiate with would-be publishers and agents (who hopefully would not be spooked by our giving out downloadable e-books for free in the first place).

Finally, we are also trying to be financially sustainable. We rely on a small amount of grant funding to conduct our activities, including co-sharing the publication costs of the books. We can only hope to recoup the expenses so that we can do these activities on a continuing and recurring basis in the years to come.

Please be assured of our continuing effort to balance our desire to contribute to the public domain in a manner that is also fair to the writers and artists, on the one hand; and our need to also be fiscally responsible with the grants that have been entrusted to us, and to the publishers that we partner with, on the other.

What We Want and How We'll Get It

2011-12-23T18:37:00.005+08:00

What we want...

How we'll get it...

*** Letras y Figuras artworks by Elmer Borlongan, inspired in part by the poetry of Vim Nadera. For "Rizalpabeto". Coming in 2012.

Where We Are

2011-11-25T06:10:00.008+08:00

Let's see... since we last posted in September (not counting yesterday's return):

1. TEDxDiliman 2011 is officially done. You can view all the talks here. We had so much fun so we'll do it again next year... at least we hope to. Right now, we're thinking of a unifying theme, and then we'll begin curating the talks. Will keep you posted.

2. We officially launched three new books. Tahan Na, Tahanan is the latest in our roster of original children's stories.

3. The other two books - Kulayan and CANVAS Collection - are from our Global Giving initiative. And we're happy to report that this one is up and running. We raised enough funds to publish 5,000 copies of each book, ALL of which are going to be donated to public schools, orphanages, daycares and directly to disadvantaged children all over the Philippines.

We've already started by giving with organizations and people who do work directly with these children. Over 1,200 of the books have already been coursed through Museo Pambata, Sarilaya Foundation, the Joey Velasco Foundation, BenCab Art Foundation and the Onesimo Foundation. And we will be giving away all the books in the next few weeks, hoping to get them all in the hands of kids before Christmas.

The only thing that we've asked all our partners is to take good pictures, so we hope to post them soon!

A big thanks as well to MasterCard and to the BenCab Art Foundation for their support! Speaking of which, at least for Kulayan, MasterCard partnered with the Ayala Malls to make Christmas shopping more meaningful - every P2,500 purchase at any Ayala Mall using your MasterCard gets you a copy of Kulayan for free, which you can then keep or donate back. So we're hopeful that it's actually much more than 5,000 copies that are going to children.

4. Rizalpabeto is a bit delayed. No excuses. But we promise, it will be worth the wait!

Next time... where we're going... :-)

A New Start

2011-11-24T15:58:00.002+08:00

Sorry for being out for so long. We've been quite active, not just with events and activities, but also on social media - it's just much much easier to update people on Facebook.

But there are a few things that a blog does better.

First, we can write longer posts. Facebook, and even more so, Twitter are basically just a collection of teasers, feeds and links. It's a good way to keep the community engaged, but it doesn't allow us to get as much depth.

Second, it's easier to get a sense of what we've done in the past (and therefore where we stant, through a blog than through Facebook.

And third, and probably most important, writing posts gives us a chance to focus without too much distractions from our other friends. Not that we don't like the distraction. It's just good to focus in quietly by and for ourselves every now and then.

And so we're back... hopefully more regularly.

A Brutal (But Fun!) Four Weeks Coming!!!

2011-09-25T08:28:00.007+08:00

It's going to be an exciting, and for us quite brutal, four weeks filled with major activities.

This week, on Friday at 6pm, at the Ayala Museum, we will launch our latest children's book, Tahan Na, Tahanan by Maria Isabel Alarilla-Arellano simultaneously with an exhibition of artworks by Don Salubayba.

The following week, on October 8 will then come TEDxDiliman, at Malcolm Theater at the UP College of Law. It's by-invitation only, sorry - so please make sure you've been approved of a slot before you come. We're limited by our license from TED.com to just 100 guests, sorry. But, we are going to livestream the event, and eventually upload all the talks on YouTube, so no worries about missing out on the big ideas!

The two weeks that will follow TEDxDiliman will then filled with a flurry of activities - from the launch of CANVAS Stories (our project with the Global Giving Foundation);

Kulayan - our coloring book; and two other events whose details we're finalizing so more on that later: an artist exchange with Vietnamese artists; and a first one-woman show.

And after that?

We'll launch Rizalpabeto, and then gear up for major major changes to scale up and expand CANVAS in 2012.

Exciting!

Just a Little Over a Month to Go!!!

2011-09-04T20:28:00.003+08:00

RIZALPABETO

2011-08-21T09:08:00.002+08:00

RIZALPABETO is a collaboration between artist Elmer Borlongan and poet Vim Nadera. In this pioneering exhibit, Emong uses the iPad as his medium to bring Vim's poems celebrating the life and legacy of Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal to life.

Curated by J. Pacena, CANVAS will showcase a "teaser" exhibition of Rizalpabeto at ManilArt 2011 from August 24-27, 2011 at the NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City.

Rizalpabeto will be launched as a children's book, and as signed limited edition giclee prints (edition size: 5) in October. If interested in reserving prints, please email info@canvas.ph.

KULO IN BLACK AND WHITE

2011-08-12T18:57:00.003+08:00

Conrado de Quiros wrote, the issue is "complicated." We don’t agree. We think it’s possible to frame most of the issues in black and white terms that are answerable by yes or no.

1. The artwork was offensive. There is no debate there. Deliberate or not, it was not only incendiary, but foreseeably incendiary.

2. Mideo Cruz had every right to make his artwork. That it offends did not diminish his right.

3. The freedom of religious exercise is irrelevant here. No one is preventing anyone from exercising his or her religion.

4. That the artwork was offensive or disgusting does not make it any less an artwork. When do you call something art? Answer: when the person who made it says it is. The gray area is whether it is good art or bad art. If Mideo says it’s art, then it is. Everyone else is free to decide whether they like it (It’s good!) or not (It's bad!).

5. Horrendous art does not justify horrendous deeds. When the Inquirer says that the violence inflicted on the exhibit is “understandable”, we only hope they mean they could understand why someone would be driven to such extreme measures. But violence against art and artists (or anyone else with something to say, for that matter) is never justified. Not even in the defense of one’s faith.

6. Was the CCP wrong to host the exhibit? There is no black and white answer for this one.

If it were a private venue, then the answer would be clear - No, it was not wrong. It is free to host any art exhibition that it wants (subject of course to existing laws to protect minors - but in such cases, the appropriate response would be to regulate the attendance but not to ban the show).

But this is a public institution, utilizing public funds. So the question is quite murky. On the one hand, the CCP is charged with fostering the development of art in the country, which would inevitably involve hosting art on the edge such as Kulo (it is important to note that Mideo’s piece was just one among many). On the other hand, as a public institution, it cannot and should not ignore the sensitivities of the public.

The CCP needs to balance these sometimes competing concerns, and if there is anything to be learned from this unfortunate incident, it is that the CCP must have a clear and transparent policy on what it can or cannot host within its halls. Only with such a policy in place can artists know how far they can go when they exhibit their works at the CCP, and in this manner, the CCP also insulates itself from charges of censorship (because the artists would remain free to exhibit their works elsewhere).

Only with clarity can we avoid similar problems as this one.

7. Was the CCP wrong to close the exhibit? Yes, it was.

There is a difference between refusing to host an exhibit because of public policy considerations from the onset versus closing down an exhibit because of a public outcry over its content.

The former is a valid exercise of prudence and mandate. The latter is a capitulation to a mob. The CCP should have stood its ground and fulfilled its duty, and the closure was therefore a shameful defeat for the right of free expression.

To view exactly what was closed down, please click here.

A Teaching Moment on Free Expression

2011-08-08T20:33:00.016+08:00

In a probably biased (we are on the side of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on the well publicized controversy, after all) attempt to make the most of this teaching moment, allow us to submit these questions for your reflection and consideration.

1. Why is burning an effigy of our president not considered offensive or criminal? Is it not meant to provoke and attack? Is it not an act of gross disrespect for an important figure of authority? Should such acts now therefore be banned?

2. If that doesn't cross the line, what about burning the president in effigy AND burning a truly important cultural and patriotic symbol like the flag?

We do have a law prohibits acts "[t]o mutilate, deface, defile, trample on or cast contempt or commit any act or omission casting dishonor or ridicule upon the flag or over its surface." We went to google to see if we could find any examples or pictures of someone burning the Philippine flag and - to our surprise and pride - came up empty. But this one's close enough:

In the US, flag burning is recognized as a legitimate expression of protest. As far as we know, the law banning the mutilation and defacement of the Philippine flag has not been tested in court against the Constitutional right of free speech.

In such a test, on which side would you stand?

3. In an opinion piece, the Philippine Daily Inquirer wrote that

(t)he danger here is that his art could become arrogant and terror-prone. The Church has experienced a tumultuous history of iconoclastic revolutions across the centuries (the Byzantine iconoclastic outbursts in the first millennium and the Protestant revolts in the second) that have destroyed priceless items in man’s cultural heritage.

The question is, so what?

Isn't art and music and words sometimes legitimately arrogant and terror-prone? Isn't arrogant and terror-prone art still free speech?

Where would our country be if Rizal had written Noli, or if our legislators had succumbed to similar Church-led pressure against the Rizal bill?

4. Who's to say what's art or what's not art?

Is this painting art? Is it merely disdainful, or did it cross some line that makes it scandalously disrespectful and blasphemous?

Mga May Akda
by Manny Garibay
Oil on canvas (2007).

(Disclosure: From where we sit, we like it. We liked it enough to acquire for our permanent collection. )

5. Finally, given the chilling effect that has been imposed with blunt force on the Cultural Center of the Philippines and on the participating artists, who in the creative sector now will dare use their work to question the powers that be?

Regardless of where you stand on this particular exhibit, is it really worth it to set this precedent?

Updates, updates and more updates!

2011-07-16T08:08:00.017+08:00

Sorry, it's been a while since our last post. It's just so much easier to update using Facebook, but a lot of the details are often lost in the flurry of feeds.

So here goes...

The BIG news is that we will be hosting TEDxDiliman here in the Philippines this coming October. It's a half-day event where speakers will share their BIG ideas on "How Art and Culture Can Change Our World."

We have a great line-up of speakers and performers already confirmed: Glecy Atienza (theater), Noel Cabangon (music), Gloc9 (music), Lourd de Veyra (new media), Rico Gutierrez (TV), Fernando Sena (visual arts), John Silva (visual arts/museums), Aureus Solito (film) and Nina Yuson (children's advocacy/museums). Kenneth Cobonpue (design) has expressed strong interest but still has to work out his very busy schedule, and we're also talking with Patricia Evangelista (media/TV). And we have a few surprises up our sleeve that we know (hope) will blow you away.

TEDxDiliman happens on October 8, 2011 at the UP College of Law from 1:30-7pm. Seating, unfortunately, is very limited (our license from TED is capped at 100 guests). To apply for a ticket, please click here.

We expect interest to far exceed the number of people we can accommodate, so our apologies in advance to those who won't be able to get in. But we are working on doing a live streaming of all the talks and performances so people can still join us on the web.

Then, there's this small Coloring Book Project that we're working on. We invited a few artists to submit pen and ink drawings that we will sell, and proceeds used to produce a children's coloring book based on the sketches. CANVAS will then publish (we're thinking of an initial print run of 5,000 copies) and donate these coloring books to children's hospitals and public schools.

To ensure full accessibility and affordability, the drawings will also be made freely downloadable on a webpage that we will create, in the hope that OFWs and teachers will find them useful as they teach their children/students about the Philippines.

So who's participating? Ahem, two National Artists (Bencab - that's his sketch on top, and Abdulmari Imao) to start. And a few other notables and emerging artists - Leonard Aguinaldo, Daniel Aligaen, Angel Antonio, Mark Arcamo, Norma Belleza, Plet Bolipata, Elmer Borlongan, Serj Bumatay, Marika Constantino, Farley del Rosario, Ferdinand Doctolero, Liza Flores, Manny Garibay, Mark Justiniani, Raymond Legaspi, John Lock, Joy Mallari, J. Pacena, Beth Parocha, Iggy Rodriguez, John Santos, Pam Yan Santos, and Palma Tayona. Puede na. :-)

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, we did get into Global Giving (thanks to and for your support!), and we're nearly set to publish an anthology of our first three stories: Elias and His Trees, The Rocking Horse, and Sol - A Legend About the Sun.

Just like the coloring book, we will publish the first volume of CANVAS Collection and work with partners to donate them to children, public schools and hospitals all over the Philippines. You can still help by clicking here, and donating through Global Giving.

Both books will launch in October, hopefully getting distributed in time for Christmas.

Those aren't the only books we're publishing in the coming months.
At the end of September, our next original children's book, Tahan Na, Tahanan by Issa Alarilla-Arellano, with artworks by Don Salubayba, will be on deck. The new book will launch simultaneously with a solo exhibition by Don at the Ayala Museum.

Following that, and again in October, we will launch RIZALPABETO, a unique (in many ways) alphabet book born from the collaboration of poet Vim Nadera and artist Elmer Borlongan who will use iPad sketches to bring Vim's poetry to life.

As a preview, above is Elmer's iPad sketch for the letter G - for Gomburza, and below is an excerpt of Vim's poetry for it.

... Kaya nang may nag-aklas sa arsenal sa Kabite
Sina Padre Gomez, Burgos, at Zamora ay huli.
Tatlong martir silang sa Bagumbayan ginarote
Ang sa mitsa ng pagkamakabayan ko ang nagsindi.

The sketches and poetry will be on display in a multimedia exhibition curated by J. Pacena that we will host at our Manilart booth this August. We're very excited (and anxious) to see how it will be received. :-)

And there's more...

"Untitled" by Issay Rodriguez. Oil on canvas (2011).

At the Looking for Juan Art Space in Serendra, we have Mamihlapinatapai, a group show by UP Fine Arts students Alee Garibay, Clara Herrera and Issay Rodriguez opening this Monday (July 18, 2011).

Exhibitions by Lina Ciani, Buddy Ching, Anton Balao and Jim Orencio, among others are also scheduled for the rest of the year.

We're going to have a lot of fun in this second half of 2011. We're also going to need your help... there will be lots of opportunities for you to be involved. We will keep you posted. :-)

And The Winner is...

2011-06-06T12:51:00.011+08:00

CANVAS is very pleased to announce that Ms. Francesca Nicole Chan Torres has won the 2011 Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition for her story, "Blue Stars." (You can read her unedited submission below.)

It was a close call between her story, Christopher Rosales' "May Naninirahang Gubat sa Aking Balat" and Raymond Falgui's "The Gray Lady, the Gray Girl and the Miracle of Colors."

The other finalists were "The Flower Girl" by Evita Guinto, "The Day the Colors Came" by Migs Marfori, and "Ang Regalo ni Nanay" by Alice Mallari.

The judges this year were writer Gary C. Devilles who teaches Philippine Literature, Art Appreciation, Political Economy of Mass Media in Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Sto. Tomas, and Far Eastern University; Dr. Dina Ocampo, current dean of the University of the Philippines College of Education and co-founder of Wordlab School Inc., a non-stock, non-profit institution that provides school program for children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities; and Gigo Alampay, executive director of CANVAS.

Congratulations to Frankie Torres and to all the other finalists! CANVAS wishes to also thank all the other writers who submitted entries. We look forward to everyone's continued participation and support in our future competitions.

BLUE STARS
by Francesca Nicole Torres

This is a story about a lie that becomes a truth, if only one believes in it, and keeps believing, even when everything else says to do otherwise. It is a story about one of the most powerful things on earth.

In a time of war, there was a small village. It was hidden, cradled like a fragile baby bird, in a valley surrounded by steep mountains. Living in the village was like living in another world: a world of laughter, of song, and of joy. Men joked as they worked. Women sang as they did chores. And as for the children, the streets were filled with the sounds of their play, from morning till night.

But above all, what made this village very special were the flowers. The blooms grew wild in the fertile soil of the valley, explosions of color reaching towards the perfect patch of sun.

There were loud, red poppies; hardy, pink dog-roses; dainty, white lilies; and cheerful, yellow sunflowers.

But most of all, there was an endless carpet of small, blue stars, glistening in the grass like a constellation that had fallen out of the sky. They looked delicate and fragile, not wild and strong like the others. Many marveled at how healthy and how vibrant they were, with no one to care for them.

Well, that wasn't completely true. These flowers had one caretaker. She was a little girl. Her name was Nadia.

Ever since she was old enough to walk, Nadia had taken care of the little blue flowers. In the mornings, before the sun was up, she watered them. In the afternoons, she whispered to them. And at night, before she went to bed, she made sure to wish them sweet dreams. As long as she had her flowers, she was happy, and as long as she took care of them, they bloomed in abundance, for nothing makes a flower bloom more than love.

So Nadia’s joy became the joy of the village. And for a long time, everything was as it should be.

But this was a time of war, and though the steep mountains that surrounded the valley shielded the village for a time, they could not shield them forever. One moonless night, while Nadia was out in the flower fields, she heard it: a low rumbling, like the sound of distant drums. When she turned towards the direction of noise she saw, in the distance, the red glow of fire. Then there were more rumbles, getting louder and louder.

Nadia ran. She told her parents, who passed the news on to the rest of the village. From that moment, things started to change.

The frightened girl did not understand what those noises meant, but rest of the village did: the war was coming for them. They had hoped that the cradle of mountains would keep them safe until it was over, but that was before they had know there were bombs. Bombs could make mountains disappear in minutes.

There was no more laughter in the village now, no more time for singing or dancing or playing in the streets. Instead, there was panic. Villagers rushed to and fro, making preparations for their escape. Every day, they gathered supplies and made plans. Every night, they watched as the glow from the fires grew closer and closer, and prayed the bombs would pass them over.

There was no joy anymore...except for the flowers.

So strong was Nadia’s love for her flowers that no matter how scared she was, she could not forget them. So, in the mornings, before the sun was up, she still got up to water them. In the afternoons, she still whispered to them. And in the evenings, as the bombs went off and fire burned in the distance, she still wished them sweet dreams.

So her delicate flowers continued to bloom, full of life and joy, and for a moment, looking at them, the villagers could forget that there were bombs and gunshots and fires. They could forget that there was a war.

Then, one night, while Nadia was fast asleep, the war finally came.

There was no time to lose. As the flames began and the explosions shook the ground, the villagers ran for shelter in the mountains. Nadia spent the long night huddled in the dark, with her family, listening to roaring of the bombs and the crackling of the fire as it burnt through the village.

Finally, just before the sun came up, the bombs stopped and all was quiet. Slowly, the villagers made their way back to what remained of their home. They walked through the ruins in silence. Finally, they reached the fields.

The poppies were ashes, the dog-roses cinders, the lilies and sunflowers burnt to a crisp. But worst of all…

“My flowers…they’re gone!” Nadia cried. She ran through the burnt grass, looking for one petal, one shrub, one sign of life, one star…but there were none. No trace remained of the small blue flowers she had showered with love and care. Nadia fell on the ground and began to cry.

At the sight of this little girl, crying for what she had lost, the other villagers too started to weep. They mourned for the flowers. They mourned the village. But most of all, they mourned for the joy they felt would never come back.

For four days, there was only the sound of weeping in the village. But then, on the fifth day, just like before, Nadia got up before the sun rose, walked to field, and started to water the burnt earth, just as she had always done. In the afternoon, she whispered to what remained of the grass. And in the evening, she wished the field sweet dreams.

She did this again on the sixth day, and on the seventh day, and on the eighth day, and on the ninth day…

And on the tenth day, when she visited the field, she saw a faint glimmer of blue: a small blue star lay blooming in a patch of grass. She let out a cry of joy so loud that the whole village came running to the field to see what the noise was about. And when they saw it, the people cheered, and Nadia smiled.

They began to rebuild soon after. Men joked as they worked. Women sang as they helped build. And as for the children, the streets were filled with the sounds of their laughter again, from morning ‘till night.

And as for Nadia, and her flowers, well…

In a month, the grass was green again.

In two months, buds started to push up from the earth.

After a year had passed, from that one small blue flower, the field had grown again, and with it, joy finally returned to the village.

Many years have passed since then, and many things have passed with it. Nadia, once a little girl, has since grown up, and grown old, and gone. The village, too, is different: mountains have given way to roads, and what once was a small and hidden world is now a bustling town.

But the blue stars still remain, blooming like a constellation fallen from the sky. And, every day, a group of children water them in the morning, whisper to them in the afternoon, and wish them sweet dreams at night.

This is a story about a lie that becomes a truth, if only one believes in it, and keeps believing, even when all is burnt away and there seems to be nothing left. It is a story of love and loss and sadness and joy. It is a story about one of the most powerful things on earth.

It is a story of a little girl and her flowers.

It is a story of hope.

* The painting is the untitled contest piece by Liv Vinluan, which served as the inspiration for this year's children's story writing competition.

Green Trees, Great Art, Fresh Air

2011-06-02T07:42:00.006+08:00

If you have the chance, head on down to the University of the Philippines and take a leisurely walk around its famed tree-lined Academic Oval for some fresh air and great art celebrating the 150th birthday of National Hero Jose Rizal.

If you're lucky, Zorro might even be there to welcome you!

It's our third annual Looking for Juan Outdoor Banner Project.

The original works will be on display for only a very short while (only up to June 10) at the Vargas Museum, so hurry and just go! :-)

See you there!

RELEVANT RIZAL?

2011-05-29T21:06:00.004+08:00

The Center for Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development (www.canvas.ph) proudly presents our third annual Looking for Juan Outdoor Banner Project.

We have again invited dozens of our country's best artists to reflect and express their thoughts on the question of what it means to be Filipino, focusing this year on Jose Rizal. As we commemorate the 150th birthday of our National Hero, we invite you to join us - and walk, bike or drive around the magnificent tree-lined Academic Oval of the University of the People - as we contemplate and reflect on what his life, words and sacrifice mean to all of us, as Filipinos.

At the end of this public exhibition, the banners will again be recycled into tote bags that will serve as one-of-a-kind pieces of functional art which will then be sold to benefit selected charities, as well as other CANVAS efforts to promote greater awareness and appreciation for Philippine art, culture and the environment.

RELEVANT RIZAL opens at 4pm on Friday, June 3, 2011 at the Vargas Museum in UP Diliman.

For more information and to preview the artworks, please visit our website, or email info@canvas.ph.

Just 10 Seconds of Your Time to Help Provide Books for Filipino Children

2011-04-28T06:06:00.005+08:00

It's the last two days, our friends. And it’s a really really really tight fight for the additional $300 in bonus funding from Global Giving--- $300 that will provide books for 100 (out of the 3000 we’re targeting) schools, hospitals or directly to disadvantaged children throughout the Philippines!

But only the top five organizations will get that bonus, and while we’ve made up a lot of ground, we’re still outside the kulambo at number 6 (just 16 votes from number 5, 60 votes from number 4, and exactly 400 votes from number 1). < So we really need your help, and all it will take are a few clicks! Just click on this link: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/give-books-to-3000-children-in-the-philippines/

Scroll down and look for the "facebook share". You’ll find it towards the middle on the right side of the page. Click on it, and share on your facebook walls. And that’s it, doable in 10 seconds!

Pretty please?! :-)

Thanks!

MOVING STILL by Tammy Tan

2011-04-26T12:00:00.000+08:00

ARTIST STATEMENT

I made the bottles and jars around the year 2000, using glass paints, marine epoxy clay painted with acrylic, and added ornaments.

These are some of the results of that creative effort. Ever since then, each piece has given me an unexplainable and incomparable sense of pride and joy, maybe because I made then during a particularly vulnerable period in my life.

It interests me, now, how it translates on canvas. Was I able to show the essence of why these pieces move me? I wonder if and how it would affect viewers.

Framed in, they receive undivided attention.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

"Moving Still" opens at CANVAS' Looking for Juan Artspace in Serendra at 6pm on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. A portion of all sales from the exhibit will benefit CANVAS' Books-for-3000-Children Project.

We're In! But We Still Need Your Help!!!

2011-04-25T20:11:00.005+08:00

We met Global Giving's two challenge thresholds - raising at least $4,000 from at least 50 donors - last Holy Thursday!

Thank you to everyone for your support. This means that we have now secured a permanent spot on GlobalGiving’s website, where we will have the potential to benefit from corporate relationships, exposure to a new donor network, and access to dozens of online fundraising tools.

We will do our very best to take advantage of this new capability to further enhance the effectiveness and impact of CANVAS as an organization.

In the meantime, we still need everyone's help.

For one, the $4,000.00 only gets us the invite to Global Giving, but the project itself, more importantly, still needs at total of $15,000 to ensure that at least 3,000 schools, hospitals or children directly, will receive copies of our books.

And second, we're still in the running for one of the five "Facebook Share" incentives from Global Giving. The top five organizations to have their Global Giving pages "shared" on Facebook will receive $300.00 each. We are currently running at number 6, about 150 votes from number 5.

Please help us win the $300 special prize from Global Giving for the most facebook "shares." Simply go to: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/give-books-to-3000-children-in-the-philippines. Scroll down to the middle and click on the FB share button.

Please be assured that 100% of the donations & special prizes we receive will go towards books for disadvantaged children throughout the Philippines. Thanks! :-)

GLOBAL GIVING BONUS DAY!

2011-04-16T11:15:00.010+08:00

In case you haven't donated yet to our 3000 Books for Children Project with Global Giving, or if you have and were thinking of giving more, please consider donating between 12:00pm of Tuesday (April 19) and 11:59am of Wednesday (April 20).

Global Giving just announced this 24-hour window as a BONUS period during which time all donations received will be matched by up to 15%.

As additional incentives, we have also decided that:

* Every $10 donation to our Project made online during this period will entitle the donor to one of our unique art totes. These are unique pieces of functional art from our Outdoor Banner Project. We will bring the bags to our Looking for Juan Artspace in Serendra where donors can then choose on a first-come, first-pick basis.*

* In addition to the bags, and in celebration of Earth Day later in the week, every $50 donation will also entitle the donor to a signed, limited edition It Takes a Village print** by Palma Tayona (image size: 11x8.25 inches, giclee print on archival paper, unframed).

To make your donation, please visit our Global Giving page!

Thank you for your support!!!

* Unfortunately, we cannot afford to mail the freebies - they will have to be picked up at our Looking for Juan Artspace in Serendra. :-)

* The original It Takes a Village artwork by Palma Tayona is a 5x4 ft. acrylic on canvas painting and may also be purchased. If interested, please send an email to info@canvas.ph for details. 100% of proceeds from the sale of the painting will also exclusively benefit our 3000 Books for Children project.

WHY READING MATTERS (and why you should donate)

2011-04-14T17:52:00.003+08:00

We still need your help with our Global Giving Project to raise funds to bring 3000 of our books to public schools, hospitals and children all over the Philippines. This video is our modest attempt to show why we think this matters.

To donate, please visit our Global Giving page.

Music credit: L'Arrivee by Ehma
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/94

SUMMER ART WORKSHOP AT L4J ART SPACE

2011-04-10T06:35:00.002+08:00

This summer, Artists in Residence, Inc. (AiR) in cooperation with Looking For Juan (L4J) Arts Space gives your children the chance to unleash their inner artisans and conjure the “Magic of the Masters” as they hone their skills under the tutelage of professionals in the Philippine art scene.

“Magic of the Masters” is an intensive 10-session art workshop for children who want to explore the wondrous world of art and create their very own masterpieces, which will then be showcased in a culminating exhibit at the L4J Art Space in Serendra, Bonifacio Global City.

“Magic of the Masters” includes lessons in drawing, painting, sculpting and mixed media art, which will be conducted by multi-awarded artist Cathy Lasam; artist and practicing architect Jojo Ballo; and Jill Arwen Posadas, a published illustrator affiliated with Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan. All mentors have mounted several exhibits here and abroad.

Join “Magic of the Masters” now to avail of the limited slots.

Classes start on Easter Tuesday at the L4J Art Space. For inquiries, contact 425 6375 or 0917 587 8770 or 0917 880 2062; or e-mail us at lookingforjuan@gmail.com.

Artists in Residence, Inc.

Artists in Residence, Inc., or AiR, is a duly registered art services company composed of extensively trained and highly experienced practicing artists. We provide custom-made solutions for clients who require the kind of creativity and skill only true artists can give. We take great pride in our ability to provide these unique solutions within client-specific parameters, with the highest possible quality.

Who are the Artists in Residence?

Cathy Lasam is a multi-awarded cum laude graduate of the College of Fine Arts of UP Diliman. Her art studies include printmaking, oil portraiture and watercolour courses in the US. Cathy specializes in the creation of paperworks, or folded paper sculptures and installations, as well as oil and acrylic painting. She teaches drawing, painting and art history to students of all ages at schools and studios alike. Cathy has held solo exhibitions at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, One Workshop Gallery, 1/OF Gallery, and the Prose Art Gallery, has participated in group exhibits at the Donada Art Gallery, L4J Art Space, the Museo Arte de Contemporaneo Ateneo in Yucatan, Mexico, and the Gallerie Gavarni in Paris, France. As an artist, she was also a Philippine Delegate to the China-ASEAN Youth Program in Guangzhou, China, and to the HAO Asian Artists Summit in Sentosa, Singapore. Cathy is a member of the Philippine Art Educators Association.

Jojo Ballo is an artist and practicing architect who completed his Architecture degree at the Diliman, Quezon City campus of the University of the Philippines. He specializes in ceramic and acrylic painting, which he frequently pairs with poetry. His current work focuses on the creation of intricately-wrought, large-scale mandalas in acrylic, which are highly sought-after by art collectors and patrons. Jojo has taught various courses in creative thinking as well as drawing, painting and arts and crafts. He has held no less than six one-man shows at the Pinto Art Gallery, the Boston Gallery and the Shangri-La Plaza. He has likewise contributed to several group exhibitions at venues such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Big Sky Mind, One Workshop Gallery, L4J Art Space, and the Art Center in SM Megamall. Apart from being a curator, exhibition designer, and one-time gallery manager, Jojo now works with an architectural firm in Pasig City.

Jill Arwen Posadas has a Painting degree from the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts, as well as a Communication Arts degree from the University of Asia and the Pacific. Her art studies include painting and drawing workshops at the Galleries of Fine Arts and the Escuela sa Museo at the Ayala Museum, the Young Artist’s Career Workshop at the Pinto Art Gallery, and the Barlaya Illustrating for Children Workshop at the Vargas Museum. She specializes in watercolour, acrylic, oil pastel on acrylic and oil painting. Jill has mounted solo exhibits at the Boston Gallery, the OWG Creative Centre, 1/OF Gallery, and the Prose Art Gallery, and has joined group shows at venues like the CCP, the Ayala Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, Surrounded by Water, blanc art space and the L4J Art Space. Jill is also a published illustrator affiliated with Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang-InK), whose works have appeared in children’s books, magazines, newspapers, greeting cards and a Philippine postage stamp.

It Doesn't Get More Filipino than This!

2011-04-06T15:41:00.004+08:00

This highly entertaining, sensitive and truly Filipino short film, "Creative License" won the top award at the US National 24-Hour Film Racing Tour 2010 in New York. As the name implies, the competition calls on filmmakers write, shoot, and complete a short film - all in 24 hours.

Now, this is the way to tell our story!

For a more in depth background on the film and the film makers, click here.

Lessons from the Triumph of Ronald Ventura

2011-04-05T15:35:00.003+08:00

The dizzying heights that artist Ronald Ventura has scaled in just the few years that his works have been selling at the international auction circuit are almost unimaginable, especially probably for his earliest collectors. But his triumph yesterday is on a totally different plane, and enough even for those who don’t follow the arts to take serious notice. In case you hadn’t heard, yesterday, at the Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings auction in Hong Kong, for the very first time, a Philippine painting by a living artist (just 38 years old in fact!) sold for more than one million US dollars, a record for any Contemporary Southeast Asian Painting at auction.

What does it mean for Philippine art?

First and most obviously, it confirms that at least some of the international spotlight is firmly on the Philippine art scene. In part, this is a testament to the undeniable talent of this - and other - Filipino artists. Indeed, there has been growing regional interest in Filipino artists beyond Ventura. Geraldine Javier, Rodel Tapaya, Nona Garcia, Kiko Escora, to name a few, have also been doing exceptionally well in the international scene.

The interest is also due to growing global interest in Southeast Asian art in general. China and India - the two major Asian powers - have paced the growth of the art market in the region, and as the prices of their art have skyrocketed, collectors began to cast their eyes on other Asian countries where, presumably, worthy bargains would be found.

Vietnam - with its historical connections with the United States and France - garnered the early benefits. Indonesia and to a lesser extent, the Philippines have been following suit, and there is still much room for growth.

Ronald Ventura’s high profile achievement is sure to attract even more interest in Philippine art, and particularly, its young contemporary Filipino artists.

A second, more important result is that Ronald Ventura, again and increasingly, will continue to be an inspiration to the current and next generation of Filipino artists. This outcome is double-edged.

On the one hand, Ronald Ventura shines as an example that the Filipino artist can and should compete and stand comparably with the best that this planet has to offer.

On the other hand, young artists should tread cautiously when following in Ventura’s footsteps. It may now be a bit difficult but it is important to remember that Ronald Ventura was not an overnight international sensation. His triumph yesterday was the result of years of building a reputation and even more years of honing his craft. If there is a lesson that younger artists must heed from Ventura - it is that they must be prepared to pay their dues. Some of them may even be more talented than Ventura, but - as in all aspects of human endeavor - it takes more than talent to make it in the art scene. It takes time, hard work and not a bit of luck.

And most crucially, it takes integrity - the discipline and faith to paint for one’s self and to explore one’s art, and to never compromise, regardless of and certainly not because of what they think the market wants.

Now, let me share what I think Ronald Ventura’s success DOES NOT mean.

First, it does not mean that the success and noteworthiness of our Filipino artists can or should be measured by how well they do (or don’t do) at auction. While Ventura’s sale yesterday is undoubtedly and undeniably authentic, it is not a secret that auctions are sometimes gamed, with collectors and gallery owners sometimes bidding on their own artists in order to attract greater interest in their works. And there are many other important artists who will not - either by circumstance or by choice - be part of the art auction scene.

Moreover, the market can be and is often wrong. No less than the greats Onib Olmedo and Ang Kiukok were ignored for years before their geniuses were recognized and appreciated.

And second, yesterday’s sale does not mean that it is too late to own a Ventura. Well, for most of us, this Ronald Ventura may now be out of our leagues. But it is not too late - and indeed this is where the fun is - to find the next Ronald Ventura. Because he or she is definitely out there. The only difference is that, because of this Ventura, more people than ever, both here and abroad, will be looking.

The good news is that the places and the chances to make that special find abound. Every week, there are openings for group exhibitions and first solo shows. Galleries seem to be sprouting all over just waiting to be explored. Art in the Park, an annual affordable art fair that benefits the National Museum, never fails to yield treasures. Manilart - an international art fair where you will find nearly all the most credible and respectable galleries - is just around the corner. And, there are numerous art groups and associations to work with, as well as underground street and graffiti artists who explore the boundaries and edges of art.

The local visual art scene has never been as vibrant and chaotic and exciting and full of opportunity - for both artists and collectors alike.

Global Giving - Help Kids and Help Us! :-)

2011-04-01T09:45:00.005+08:00

CANVAS has been selected by the GlobalGiving Foundation to participate in its Open Challenge, a fundraising opportunity for nonprofit organizations working around the world.

In order to succeed in GlobalGiving’s Open Challenge, CANVAS must raise $4,000 from 50 donors by April 30, 2011. If we meet this threshold, we will be given a permanent spot on GlobalGiving’s website, where we have the potential to benefit from corporate relationships, exposure to a new donor network, and access to dozens of online fundraising tools.

Please help us reach the threshold of $4,000 from 50 donors! Be one of the first people to make a donation through our GlobalGiving Page! Not only will your donation help to inspire children to read (and love reading!) but, it will help us take advantage of a long-term fundraising opportunity!

We’re also going to need your help spreading the word! You can help us greatly by simply going to and sharing our GlobalGiving Page on Facebook and Twitter. (GlobalGiving gives a special prize for the project with the most shares.)

Please forward this opportunity to others who you think might be able to help!

Thank you again for your support and continued confidence in us!

Let the Judging Begin!

2011-03-31T17:49:00.002+08:00

The deadline has passed for this year's Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition. We are pleased to inform you that we received 84 entries, all inspired by Liv Vinluan's contest piece.

We would like to thank all the writers. Now the judging process will start. We're very excited!

P.S. It will take some time to go through, shortlist and eventually pick the winning story from all the entries. We hope to complete the process and announce the winner by the first week of June, if not earlier.

Internship Opportunity

2011-03-29T07:00:00.000+08:00

CANVAS is looking for summer interns who can work on our digital media projects and contribute their talents and energies to the pursuit of our mission. The internships are designed for college students or recent college graduates who are interested in gaining valuable experience in a creative, fast-paced nonprofit organization.

The interns would be expected to work at least 15 hours per week during the summer break from April through June. The internships are primarily intended to provide useful and fulfilling experience and are unpaid. Nonetheless, if circumstances allow, CANVAS may provide a (very modest) stipend and other benefits.

The interns would be expected to help in:

Editing and producing web and podcast content for the CANVAS and/or Looking for Juan websites;
Writing and editing blog entries for CANVAS;
Building Web pages and multimedia elements using HTML and tools such as Photoshop, After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Garage Band, and/or Sound Booth; and
Researching stories and performing administrative tasks.

The ideal candidates would have some or all of the following attributes: a demonstrated record of creative accomplishment and a passion for Philippine art and culture; excellence in writing and editing; creativity and ability to be flexible; and the ability to work quickly, accurately, under deadline and with minimal supervision.

Experience with Web or multimedia production is highly preferred.

If interested, please email your cover letter and CV to info@canvas.ph.

Teaser

2011-03-10T14:57:00.007+08:00

By way of a teaser for our upcoming children's book, "Mga Huni sa Loob ng Kawayan," by Fernando Gonzalez, below are recent artworks by Juanito Torres who will do the honors for illustrating the book.

"Paalam"
48"x60" oil on canvas (2010)

"Tirad Pass"
60"x72" oil on canvas (2011)

Neither painting is part of the book which tells a fictionalized account of the making of the famed Bamboo Organ. These are just to give you a flavor of what to expect.

The book will come out late this year. We're very excited!

TEDxDiliman

2011-02-24T17:28:00.001+08:00

It's official. We're organizing a TEDx Event in the coming year.

We're excited. Very excited.

Mga Kuwentong EDSA - One Artist's Thoughts

2011-02-22T14:42:00.006+08:00

What does EDSA mean to someone like Daniel Aligaen who was not yet even born when People Power in the Philippines captured the world's imagination in 1986?

Listen to Daniel, as he reflects on the legacy and unfulfilled promise of EDSA...

Then see his and fellow artist Fred Liongoren's thoughts, expressed in art in "Mga Kuwentong EDSA", a 2-man exhibition now ongoing at Looking for Juan Artspace in Serendra, Bonifaio Global City, Taguig.

See you there!

Mga Kuwentong EDSA

2011-02-16T07:45:00.004+08:00

"EDSA Noon" by Fred Liongoren, oil on canvas (1986).

In the heady days of 1986, EDSA represented hope, change, and possibility. It united Filipinos, captured the imagination of the world, and represented a proud high point in Philippine history.

Today, 25 years removed, EDSA still represents hope - but the hope is challenged, strained, if not shattered for many. Some of us still cling to the dream, others have cast it off as a mirage. It remains an important point in our history. But, the point of it all - meaningful, progressive change that benefits everyone - remains elusive.

There is, of course, the future, which will now be increasingly traversed by Filipinos who were not even born, or who may have been too young to understand what was going on back in 1986. What do they... what will they... think of EDSA? Not having lived through the moment, can they truly appreciate the lessons and difficult challenges that EDSA carries, and will they ever be in a position to even judge its success or failure?

It is this generational disconnect between those of us who were there, and those of us who are often only told, “if only you had been there!” - and between the promise of 1986 and the reality that confronts us today 25 years after - that Looking for Juan seeks to bridge through Mga Kuwentong EDSA.

This modest art exhibition is a two-man interaction between Fred Liongoren (an multi-awarded and highly respected artist, and a veteran of EDSA), and Daniel Aligaen (an artist at the start of his career, and also present in EDSA if only as an unborn baby in his then pregnant mother’s womb).

Mga Kuwentong EDSA opens with cocktails on February 22, 2011 at 6pm at the Looking for Juan Artspace in Serendra, Bonificio Global City, Taguig.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! :-)

2011-02-14T00:00:00.001+08:00

State Side Opening... and Our New Logo...

2011-02-10T17:22:00.002+08:00

If you have the time, do pass by our Artspace in Serendra and check out Leonard Aguinaldo's collection of artworks from his Vermont residency.

And check out our new logo while you're at it. :-)

It's a great set - one that we're very proud to showcase, especially now that we're dedicating the space to exhibitions exploring the Filipino identity, and other social issues.
Hope to see you there!

Opening on Feb 9: STATE SIDE by LEONARD AGUINALDO

2011-01-31T20:46:00.002+08:00

Baguio-based artist Leonardo Aguinaldo studied Architectural Drafting in Baguio. In 2004, he won the grand prize in the ASEAN Art Award in Bangkok, Thailand, and was named the Best Emerging ASEAN Artist. He is Thirteen Artists Awardee of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and has participated in numerous international art exhibitions including the Busan Biennale South Korea, International Open Air Exhibition, Kanagawa Prefecture in Yokohama, Japan and Nature Art in Korea.

In September 2009, Leonard traveled to the United States as a Freeman Fellow Resident Artist at the Vermont Studio Center. "STATE SIDE" is a collection of artworks from that residency. (Preview his artworks here, and read his artist's statement here.)

The show opens on February 9, 2011 at 6pm at the Looking for Juan, 2nd Level, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City. For inquiries, please call 901-3152 or email info@canvas.ph.

How to Tell Good Stories

2011-01-28T16:01:00.001+08:00

Telling good stories is what we try to be about. From our books to our shows and soon, to our Mga Kuwento Natin project... we just want to say something good that others will find compelling.

So when we find something or someone who has something to say about how to do just that, we sit up and listen. And here's some advice from one of the best. In this talk, divided into four parts, Ira Glass, host and producer of the multi-awarded This American Life on National Public Radio, shares his thoughts on the art of storytelling.

Art in the Park 2011

2011-01-26T14:37:00.003+08:00

Mark your calendars - February 19, 2011. That's a Saturday.

Art in the Park is a once-a-year chance to find affordable artworks (nothing over P20,000.00!) from some of the best young artists today. And sales all benefit the National Museum.

It's a great way to spend your afternoon, and to add to or begin your art collection. See you there!

Woohoooo!

2011-01-25T21:09:00.002+08:00

We're told - and looking at the cover - we're featured in the latest issue.

We haven't read it yet, and we're already honored. :-)

JOIN THE 2011 ROMEO FORBES CHILDREN'S STORY WRITING COMPETITION!!!

2011-01-02T12:57:00.006+08:00

We're ready and looking forward to be enthralled and surprised!

It's time to again start the New Year with an invitation for you to join and submit an entry to our annual Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition!

This year, Liv Vinluan does the honors and provides the inspiration with this new contest piece:

(Untitled Contest Piece)
by Liv Vinluan
48"x48" oil on canvas (2010)

Contest Rules and Conditions

1. CANVAS' Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition is open to all Filipinos.

2. Entries must not have been previously published or submitted in any other competition, and all entrants must warrant the originality of their submitted entries.

3. Writers may submit only one entry, which may be in English or Filipino. The entry must not exceed 1,500 words.

4. There is no particular theme, other than the use of Liv Vinluan's untitled contest piece, shown above, as the inspiration or basis for the entry.

5. Judging Process. A CANVAS review panel shall read and award points for all stories received based on the following criteria:

* Originality and Storyline (35%)
* Imagery (35%)
* Quality of Writing (20%)
* X-Factor/Judges' discretion (10%)

Based on the points received, CANVAS shall forward a shortlist of at least five stories with the highest scores to the Artist. The Artist shall then provide comments on any or all the stories, for consideration by the panel of judges.

The panel of judges - taking the contest criteria and Artist comments into non-binding consideration - shall collectively choose the winner from the shortlist of stories.

If the judges cannot come to a consensus on the winner, they shall take a vote and the entry that gains the most number of votes shall be declared the winner.

None of CANVAS' review panel, the judges or the Artist shall see the entrant's name until the winner is chosen.

6. Entries must be submitted by email, as a Microsoft Word attachment, to storycontest@canvas.ph with the subject heading 2011 ROMEO FORBES CHILDREN'S STORYWRITING COMPETITION. In the body of the email, entrants must provide their name, the title of their entry, mailing and email address, and telephone/cellphone number. Only the story title should appear on all pages of the attached entry.

7. The deadline for submission of entries is 5:00 p.m. (Manila time), Thursday, 31 March 2011. Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition.

Kindly note that CANVAS acknowledges each and every entry that we receive. If you submitted a story, and do not receive an acknowledgment from us within 24 hours, please assume that your story was not received and kindly resend it to us.

Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition. CANVAS shall not be responsible for entries which are not received, or which are received after the deadline, due to technical failure or for any other reason whatsoever.

8. All entrants hereby agree to authorize CANVAS to post their entries on its website, as CANVAS deems fit, and free from any payments, royalties or fees whatsoever.

9. There shall be only one winner, who shall receive a cash prize of PhP 35,000.00 (less applicable withholding tax) for his/her entry.

The winning writer shall also be entitled to five (5) free copies upon publication of the book.

The winner shall grant and transfer to CANVAS all intellectual property and publication rights to the story, including any translations, adaptations or modifications thereto.

It is hereby understood that the cash prize to be awarded to the winner shall include consideration of such intellectual property and publication rights to the story, and the writer shall not be entitled to any other royalties or fees from earnings, if any, that may result from future publication of, licensing of, or other transactions on the same.

(Please see our note below on why we have this rule.)

10. Except for the right to publish any received entry on its website, CANVAS shall not retain any other rights to entries that are not selected as the winner, except where separate agreements are reached with the writers.

11. CANVAS shall exercise full and exclusive editorial and artistic control over the publication of the winning entry and resulting book.

While, it is the full intention of CANVAS to publish the winning entry as a full-color children's book, CANVAS reserves the right not to publish the same for any reason whatsoever.

12. The winner of the CANVAS storywriting competition will be announced on or around the first half of June 2011. The winner will also be notified via email and by text message on the same announcement date.

13. CANVAS reserves the right not to award the top competition prize in the unlikely event that the judges decide that no entry was received that is deserving of the top prize. In such event, however, CANVAS shall have no right whatsoever over all entries that were received; and shall not publish any entry, in its website or in any other venue, without the prior written consent or agreement of the author.

14. The decision of the competition judges shall be final, and no correspondence or inquiries into the same - including requests for comments/feedback on received entries - shall be entertained.

15. Employees of CANVAS, and members of their immediate family, as well as the Artist's immediate family, are disqualified from participating in the competition.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Why We Ask for the Transfer of Rights

The competition rules (Rule 9) clearly state that the winning author should agree to transfer all rights to CANVAS and "...shall not be entitled to any other royalties or fees from earnings, if any, that may result from future publication of, derivative works, licensing of, or other transactions on the same."

This rule has understandably raised quite a few eyebrows in the writers' community, and this note is just to clarify where it is that CANVAS is coming from.

First of all, having complete ownership of the story rights makes it easier and less complicated for us to quickly and liberally share and give our consent to anyone who may ask for permission to use the winning story (something that we have always granted in the past).

It is for this very reason that the stories and illustrations of books we publish are all available for free viewing and enjoyment on our website (www.canvas.ph), despite the concern of some that the easy availability of the stories on the Internet could eat into the sales of our books (which, happily, has not proven to be the case).

We have, in fact, now taken it one step further. All our stories are now available and downloadable on our website FOR FREE, in both English and Filipino. Just as we were fortunate enough to have been given permission to adapt "The Man Who Planted Trees," into our maiden publication - "Elias and His Trees," - we hope that the stories that we work on will inspire similar creativity.

A second reason why we ask for the transfer of rights is that CANVAS is a small nonprofit, and is not equipped to document and track royalty shares that ideally should accrue to authors and artists. In fact, we only rely on and trust our partner publisher(s) to remit to us our own royalty shares. It is for this reason that our prizes (we think), are quite substantial and approximates (if not exceeds) what writers would normally expect to receive in royalties.

Third, we are also trying to get the stories published abroad. Should we get really lucky and end up on the NY Times Bestseller List or say, get our book selected by Oprah, be assured that we will make things right with the artist and writer (you'll just have to trust us on this).

But until then, having demonstrably complete ownership over the rights makes it easier and less complicated for us to approach and negotiate with would-be publishers and agents (who hopefully would not be spooked by our giving out downloadable e-books for free in the first place).

Finally, we are also trying to be financially sustainable. We rely on a small amount of grant funding to conduct our activities, including co-sharing the publication costs of the books. We can only hope to recoup the expenses so that we can do these activities on a continuing and recurring basis in the years to come.

Please be assured of our continuing effort to balance our desire to contribute to the public domain in a manner that is also fair to the writers and artists, on the one hand; and our need to also be fiscally responsible with the grants that have been entrusted to us, and to the publishers that we partner with, on the other.

The Year in Review (2010) and the Year to Come (2011)

2010-12-27T11:05:00.031+08:00

The break between Christmas and New Year always gives us a good opportunity to look back on the past year, and to prepare for the year to come.

We will start this review at the end - the publication just this December of Doll Eyes. Written by Eline Santos, and rendered in fine detail by Joy Mallari, Doll Eyes marked a milestone of sorts for CANVAS - our tenth children’s book in five years.

To celebrate, simultaneous with exhibition of artworks for Doll Eyes, we held a retrospective of selected artworks from our previous books. Both shows were held at the Vargas Museum in UP.

We actually had a preliminary retrospective at the Ortigas Foundation Library. A couple of months earlier, CANVAS to Pap er: Turning Paintings into Children’s Books also featured art pieces from our children’s books. The exhibit was part of Book Matters, a program of the Lopez Memorial Museum, the Ortigas Foundation Library, and the Robinson’s Children’s Library that encourages and creates opportunities for the public to read works of Filipino authors and publishers.

This year, we again attempted to open avenues and opportunities for Filipino writers with our Story Writing for Young Rea ders Competition where five authors got to be read, reviewed and provided feedback by Kelly Sonnack, a highly respected children’s lit agent in the US.

Our first tie-up with Kelly back in 2008 saw Rocky Tirona win for her story, My Big Sister Can See Dragons. Happily, that story finally earned official representation this year by the San Diego-based Andrea Brown Literary Agency which will now try to find a secure home for it with a publishing house in the US. We hope we will be able to work the same magic with this year’s winner, Kate Osias and her story, Apolinario and the Name Trader.

Of course, we began 2010 with our flagship activity - the annual Romeo Forbes Children’s Storywriting Competition - this time with 13 Artists Awardee Don Salubayba's contest piece (shown on the left) providing the inspiration. We received a record number of entries, and in the end, Issa Alarilla-Arellano emerged triumphant for “Tahan na, Tahanan.” We were especially gratified to learn that Issa is based in Dubai, and is our first Bayong Bayani to win the competition. We are very excited to see Don bring her story, which is fittingly about home and family, to life in August 2011.

Then too, modest shows at our artspace in Serendra, and our participation in annual events like Manilart, Art in the Park and the American Women’s Bazaar, kept us busy and on our toes throughout the year.

Some of the artists showcased at Looking for Juan in Serendra
in 2010. (Clockwise from top left: Jill Arwen Posadas, Cathy
Lasam, Daniel Aligaen (with Mark Arcamo), Farley del Rosario,
Jomike Tejido, Juan Sagid Imao & Buen Calubayan)

In 2010, we felt an increasing need to further deepen and promote our collective understanding and appreciation for our national identity through Philippine art. So we began to invest and lay the groundwork for more innovative, engaging and provocative Looking for Juan activities in the years to come.

We organized two major shows centered on what it means to be Filipino - both of which were also meant to contribute to the debates and discussions that surrounded the historic 2010 national elections.

Dekalogo - a tribute to, and reflections on the words of the Sublime Paralytic which we realized continued to hold relevance even today - was the first major undertaking.

And, for the second straight year, we mounted our Outdoor Banner Exhibition - this time focusing on the theme of Everyday Filipino Heroes.

The banners were displayed in three different venues - the
Bencab Museum in Baguio, the UP Academic Oval, and
the Ayala Underpasses in Makati.

As before, the tarpaulin banners were recycled and transformed into art totes, which were then sold, with proceeds benefiting the Vargas Museum.

Taking off from these projects, we took three major steps to strengthen and highlight our Looking for Juan Program.

First of, we’ve renamed 1/of Gallery in Looking for Juan - dedicating the artspace for young Filipino artists who will use the venue for shows that can express their thoughts on what it means to be Filipino.

Second, we launched a new website: www.lookingforjuan.com - and in 2011, we plan to use it a serious vehicle to further broaden the program’s scope, visibility and impact.

And third, we’ve invested in new equipment to pursue a new long-term project starting in 2011 - Mga Kuwento Natin. Inspired by Storycorps, we hope to record conversations between and among Filipinos, both as a sort of shared oral history, and also, as a source of further inspiration for more events, shows and activities that can showcase Philippine art and culture in meaningful and relevant ways.

What do we see in store for 2011?

The Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition will again start the year off with a contest piece from Liv Vinluan.

We have two new children’s books - both winners of our Writing Competition - in the pipeline. First to come, in April or May, will be Mga Huni sa Loob ng Kawayan, a fictional take by Fernando Gonzalez on making of the famed Bamboo Organ with artist Juanito Torres doing the honors. Then in August, Don Salubayba brings his talents to bring Issa Alarilla-Arellano’s Tahan na, Tahanan to life.

2011 also marks the 150^th birth year of Jose Rizal, and we have two major Looking for Juan projects in store. First, organizing what is now an annual Outdoor Banner Project around Rizal and his influence was an obvious and easy decision.

And, second, we have a special collaborative project between artist Elmer Borlongan and poet Vim Nadera to produce a new ABAKADA book, with each letter of the Philippine alphabet corresponding to a particular aspect of Rizal’s life. Each letter will be accompanied by a poem for children by Vim, and rendered through letras y figuras interpretations by Emong.

Mga Kuwento Natin will also start churning stories and podcasts as we try to build more content into our Looking for Juan website.

We have great shows scheduled as well in the Looking for Juan artspace in Serendra - Leonard Aguinaldo, Tammy Tan, Farley del Rosario, Ugu Bigyan, Salvador Ching, Anthony Palomo, and Jim Orencio, among others, are just some of the artists we have on the schedule.

Next year, too, we will continue to take more pro-active policy and developmental roles for CANVAS.

For one, here’s a thought that we’ve had for some time. Even as as Hong Kong and Singapore are trying to establish themselves as the regional centers of art in Southeast Asia, the Philippines can rightly establish itself as a similar center on the supply side. Indeed, with our tradition of democracy and history of struggling for human rights - we believe that we can, and should position the country as the regional safe haven for artists and free expression in Southeast Asia.

In this vein, to start, we're trying bring in artists from a few countries with past and present free expression problems - Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia - to interact with some of our artists here. And maybe that can lead to even more interactions and ideas in the future… we’ll see and keep you posted.

As a second idea, we want to raise the funds necessary to commission an honest-to-goodness survey of the role, impact and contribution of the art sector to the Philippine economy. London and New York did it - and showed convincingly that the arts - in terms of jobs created, and revenues generated - were truly important to their respective economies.

We hope to do something similar through a project we're calling Malikhaing Maynila. We believe that if we can produce the data, with rigor and credibility, then we can have some solid, fact-based arguments to present to our policymakers to convince them to take the arts more seriously, and to therefore provide more funding and support to what we honestly believe is a major engine of growth for the country.

One final note. As an organization, CANVAS is just a child, with much to learn, and with much need for continuing guidance and support.

Frankly, we like being small (although, to be sure, our success is more directly attributable to the support and participation of the hundreds of artists and writers, and supporters, we work with on various projects throughout the year). It allows us to be nimble, creative and flexible, and not be constrained by too much structure.

That said, we realize that our plans, and all the things we want to in the coming years do require us to grow a bit more. And so as a start, we will likely begin an internship program - both to help us out, and equally important, to continue to infuse CANVAS with new blood, ideas and passion.

2011 is going to be an exciting year. Join us, as we continue on our mission to use Philippine art to change the world!

DOLL EYES - Tonight's The Night!!!

2010-12-10T07:24:00.003+08:00

We launch our latest children's book, DOLL EYES, and its accompanying artworks today at 4pm at the Vargas Museum in UP. Written by Eline Santos. Artworks by Joy Mallari. Translation by Augie Rivera.

Hope to see you there!

And The Winner Is...

2010-12-01T06:02:00.002+08:00

CANVAS is pleased to announce that Kate Osias has won our 2010 Storywriting for Young Readers Competition for her story, "Apolinario and the Name Trader."

Here's part of what Kelly Sonnack, agent for the US-based Andrea Brown Literary Agency had to say about it:

"I really enjoyed this manuscript. It has a traditional, classic feel that I like, while also feeling new and fresh – a good blend for today’s picture book market. It’s playful and capitalizes on something I think kids think about – how a different name might make you feel."

The other finalists, in no particular order, were:

Agay Llanera for "The Jealous Moon"
Rowald Almazar for "Annie Wants a Cookie"
Becky Bravo for "Marvelous Mouse and the Missing Cheese"
Angela Mapa for "Props"

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this competition.

Our next annual Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition opens on the first week of January 2011. We hope you will all join again!

RESERVE YOUR COPY OF "DOLL EYES" NOW!

2010-11-25T15:05:00.006+08:00

The book's finally here, and we're launching "Doll Eyes" on December 10, 2010. But you can order and a reserve your copy of this hardbound, limited collector's edition now. We've published only 1,000 copies (or thereabouts), and nearly half or 500 have already been sold.

A full-color, matte jacket with spot lamination protects the hardcover.

Here's a picture of the inside front cover...

And, of course, Joy Mallari's artworks are spectacular, and truly bring Eline Santos' dark and riveting story to life. Below is the opening scene of Quiapo, which is the setting for the tale.

And here are a couple more pages from the book...

Reserve your copies now. The books are priced at P850.00 each, but if you pre-order with us, we will give you a special Christmas price of P650.00. They may be picked up either at the UP Shopping Center in Diliman, or at our art space, Looking for Juan, in Serendra.

This offer is good only until the book launch on December 10, 2010.

To reserve your copy or to place an order, please send an email to info@canvas.ph.

So close...

2010-11-13T06:20:00.001+08:00

Got a first test copy of Doll Eyes. It's not yet perfect, but we are really close...

See you all at the opening!

And a Bonus...

2010-11-10T19:13:00.003+08:00

Nine more reasons to come to the launch of our tenth book... :-)

Our Last Big Show for 2010 - See You There!!!

2010-11-08T19:46:00.000+08:00

Inspired by 2011 TED Prize Winner JR

2010-11-03T18:10:00.003+08:00

We want to do something like this here. Art matters!

Mythbusters: Money Laundering Through Artworks

2010-10-11T14:22:00.002+08:00

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer a few weeks back, lawyer Fernando Topacio claimed that paintings of young contemporary artists were being used by jueteng lords to launder their profits abroad.

He identified Ronald Ventura, Mark Justiniani, and Elmer Borlongan as among the most popular artists for this purpose, and he claimed further that the practice partly explained steady rise in the price of artworks by younger Filipino artists in the international art scene.

We don't really know how credible Mr. Topacio is, but we find it hard to believe that auctioning off artworks - even granting their rising prices - would be worth the time and effort of laundering a few thousand dollars worth of jueteng lord proceeds.

And indeed, according to Artnet, a quick look at the Artnet auction database doesn’t provide much evidence for at least one major part of his claim.

"Justiniani has only two works in the database," they say, "with the highest selling for about $6,200 in 2005, and Borlongan is not listed at all. Ventura’s auction record of about $280,000 was set at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2008, with other works going for considerably less at more recent sales."*

* A recent auction of one of Ronald Ventura's pieces, however, sold for about $331,000.00.
** Photo credit: Artnet.com

Gutom Ka Na, Baby?

2010-10-09T08:51:00.003+08:00

We are what we eat...

Ongoing at Looking for Juan in Serendra

2010-10-06T14:48:00.002+08:00

Daniel Aligaen and Mark Arcamo team up for IF FLUX COULD KILL, currently on view at the LookingForJuan art space (formerly 1/of Gallery) at the 2/F Shops at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City.

The artists present a collection of renditions of the ravages and delights of constant change.

UST-trained Aligaen plays visual tricks by capturing what time would have otherwise taken long to do. His canvases pretend to be old images with paint cracked and peeling, vandalized with black and white magazine cutouts used as stick-ons, as one would in a collage. In fact, the pieces are recently completed artworks. Striking is the artist’s distorted self-portrait with which he strove to express loss and grief, remembering his late father.

Arcamo employs his patterns that may be seen as stylized beehives, complementing his theme of frenetic activity. The FEU Fine Arts graduate parlays the speed with which things happen such that a man in suit has rainbow-colored rays where his head should be, a woman’s short-skirted lower form is topped by the head and arms of what appears to be a nude man, and layers of scenes merge in a disjointed but fascinating and almost fashionable manner.

The exhibit runs until October 16, 2010.

To view all the works, click here. For inquiries, please call 901-3152.

Malapit na Talaga!

2010-10-05T08:13:00.004+08:00

More than two years in the making and we're now just a little over a month away! :-)

Here's a preview of what's to come!

Profiles in Courage

2010-10-01T07:15:00.004+08:00

We must be doing something right if our country can still produce people like these two. (Click on the pics to see why...)

A Small Show - From Canvas to Paper

2010-09-27T20:45:00.003+08:00

We set-up a small exhibition of paintings, prints and books at the Ortigas Foundation Library this morning.

We're showing a few of the paintings and contest pieces from some of our past book projects.

All our books are also nicely displayed in the center.

"From Canvas to Paper" opens tomorrow at 6pm, and runs for a week. It's a cozy, relaxed and interesting show, we think. Catch it if you have the time.

The Ortigas Foundation Library is located at the 2nd Floor of Ortigas Building, Ortigas corner Meralco Avenues, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 1602, Philippines . Tel. (632) 631.1231 local 228

Possible (Likely) Venue

2010-09-22T22:14:00.004+08:00

If all goes well, and we are able to come to terms, we'd be very happy to launch Doll Eyes at Resorts World in the first half of November.

Will keep you posted. Currently, a very nice exhibition of paintings and sculptures by National Artist Arturo Luz is ongoing. Visit it if you have the time.

Eerie

2010-09-21T18:49:00.004+08:00

Check out this fantastic short film that's eerily similar to Doll Eyes, our upcoming children's book.

For the record, as far as we can tell, this film started screening only in late 2009. Eline Santos wrote her winning story for CANVAS more than a year earlier, in early 2008. :-)

Scenes from our Photoshoot for Doll Eyes

2010-09-20T20:22:00.008+08:00

By way of a teaser, here are some pictures from our photoshoot today for Joy Mallari's final set of paintings for our next children's book, "Doll Eyes."

So, now the ball's really on our court. We should have the books all laid out and published by November. Which would be timely - remember, this is after all, our first horror children's book. :-)

The only thing we don't have yet is a venue. We're reserved for a good space in December, but we really want to launch this in time for Halloween. Or thereabouts.

* Written by Eline Santos, "Doll Eyes" won CANVAS' 2008 Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition.

African Art That's Made In China

2010-09-18T10:00:00.000+08:00

How do you protect cultural identity in an age of globalization?

How to Become a Patron of the Arts (even if you're not filthy rich)...

2010-09-17T21:37:00.000+08:00

Happy listening!

Video and Innovation

2010-09-17T21:24:00.004+08:00

This is why we're working on getting our stories on YouTube!

New Toys

2010-09-11T21:16:00.004+08:00

Our equipment have all been purchased and appear to be in great working order. It's now just a matter of us familiarizing ourselves with their operations and capabilities.

And they all fit in one of our art totes, so portability won't be an issue. Just tell us where and we can be there.

MGA KUWENTO NATIN - Let the stories begin! Details and mechanics coming very very soon!

A Different Day

2010-09-09T19:55:00.004+08:00

Today, we figured out the what equipment we'll need to start the interviews Mga Kuwento Natin, thanks to the audiophiles of Audiophile - a specialty store that we found at Cyberpod along Ortigas.

And, we had a lot of fun talking up CANVAS for an hour with Lana of JAM 88.3.

All in all a very good, different day.

Mga Kuwento Natin - Abangan!!!

2010-09-05T09:24:00.007+08:00

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Storycorps, which has recorded over 30,000 "conversations of a lifetime" inspired us. We think we can and should do the same thing here, with Mga Kuwento Natin. It will be an effort to hear out, document and preserve the stories of our lives.

We all know those stories - of our grandparents telling us what it was like when the Japanese were here, or how our parents stopped the tanks along EDSA, or how uncles and aunts met and fell in love, or even the barkada classics that are repeated over and over and over again each time we meet for a bottle or two.

Only this time, we can be there for and with you to preserve the memory and the conversation. We're thinking of trying it out with the first thirty volunteers. All you'll need to provide is yourself and your interviewee, and a quiet room where you can talk uninterrupted for about 45 minutes, and we will go to you with everything else. At the end of the session, you will have had one conversation with someone about anything and everything you've wanted to ask, and we will burn a copy of the recording on a CD for you as a keepsake.

We're hoping that magic happens, and that somewhere within those 45 minutes are 3-4 snippets of truly interesting or funny or touching or memorable stuff that we can turn into podcasts. Eventually, we can have a library of snippets of authentic conversations that serve both as oral history, and as an audio glimpse of the things that make us Filipino, and that make us human.

More details coming soon... we're hoping to get the interviews started later this month.

CONTEST RULES FOR OUR STORY WRITING FOR YOUNG READERS COMPETITION

2010-08-25T11:39:00.014+08:00

Note: THE DEADLINE FOR JOINING THIS COMPETITION HAS ALREADY PASSED.

CANVAS, as part of its mission, strives to open new opportunities for Filipino writers in the global market. We are therefore pleased to announce that our Story Writing for Young Readers Competition - where the top five stories will be read, reviewed and commented on by one of the top picture book literary agents in the US - is once again open for entries.

Even as the overall winner will receive a substantial cash prize, please note that it is notoriously difficult to even get stories considered for representation, much less publication, in the US. This opportunity to be reviewed (and possibly represented) by an experienced and highly regarded literary agent in the US is a difficult-to-overstate, no-lose, possible-huge-foot-in-the-door opportunity for Filipino writers. For this reason, we in CANVAS regard the review and feedback for the best five stories as the real prizes in this competition.

We therefore encourage you all to join. Please pass this information on to anyone who you think would be interested in joining this contest.

Thank you.

--CANVAS

CONTEST RULES

1. The CANVAS Storywriting for Young Readers Competition is open to all Filipinos.

2. Entries must not have been previously published, and all entrants must warrant the originality of their submitted entries.

3. Writers may submit only one entry, which must be written in English.

4. The target readers for the stories should be young children (age 4-8 years old).

We are looking for unique and creative stories that feature a strong central character (preferably, but not necessarily, a child) who faces and overcomes a challenge or obstacle. Ideally, it would speak about a universal theme or experience, even though the story itself may reflect Philippine culture or may be situated in a particular place, province or country. The best stories stretch a young reader's imagination and speak to children in an authentic voice. They evoke real emotion, whether it is humor, love, fear, or joy.

For further guidance, here are some pointers from Kelly Sonnack, the Agent for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency who will review the finalists:

Length: Today’s picture books are short. Try to stay under 1,000 words. Those under 700 or 500 words are even better. Make sure each word is necessary to the telling of your story (and leave room for the illustrator who’s paired with your work later on to help tell parts of the story, too).

Plot: Traditional picture books have a traditional story arc like any other genre of fiction: a beginning, middle and end that incorporates a conflict/obstacle, has the character overcoming that conflict, and also shows character growth as the character overcomes their problem. There are other types of picture book stories, but this is the most common formula.

Character: The character of your picture book should be close to the age of the picture book reader (4-8 years old). And be sure to let your child character be the hero of his/her own story. Don’t let an adult, pet, older sibling, be the one to rescue the child. Let the character struggle and overcome the conflict he/she is faced with.

Topic: Choose a topic that’s unique. Editors want to see things that are fresh, special, and new. There are some topics that have been visited countless times, which makes them hard to sell since a new one has so much competition. Some of these are: ABC or 123 books, books about new pets, books about Christmas, retold American fairy tales, and bedtime books.

Rhyming: If you choose to write your manuscript in rhyme, make sure the rhyme is perfect (that includes pattern, beats, and rhyming scheme). Rhyming books are particularly tough to sell to publishers right now.

5. Manuscript entries must not exceed one thousand (1,000) words. Entries that exceed this limit will automatically be disqualified from the competition.

6. Entries shall be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Originality and Storyline
Quality of Writing
Imagery (The story should be publishable as a picture book)

7. The top five (5) entries selected by CANVAS shall be sent to Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency for comment and feedback, and the overall winner shall be selected by CANVAS based, in part, on such feedback.

There shall be only one overall winner, who will receive Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000.00) in cash (less applicable withholding taxes).

Only the finalists will be given copies of the comments/feedback received on all the stories reviewed by the said Agency.

8. The winner shall grant to CANVAS all intellectual property and publication rights to the submitted story, including the right to translate, adapt and/or make modifications thereto. (Please click here to see our previous entry explaining the reason for this rule. Kindly scroll down to the bottom of the entry.)

In the event of publication by CANVAS of the story, it is hereby understood that the cash prize to be awarded to the winner shall include consideration of such intellectual property and publication rights to the story, and the writer shall not be entitled to any other royalties or fees from earnings, if any, that may result from future publication of, derivative works, licensing of, or other transactions on the same, except as provided in Rule 10 below.

9. By joining this competition, all entrants thereby agree that if selected as a finalist, CANVAS shall be authorized to post their winning stories on its website or blog, as CANVAS deems fit, and free from any payments, royalties or fees whatsoever.

10. Furthermore, all entrants agree that if selected as a finalist, and the Andrea Brown Literary Agency or any other Agency expresses an interest in representing their story for possible publication abroad, CANVAS shall be given full and exclusive control and discretion, and shall be their sole and exclusive representative insofar as their stories (including all intellectual property and derivative rights thereto) are concerned.

All revenues, fees, royalties and/or other earnings that may be received as a result of such representation or publication abroad shall be divided equally between the author, CANVAS and the eventual artist/illustrator (if selected or engaged by CANVAS).

CANVAS shall not have any interest or right in future stories of the concerned writers that they may later submit for consideration by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. CANVAS’ only role with regard to such other future work shall be to introduce the writers to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

As a policy, CANVAS shall not directly introduce any writer to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency until and unless the said Agency has first expressed an interest in his/her work.

11. Entries must be submitted by email, as a Microsoft Word attachment, to storycontest@canvas.ph with the subject heading “CANVAS Storywriting for Young Readers Competition.” Entrants must include a cover sheet with the title of the story, their real name, pseudonym (if any), mailing and email address, and telephone number. The deadline for submission of entries is 5:00 p.m. (Manila time), Friday, October 15, 2010.

Entries received after the deadline, even if sent earlier, will no longer be considered for the competition. CANVAS shall not be responsible for entries which are not received, or which are received after the deadline, due to technical failure or for any other reason whatsoever.

12. CANVAS hopes to announce the results of the Competition in or around the end of November 2010.

13. While it is the full intention and desire of CANVAS to publish the winning entry, neither CANVAS nor the Andrea Brown Literary Agency makes any such guarantee or commitment, and CANVAS reserves the right not to represent and/or publish the same for any reason whatsoever.

14. CANVAS reserves the right not to award the top competition prize in the unlikely event that the judges decide that no entry was received that is deserving of the top prize. In such event, however, CANVAS shall have no right whatsoever over all entries that were received; and shall not publish any entry, in its website or in any other venue, without the prior written consent or agreement of the author.

15. The decision of CANVAS shall be final, and no correspondence or inquiries into the same – including requests for comments/feedback on received entries that are not finalists – shall be entertained.

16. Officers, members of the Board of Trustees and Advisors, and employees of CANVAS, including the members of their immediate families are disqualified from participating in this Competition.

ABOUT KELLY SONNACK

Kelly Sonnack came to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency after nearly three years with the Sandra Dijkstra Agency. Prior to that, Kelly worked for the publishing giant Reed Elsevier, where she served as an Acquisitions Editor under the Academic Press imprint.

As an agent, Kelly specializes in all types of children's literature (picture books, middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels). In picture books and middle grade fiction, Kelly looks for a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and an authentic voice. In young adult, she appreciates literary voices and and character-driven stories with heart but is also drawn to dystopian, light science-fiction, and other well-crafted fantasy. In non-fiction for children, she enjoys projects that inspire and stimulate the minds of our younger generations. At this time, Kelly is not accepting submissions of adult fiction or adult non-fiction.

Some of the titles Kelly has represented include Steve Watkins' 2008 Golden Kite Winner DOWN SAND MOUNTAIN and his next novel WHAT COMES AFTER (both with Candlewick); Neil Johnson & Joel Chin's THE FALLING RAINDROP (Tricycle Press); Candace Ryan's picture books ANIMAL HOUSE and RIBBIT RABBIT (both with Walker); Heather Leigh's HEY LITTLE BABY (S&S/Beach Lane Books); Carolyn Marsden's STARFIELDS (Candlewick); and James Burks' graphic novel GABBY AND GATOR (Hachette/Yen Press).

Kelly is a frequent speaker at conferences, including the San Diego State Writer's Conference and SCBWI's national and chapter conferences.

Kelly was recently named as one of the top 3 Picture Book Agents in Publishers Marketplace.

ABOUT THE ANDREA BROWN LITERARY AGENCY

The Andrea Brown Literary Agency was founded in August 1981 and has offices in the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

The agency works to bring to light the voices and perspectives of new writers as well as to nurture and develop the careers of experienced authors. Its goal, whether seeking to secure a publishing contract for a first book or a fiftieth book, is to make sure that clients are not only published, but published well.

Its agents have backgrounds in New York publishing, editing, academia, business, teaching, writing and film, and one its clients have the benefit not only of their individual agent's expertise but of the combined experience and vision of the group.

As a West Coast based agency, they follow a tradition of West Coast innovation in their passion for discovering new voices.

Storywriting Competition Coming Very Soon!

2010-08-24T19:23:00.002+08:00

Two years ago, we held our first Storywriting for Young Readers Competition. "My Big Sister Can See Dragons" by Rocky Tirona won, and has since gained representation by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency in the US.

The artwork above (collage of acrylic on paper, assembled like a paper tole) is a study submitted by artist Liza Flores for that story.

In a few days, we will launch and release the rules for the Competition again. Abangan at sumali na! :-)

'LOOP" by Jill Arwen Posadas

2010-08-16T03:13:00.005+08:00

See unicorns, tikbalangs, dwendes, dragons, skin changers, shokoys, talking animals, tree spirits, mermaids, and other happy half-human hybrids dance out of the depths of a decidedly loopy mind, to defy gravity, logic, form and time, and to tell a story or two.

Painter, illustrator, and monster-lover Jill is a long-time member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK), an organization for children’s book illustrators.

“Loop” is the farewell offering of 1/of Gallery before it opens its doors as Looking for Juan Gallery this September.

The exhibit opens on August 16, 2010 and runs until August 31, 2010. Call 901-3152 for further details.

SILENT AUCTION FOR THE VARGAS MUSEUM!!!

2010-08-12T16:33:00.003+08:00

BENCAB'S "Manggagawa" TOTE BAG

ELMER BORLONGAN'S "Health Worker" TOTE BAG

We are awarding these two special, one-of-a-kind tote bags by silent auction to the highest bidder. These are the only tote bags that we have from these two highly sought-after artists, and both bags are signed on both sides.

100% of proceeds from these two works of functional art will benefit the Vargas Museum.

If interested, please email your bid to info@canvas.ph. The auction is now open and will officially close at 5pm of Friday, August 20, 2010.

The highest bid received for each at the close of the auction will win the corresponding tote bag.

Thank you for your support. :-)

NEWSLETTER (APR-SEPT 2010)

2010-08-08T11:14:00.002+08:00

Our latest newsletter's out. It's been a really busy past several months, so we've been a bit remiss and skipped issuing last quarter's issue. So here's six months' worth of updates. :-)

Click here to download the pdf.

What use is art?

2010-08-02T15:26:00.002+08:00

"To talk about beauty, to talk about power, to talk about ourselves and to speak to each other ..."

Winners Announced!

2010-07-26T08:37:00.004+08:00

Congratulations to the winners of the First National Children's Book Awards (NCBA)!

No categories, just Best Reads for 2010.

Araw sa Palengke (Market Day)
Written by May Tobias-Papa
Illustrated by Isabel Roxas
Adarna, 2008
(In Filipino, with English translations)

Can We Live on Mars?: A Book About Space
Written by Gidget Roceles-Jimenez
Illustrated by Bru
Adarna, 2009
(In English)

Just Add Dirt
Written by Becky Bravo
Illustrated by Jason Moss
Adarna, 2009
(In English, with Filipino translations)

Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub
Written by Russell Molina
Illustrated by Jomike Tejido
Bookmark, 2008
(In English)

Tagu-Taguan (Hide-and-Seek): A Counting Book in Filipino
Written and illustrated by Jomike Tejido
Tahanan, 2009
(In Filipino, with English translations)

Tuwing Sabado (Every Saturday)
Written by Russell Molina
Illustrated by Sergio Bumatay III
Lampara, 2009
(In Filipino, with English translations)

In the words of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) Treasurer Rayvi Sunico, "The National Children's Book Award: Best Reads for 2010 aspires to be a different type of literary 'contest.' It consciously avoids rankings because it believes that each work of art and culture is an individual, incomparable achievement and cannot be compared the way commodities can be compared.

"Unlike other competitions, its focus is on the BOOK, that is to say, a cultural but also physical object that is the product of teamwork, from author and/or illustrator, to the editor, publisher, and the printer."

We are happy to have been part of and witness to the first NCBA. Congratulations to all the winners and to the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and PBBY for organizing.

Juan Sajid Imao's Open Endings

2010-07-21T23:04:00.003+08:00

Juan Sajid Imao, multi-awarded sculptor, represents a story with each artwork that he creates. This is particularly true for his latest collection, Open Endings. Each piece symbolizes a personal experience that he believes has made his life more meaningful and contributed greatly to his personal transcendence.

With his work, Imao parlays the unlocking of these experiences. It is with fascination that he involves his viewers in this process as he likes to think that his sculptural stories are open-ended, thus giving them the luxury of making their own narratives.

It is the artist’s hope that those who will see his sculptures would be encouraged to reflect on their own lives. “I want viewers to interact with my works and maybe help them realize that there really is an open ending to any experience.”

Age-old superstitions and long-held beliefs, known to Filipinos as “pamahiin,” are also rendered in some of Sajid’s pieces. For instance, he was inspired by the proverb “Matutong mamaluktot” which means that one has to learn to curl up or fit under any blanket no matter how small. The euphemism for a person’s need to adapt to a situation especially during tough times is depicted with nuance in “Namamaluktot.” The same piece shall be featured at 1/of Gallery’s showcase in the upcoming ManilArt exposition.

Open Endings is on its second leg at 1/of Gallery, 2nd level, Shops at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City and is co-presented by Project Art.

A portion of the exhibit proceeds will benefit the Resources for the Blind Foundation, Inc.

Art, Ideas and Sex

2010-07-18T20:40:00.000+08:00

One role of art is to inspire. Or to encourage and make it more likely that ideas will have sex.

THE IMAGINATION CHALLENGE

2010-07-18T09:30:00.003+08:00

Paraphrasing Richard Seymour below, it used to be that what we imagined could extend beyond what we can do. But what if that were no longer the case? What we can do now, actually extends beyond what we can imagine? Then our future - and the future of everything around us would be inhibited by a lack of imagination.

It says something about the social development role of art, design and technology. That with some imagination, and imaginative use of the tools that we already have like the internet and other tools of technology, we might actually have it in and around us to deal with many of the problems we face now, especially as a nation. And we're talking about the big things like education and poverty and corruption and transparency and progress.

It's something to think about. It's something we think about.

We publish stories.

2010-07-16T13:10:00.005+08:00

To paraphrase Chimamanda Adichie, Nigerian novelist, there is a danger to the single story because it assumes that there is only one story, one vantage point, one truth; when in fact, there are many. She speaks of this at length in her TED Talk below.

We publish stories. We have published nine so far.

In these stories live varied characters –

There is Mang Tomas, the town’s well-loved jeepney driver who, with his trusty jeep, is witness to life in Barangay Pastol – each child’s baptism, each couple’s walk down the aisle, and each student’s graduation from school. Through his humble trade, he provides for his family and dreams of sending them all through school.

There is Lupito, a young traveling salesman who lands in a circus village. At first a stranger and transient, he decides to make Barrio Sirkero his home after he falls for the town beauty with a telekinetic gift, Sela, and n keeping with the barrios’ customs of courtship, he wins her heart through paninilbihan and panunuyo.

There is Romeong Mapangarapin who, according to doctors’ diagnosis, would not amount to much, yet whose imagination and creativity could not be crippled. In his mind, he is a poet and a traveler, two perfect things to be.

We are happy to participate in the act of story-telling. With nearly all our stories published in both Filipino and English, the invitation to read extends to non-Filipino speakers.

It is our hope that each of our stories help to reveal another layer of the Filipino, celebrating our truths or imagination.

It is good to not have a singular narrative. There should never be just one story to tell.

Our Next Children's Book!!! Coming Very Soon!!!

2010-07-10T19:14:00.002+08:00

It's been over two years, but we are nearly there and we promise it will have been worth the wait.

We've seen the second set of nearly finished paintings, and they're spectacular.

Launching this September, Our first dark children's story, "Doll Eyes" by Eline Santos. Exquisite paintings by Joy Mallari and an amazing translation by Augie Rivera.

KKK

2010-07-07T21:27:00.000+08:00

Exactly 118 years ago today, on July 7, 1892, the Katipunan was founded in Tondo, Manila, by Andres Bonifacio and a few other fellow urban workers. It was just a group of simple men on a night that could have been exactly like tonight, committing to something bigger than they were.

It was a spark, that's all it was. And that's all it took. We will never forget.

Another one does us proud!

2010-07-02T22:06:00.001+08:00

Towards a "Bagong Pilipinas" (Dispatches from Inauguration Day)

2010-07-01T17:08:00.016+08:00

Thrice yesterday, the crowds that gathered at the Quirino Grandstand were asked to stand up. First, for the National Anthem; second, to join Noel Cabangon’s challenge-song to be truly “Mabuting Pilipino;” and third, pledge their own “Panata sa Pagbabago” just as the nation’s 15^th president delivered his promises minutes earlier.

In the many precursors leading to President Noynoy’s oath-taking and address, the Philippine Madrigal Singers’ performance of “Sabihin Mo” was but one of the more touching highlights of the event.

A father’s words to his child, the song bid, “Sabihin mo ikaw ay Pilipino, saan man sa mundo, ‘yan ang sabihin mo. Sabihin mo ikaw ay Pilipino, ‘yan ang totoo.” It was difficult not to get emotional as the music and their voices swelled.

The words are so simple: say – tell them – that you are Filipino, but with so many things that are wrong in this country, to say these words with absolute pride is more difficult than it looks.

Yesterday, we ushered in a new president and on him are pinned so many of our dreams as individuals and as a nation. However, we were reminded that the task of forging a truly new Philippines is not one that he shoulders alone.

Noel Cabangon enumerated in practical and ordinary terms the actions of a mabuting Pilipino –“tumatawid ako sa tamang tawiran, sumasakay ako sa tamang sakayan, pumipila, ‘di nakikipag-unahan …” etcetera, but we know it will take more than this.

What will it take to realize a truly new Philippines?

We trust (and pray) that Noynoy will make good on his promises, particularly about not letting culprits – inside and outside office – get away with murder and a host of other crimes; that forgiveness can only go hand-in-hand with justice.

Perhaps the most quoted part of his address speaks of this:

To those who talk about reconciliation, if they mean that they would like us to simply forget about the wrongs that they have committed in the past, we have this to say: there can be no reconciliation without justice. When we allow crimes to go unpunished, we give consent to their occurring over and over again. Secretary de Lima, you have your marching orders. Begin the process of providing true and complete justice for all.

A characteristic of a genuinely changed Philippines would perhaps be the unwillingness to accept empty utterances of, “I’m sorry.”

And so, yesterday was an inauguration of hope, not only in a new leader, but also in ourselves. Yesterday – whether at the Quirino Grandstand or in our living rooms – we bore witness and promised each other a better future. Yesterday, with our vows as citizens of this country renewed, may we not forget that a nation’s government should be a community’s best reflection of itself. The present and future administrations can only be as honest, effective, and committed as the electorate that chose it.

PANATA SA PAGBABAGO

(composed by Sonny Coloma and Marian Pastor Roces)

Pilipino ako

Namamanata

Na tutulong sa ating pamunuan

Sa pagtataguyod ng marangal na pamamahala

Sa pagpapalakas ng isang lipunang makatarungan

At sa pagpapatingkad ng ating demokrasya

Upang guminhawa ang ating demokrasya

Upang guminhawa ang pinakamamahal nating bayang Pilipinas.

Gagampanan ko

Ang lahat ng katungkulan

Ng isang mabuting mamamayan

Na kasing-tindi ng paghamon ko sa ating mga pinuno

Na sumunod sa landas na matuwid.

Makikipag-kapit-bisig ako sa aking kapwa Pilipino

Sama-sama nating babaguhin

Ang takbo ng kasaysayan upang umiral ang kagandahang-loob.

Ipinangangako ko ito sa ngalan ng aking mga ninuno at mga apo

Patnubayan nawa ng Poong Maykapal ang sambayanan.

iPad Art

2010-07-01T08:01:00.002+08:00

We're actually planning to do a show exactly like this!

Random Stuff

2010-06-30T21:21:00.007+08:00

Sorry we haven't been posting lately... we really have to be more consistent. Anyways, a few random thoughts and updates:

1. It's a new day, and we really liked PNoy's inaugural address. It struck the right tone - hopeful, detailed, courageous - speaking of change and example.

That said, we remain wary, hopeful but wary. That is one legacy of the Arroyo administration - people still want to remain positive on days like this, but are a bit more jaded. As one friend told us as Noy spoke of getting rid of wang-wangs on EDSA, "I'll believe it when I don't see it."

2. But, presidential he did sound, and we recognize and fully support Noynoy, proudly, as our president. We've already stated how we see our role post-elections. Nothing's changed... if anything, it is also how we now choose to join and commit to the Aquino government as it moves to promote better governance.

3. The lines we liked best from his speech: "Hindi na puede ang puede na," and "There can be no reconciliation without justice."

4. Moving on, have you checked out our new Looking for Juan site? It's now officially off beta mode. Go visit!

5. Finally, we have a bunch of events and activities this coming month. Here are the major ones:

An exhibition of new works by Farley del Rosario at 1/of Gallery starting July 12th. You can preview them here.
The exhibition of the second set of Joy Mallari's paintings for our next children's book, Doll Eyes, at the Ayala Museum on July 23. We're hopeful, but as yet can't promise, that we'll also have our book launch that day.
Manilart 2010 - the second annual international fair - on July 30th.

Beta Site Up. Comments Welcome!

2010-06-15T20:07:00.003+08:00

Where We Came From

2010-06-14T12:54:00.004+08:00

We just realized that CANVAS turned exactly five years old yesterday. Our very first project - "Elias and His Trees" - was an adaptation of Jean Giono's The Man Who Planted Trees and it opened on June 13, 2005.

Here, then, is the story that planted the seed for what is now CANVAS.

Mindmapping CANVAS Moving Forward

2010-06-07T19:00:00.002+08:00

It's been a while since we last wrote something, sorry.

It's been a really hectic past few (and next few) weeks. Not only have we been pulling out the works for Dekalogo and Everyday Filipino Heroes, but we're also setting up a brand new second website just for our Looking for Juan Program. (We're very nearly there! Watch out for it!)

We're also busy brainstorming and mapping out ideas for CANVAS - both short-term and over the medium term. We're growing and we're wary that we may be growing too fast, or that we might lose some of the spontaneity and innovation.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes... and we will keep you posted. It's all very loose and flexible for now, and all very exciting. Here's how it looks presently:

Auction Results

2010-05-31T23:40:00.002+08:00

This just in: New records for Amorsolo and Geraldine Javier at the latest Christie's auction! Other Pinoy artists scored as well and sold at several times estimate!

FIVE LIVES OF AN ARTIST

2010-05-30T21:37:00.001+08:00

Celebrate Independence Day with Outdoor Art at the Makati Underpasses

2010-05-27T23:05:00.003+08:00

There's art everywhere ...
It's time to take a walk.

Everyday Filipino Heroes
at Sedeno Underpass

and

Looking for Juan
at Legazpi Underpass

A public art show from June 9 to July 9, 2010
from the Outdoor Banner Project of www.lookingforjuan.com

Brought to you by
Ayala Land, Alveo, The Lerato, Macea, and CANVAS

Postscript to the Judging

2010-05-25T16:22:00.000+08:00

The stories were read with no names revealed, so we only found out after the judging that Issa Alarilla-Arellano is based in Dubai. She is the first OFW to win our storywriting competition. :-)

AND THE WINNER IS...

2010-05-24T16:58:00.007+08:00

CANVAS is pleased to announce that Issa Alarilla-Arellano has won CANVAS' 2010 Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition for her story, "Tahan Na, Tahanan." It was a close vote against Angela Mapa's "Rain Song on the River," but the result was unanimous.

The other finalists were "Patubiling" by Alice Mallari, "The Boy Who Dreams to Cross the Ocean" by Catherine Nanta, and "Ang Alamat ng Pagong" by Joseph Villarosa.

Thank you to our judges, Rica Bolipata Santos and Carlos Celdran, and everyone who participated, and congratulations to Ms. Alarilla-Arellano and the rest of the finalists!

Watch out for the launching of the book, sometime in mid 2011!

*** The artwork shown is the untitled contest piece rendered by Don Salubayba. It served as the inspiration for all stories submitted for our competition.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY!!!

2010-05-22T21:00:00.012+08:00

A few years back, we acquired the rights to the story, “Si Ninjang Kabayo at ang Ermitanyong Kalbo” by Andrea Lazaro, which you can read below.

We have big dreams for Ninjang Kabayo, including books, new adventures, merchandising… maybe even a movie. Who knows? But as we’ve learned, making big dreams come true begins with taking small steps.

So first things first - we are now looking for an intern who can illustrate and create the initial character studies for the two main characters of the story.

If interested, read the story and email three pen or pencil sketches of the characters from scenes from the story, together with your CV to internships@canvas.ph. If we like your work, we will contact you to set an interview appointment, and we will see how it goes from there.

If hired, you will (a) receive a modest (very modest, really) stipend for the project; (b) have a very nice entry for your CV; and (c) most importantly, get your foot in the door of (ahem) one of the most creative, cool, fun, laid back and innovative groups of artsy-fartsy people in the local art scene. Work is output-based, hours are flexible, and everyone telecommutes most of the time.

This is not a contest, so there is no deadline. Applications will be accepted anytime, but we will also hire as soon as we think we’ve found the right person.

====================================

"Si Ninjang Kabayo at ang Ermitanyong Kalbo"
ni Andrea Lazaro

Sa bayan ng Santa Angelina, may isang ermitanyo na nakatira sa taas ng Bundok Mapang-akit. Ayaw makihalubilo ng ermitanyong ito sa mga tao sa bayan. Subalit kahit pa man nag-iisa siya, may dalawang bagay na kinagigiliwan ang nasabing ermitanyo: una, ang alaga niyang kabayong si Ninja, at pangalawa, ang pagtugtog ng kanyang violin.

Simple lang naman ang dahilan ng ermitanyo kung bakit siya nahihiyang humarap sa mga tao -- kalbo siya. Kaya naman takut na takot siyang makita ng mga tao dahil iniisip niyang pagtatawanan siya. Di niya maintindihan kung bakit ayaw talagang tumubo ng buhok sa ulo niya. Sinubukan na niya ang lahat -- gamot, iba’t ibang brand ng shampoo, pati na samu’t saring anting-anting -- hindi pa rin tumalab.

Isang gabi, habang nakasakay ang ermitanyo sa likod ni Ninja at tumutugtog ng isang malungkot na piyesa sa kanyang violin, may nakitang bulalakaw sa langit ang dalawa. “Sabi nila,” ang bulong ni Ninja sa kasama, “may mahika raw ang mga bulalalakaw na makatutupad ng kahit anong kahilingan.”

At humiling nga ang ermitanyo. Ipinagdasal niya na sana, wala na lang buhok sa mundo. Sana, pantay-pantay ang lahat. Sana, lahat ng tao ay kalbo.

Maliwanang na ang sikat ng araw nang magising kinabukasan ang ermitanyo. Nagulat siya nang makita niya si Ninja sa paanan ng kaniyang kama. Kalbo si Ninja!

“Anong nangyari?” tanong ng ermitanyo na gulat na gulat. “Hindi ko nga maintindihan,” ang sagot ni Ninja habang kinakamot ang ngayo’y makinis niyang ulo. “Basta paggising ko na lang, wala na akong buhok.”

Hindi makapaniwala ang ermitanyo sa narinig at nagtatakbo siya sa bayan para masiguro kung nagkatotoo nga ang kanyang hiling. Baka naman kasi binibiro lang siya ni Ninja.

At ayun nga, matanda man o bata, babae o lalaki, tao o hayop, hindi kakikitaan ni isang tali ng buhok! Ang dalagang si Nena, wala nang maipusod. Ang makisig na binatang si Pepito, di na singkisig nang mawalan ng bigote. Ang asong si Itim, kulay puti pala ang balat. Magkakamukha silang lahat!

Nagmamadaling umuwi ang ermitanyo. Sa tuwa, naisipan niyang tumugtog ng isang masayang kanta. Ngunit pagbukas niya ng lalagyan ng violin, nagulat ang ermitanyo. Ang bow ng violin niya, walang kuwerdas!

“Anong nangyari sa kuwerdas ng bow ko?” iyak nya. “Bakit nawawala? Paano ako tutugtog ngayon?”

“Hindi mo ba alam,” sambit ni Ninja, “iyang kuwerdas ng bow mo, gawa rin sa buhok. Buhok ng mga kabayong gaya ko.”

“Anong gagawin ko? Hinde ko na matutugtog ang violin ko!” hagulgol ng ermitanyo.

Kinamot muli ni Ninja ang kanyang makintab na ulo at nag-isip siya nang matagal. Namalas niya ang kade-deliver na diyaryo na nakapatong sa lamesa. Sabi ng isang headline, See The Leonids This Week!

“Masuwerte ka,” sabi ni Ninja, “panahon pala ng pagbagsak ng mga bulalakaw ngayon. Mag-abang ulit tayo mamayang gabi para humiling na bumalik sa dati ang lahat.”

“Pero kapag bumalik na sa dati, baka pagtawanan ako ng mga tao dahil ako lang ang kalbo sa buong Santa Angelina!”

“Matitiis mo ba ang buhay na walang musika?” usisa ni Ninja.

Nagbuntong-hininga ang ermitanyo. Tama si Ninja. Mas mahalaga ang musika sa kaniya.

Pagsapit ng gabi, nag-antay ang magkaibigan sa pagdating ng mga bulalakaw. Sa ningning ng unang bituing bumagsak sa lupa, humingi ng paumanhin ang ermitanyo at nagdasal na ibalik na ang mga buhok na nawala.

Ngunit hindi lang ang ermitanyo ang humiling ng gabing iyon. May hiling din si Ninja. Hiniling ni Ninja na sana, mawala na ang hiya ng kaibigan niya. Sana, magkaroon ito ng lakas ng loob at tiwala sa sarili.

At kinaumagahan nga, binati ang mga taong-bayan ng Santa Angelina ng masigla at matamis na tugtugin mula sa violin ng isang lalaking nakasakay sa isang kabayo.

Ang mga tao nama’y kumaway pabalik at nakangiting bumati ng “Magandang araw rin sa inyong dalawa, Ginoong Ermitanyo at Ninja!”

Paintings are Amazing... Really Amazing!!!

2010-05-20T19:18:00.000+08:00

Last Chance

2010-05-20T18:25:00.001+08:00

Think about jogging tonight or tomorrow morning at the UP Academic Oval. Those are your last best chances to see the art banners. They're going down later in the morning starting at around 10am. :-)

Joke the Vote

2010-05-18T17:00:00.003+08:00

"In the most serious moments, trust Filipinos, acclaimed to be among the world’s happiest peoples, to joke and pun and laugh at themselves. The last elections, a historical moment for being the country’s first national automated balloting, sparked a bumper harvest of humorous tricks and treats across media old and new."

--Excerpt from a funny, revealing PCIJ piece.

How We See Our Role Post-Elections

2010-05-16T17:56:00.010+08:00

Just a year after the EDSA Revolution of 1986, writer James Fallows wrote a highly controversial, widely read and still-discussed piece entitled A Damaged Culture - A New Philippines.

He pointed to a lack of nationalism among Filipinos, which he defined as the inability to "look beyond themselves rather than pursuing their own interests to the ruination of everyone else." The "national ambition is to change your nationality," he quoted, and he makes an overall argument that ours is a "damaged culture" characterized by "the tradition of political corruption and cronyism, the extremes of wealth and poverty, the tribal fragmentation, the local elite's willingness to make a separate profitable peace with colonial powers..." reflecting "a feeble sense of nationalism and a contempt for the public good."

In other words, he raised some very uncomfortable questions 23 years ago that, ironically, we are still asking today, as the son rises to take the place of his sainted mother.

It should be required reading for all Filipinos - even though Fallows is, of course, wrong.

There's no such thing as a damaged culture, just as it is wrong (and almost xenophobic) to even suggest that some cultures are superior or inferior to others. That's precisely what got World War II and apartheid into our history books.

What we do suffer from, as a country and as a people, is perception - both in terms of how the world sees us (an impoverished country with flawed institutions that consistently fails to live up to its potential); and in terms of how many of us see ourselves (increasingly defined by migrating overseas workers, corrupt politicians and a disaffected constituency).

It is not how CANVAS sees the Philippines and the Filipino people.

We are a proud nation with a rich heritage, and the fact that there are millions of us living abroad is not a liability or a source of shame, but a strength, source of hope and a testament to the resilience, adaptability and pride of the Filipino.

This is precisely why we have our Looking for Juan Program. By Looking for Juan, we affirm that, through art, we can, and must change this perception. Changing how the world sees us and how we see ourselves can redefine our history and destiny - again, as individuals and as a nation - in ways more tangible than people may think.

A positive view by the world leads to increased tourism and investments, more jobs, and a better future. Meanwhile, a positive view of ourselves leads to greater confidence, pride and hope.

As Manny Garibay recently put it to us, “Hope starts when people work on changing how we think. This is why art is important. Art is the expression of the ideas and aspirations of people and they form the foundation of culture.”

As the country transitions into a new administration and moves forward in a new, hopefully better direction, this is where we see our place... our role... Over the next few weeks and months, we will be announcing several new, more ambitious Looking for Juan initiatives.

We hope you will continue to support and join us.

** Artwork:

“It is a picture of history taken from this point in time. It is bleak,” says Emmanuel Garibay. “Take it as a lament.”

The image came not too long after the floods. As a coincidence or effect, we see symbols of nationhood and of institutions in ruins. The Rizal monument, the Malacañang Palace, a church – symbols of tradition and patrimony – sink into what Garibay describes as “oblivion,” while a bushel of bananas (a banana economy) and a basketball (his metaphor for illusion and deception for an audience so easily entertained and distracted) are the only things remaining afloat. A man and woman – perhaps overseas Filipino workers, modern-day saviors – suffer crucified underneath a caricature of justice. But amid the chaos, Mabini’s expression is placid.

The image is a lament indeed -- for a people who have forgotten their nobility, for a state that knows not the meaning of “sovereignty,” and for a nation where social justice is compromised while corruption is rewarded -- just as it is a challenge to hope and to work towards the realization of hope.

--Excerpt from note accompanying the untitled piece shown above by Manny Garibay
5x4 feet, oil on canvas for Dekalogo (2010)

Fair Warning

2010-05-13T20:09:00.003+08:00

We received a call from U.P. earlier this afternoon. They have an unanticipated need for some of the posts from which our art banners are hanging - could we take them down earlier than originally scheduled?

We're not yet sure exactly when, but we may have to honor their request. So one of these days, the banners could just be gone.

So come and visit and enjoy them while they're there. And if they're not, well, the original works will still be on display at the Vargas Museum until the end of May, regardless. :-)

Update: 2010 Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition

2010-05-11T15:10:00.001+08:00

With the elections over, we can now move to more important things, like choosing the winner of our storywriting competition! :-)

The five stories that made it to the final round are now with the judges!

Whether you voted for Noynoy Aquino or not...

2010-05-10T22:29:00.001+08:00

... he is now, OUR PRESIDENT!

His success... or his failure... will be ours as well.

Overheard on Election Day

2010-05-10T14:55:00.003+08:00

"Ang bagal naman, di gaya dati. Pero mabilis naman daw ang bilangan. By tomorrow, alam na natin kung sino ang nadaya."

"Huwag kayo umalis. Tignan mo yan, yung mga mayayaman nagtitiis, tayong mahihirap naiinip at umaalis."

"Manood muna kayo ng Iron Man sa SM. Pag-balik nyo, turn nyo na bumoto."

"Low tech high tech ang sistema natin ngayon."

Pagkatapos Bumoto, Magkapitbisig Para Sa Bayan

2010-05-10T08:22:00.002+08:00

Two reasons to pull together this day, regardless of who you vote for:

1. To protect your vote... all our votes... and

2. To rally behind whoever wins, at all levels of government, because that is what democracy is all about...

*** Artwork: "Kapitbisig" by Elmer Borlongan (5x4 feet, oil on canvas 2010) for Dekalogo.

New Looking for Juan Site Soon

2010-05-07T09:05:00.002+08:00

We are going to set up our new Looking for Juan website very soon. This blog may be inaccessible for a few days when you type in "www.lookingforjuan.com."

In the meantime, our blog will remain active and viewable through "www.lookingforjuan.blogspot.com."

Please bear with us. We think you will like the changes once they are up.

:-)

Think of Your Vote as a Lotto Ticket

2010-05-04T20:50:00.008+08:00

If you think about it, it really makes no sense to vote.

In the first place, what are the chances that your single solitary vote will actually decide the elections? Don't delude yourself. You probably have a greater chance of winning the lotto.

And second, think about how the counting machines aren't working right, and how the lines will literally craaaaawwwwlll as people take at least ten minutes to fill in those 2-foot long ballots. And then, there's the unbearable heat - caused by the sun and made worse by the seemingly countless bodies that are sure to crowd you on election day (naligo ka na ba sa pawis ng iba?).

Rational Filipinos are going to be better off just sleeping late, watching the circus on TV and then taking some time to go out and purchase a lotto ticket.

But most Filipinos, including all of us at CANVAS, are not rational. So come election day, we will, like most Filipinos, brave the heat and the crowds, and all vote.

The way we see it, our vote is our voice, and we choose to join the chorus of voices clamoring for change. It doesn't matter that whoever hears our shout will not discern our voice from the many others. What matters is that we are part of history, and that makes it worth the time and effort.

It is good to remember that we do actually get a few chances to be part of history - so let's not waste it.

Who will we vote for? Well, since the chances of our vote actually deciding the elections is very very slim (like we said, think winning the lotto), we will treat it like a lotto purchase. We may not win, but if we do win, we want to win BIG (as in really-great-for-the-country big!).

So only sensible thing is to vote for the person who we think can best lead the country. That will be our only criteria - not the looks, not the slogans, not the surveys (although indeed, maybe the best candidate is the best looking, most articulate and leads in the surveys - don't we all wish).

Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter that he or she might lose. Again, we want to win BIG. And we won't win big by settling.

And if who we vote for doesn't win? Well, winning consolation prizes from the lotto always made us happy. We will live with the results. Wala lang dayaan.

It's as simple as that. So there.

** ** Artwork entitled "Pinger" by Buen Calubayan (4'x2' digital print on tarpaulin) for Everyday Filipino Heroes.

Find Your Heroes in UP Every Sunday This May!

2010-05-03T15:59:00.007+08:00

Sunday morning has always been a great time for people to just walk around the carless UP Academic Oval.

It's even better now with the artworks on the banners for everyone to enjoy.

You can catch the outdoor art banner show this whole month of May.

Even better, the Vargas Museum sits along the Oval so you can view all the originals for Everyday Filipino Heroes, plus the Dekalogo pieces while you're there!

As a bonus, here are some pictures from our opening night. :-)

All shows - Dekalogo, Everyday Filipino Heroes and the parallel Outdoor Art Banner Exhibit - will run until May 31st.

Vargas Museum is open everyday except Mondays and holidays from 9am to 4pm.

We're Ready!

2010-04-29T21:02:00.007+08:00

Dekalogo is all ready for viewing. In fact, summer class teachers have already been bringing their students over to see it.

They found dozens of Everyday Filipino Heroes there, too.

And today, we finished setting up the Outdoor Art Banners.

It's our biggest show of the year. Two - no, make that three shows in one, actually.

So, we're ready for you. See you all this Saturday 4pm at the Vargas Museum for the official opening!

JUST FIVE MORE DAYS TO TWO BIG SHOWS!!!

2010-04-26T20:38:00.001+08:00

4pm May 1, 2010 at the Vargas Museum, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

See you there!

Ako Ba Ang Simula?

2010-04-23T08:09:00.002+08:00

"Ako ba ang simula ng pagbabago? O pangangago?"

** Artwork entitled "Pinger" by Buen Calubayan (4'x2' digital print on tarpaulin) for Everyday Filipino Heroes. Opening this May 1 at 4pm at the Vargas Museum of the University of the Philippines in Diliman.