JUNE TO AUGUST 2021
FIVE NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED AND LAUNCHED
June to August, despite the Delta variant surge, was a very busy time as we launched five new books for children!
A BRIDGE FOR SILAY
Written by Agay Llanera, Artworks by Ronson Culibrina
A special book project inspired by the legend and culture of Talim Island in Binangonan, Rizal.
SAFE SPACE (FILIPINO VERSION)
Written by Gigo Alampay
We published and have started giving away 10,000 copies of a Filipino version of last year’s very well received book on data privacy for children. Funding for the publication of this book, as well as “I am the Change in Climate Change” below, was provided by the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS).
I AM THE CHANGE IN CLIMATE CHANGE
Written by Dr. Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, Artworks by the artists of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan
With child-friendly illustrations and age-appropriate language, I AM THE CHANGE IN CLIMATE CHANGE encourages children to learn about climate change: its definition, causes, and effects. Most importantly, it provides kids with easy day-to-day practices that they can do to help the environment.
SILIM, PRINSESA NG DILIM
Written by Mark Joseph Bacho, Artworks by Luis Lorenzana
A product of our Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition, this picture storybook presents a whimsical tale of self-acceptance.
YOUTHINK (CEBUANO VERSION)
Written by Gigo Alampay
With funding from Google, we produced a Cebuano version of this timely book for older readers which deals with fake news and misinformation on the Internet. 5,000 copies have been printed and are being slated for distribution in Cebu and other Cebuano-speaking provinces.
We gave away 11,092 books from June to August 2021!
Some of the books were given away through “Padyak Aklat at Pagmulat”, an outreach program that engages artists and art enthusiasts in educational and community-building activities. For this activity, they rode bikes from Alfonso, Cavite to province of Samar and gave the books to the street children they encountered. They also conducte macramé workshops for women, and delivered talks on art for the youth and local artists.
In this way, two artists who go by the names of Maralita and Luntian Kagubatan, devote themselves through art as a way of life and to empower and give inspiration to others, as cyclists and artists. The project was also executed with the participation of Lorebert Comision, also known as "Maralita", a multimedia artist studying fine arts at the Adventist University of the Philippines.
Last July, we also had the pleasure of personally turning over 4,000 softbound copies of CANVAS' children's books on fake news and data privacy to be given to children in Manila's disadvantaged communities, along with eleven sets of ten of our hardbound picture storybooks for the City of Manila's 11 libraries.
EXHIBITIONS
We organized two major art exhibitions this quarter.
The COVID-19 pandemic reconfigured much of how we go about our daily lives. We go through the motions of a new normal defined by temperature checks, face shields and facemasks, dry, isopropyl-soaked hands and zoom meetings. We have a lot more time for ourselves, and yet we seem to be busier than ever. Meanwhile, we hold our collective breath as we impatiently wait for more vaccine rollouts and for herd immunity.
This perplexing state of limbo leaves us wondering about life post-pandemic. Is it already here? What then, is next?
This is the question we challenged artists to think about as the theme for this year's Art for Development Outdoor Banner Project. Their responses - more than 85 of them - are as thoughtful as they are diverse. There is worry, to be sure. And yet, despite all the frustration and cynicism, there is also the reassurance of hope.
You can view the works and artists’ reflections here: https://www.tumbatumba.ph/whats-next
“Tumba-tumba: Stories and Spaces” was the third time for CANVAS to turn the Vargas Museum into a children's museum as a way of giving visitors a glimpse of its vision for what a children's museum ought to be: visually engaging, memorable and fearlessly interactive.
In this edition, CANVAS presented three main exhibitions that featured collections developed for CANVAS’ literacy programs.
In "SAFE INTERNET", a safe online world for children took the stage as CANVAS showcased interactive art installations designed by Studio Dialogo.
"SILIM, PRINSESA NG DILIM" presented artworks created by Luis Lorenzana for the story which was a winner of the Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition.
Finally, in "A BRIDGE FOR SILAY" the exhibition featured artworks by Ronson Culibrina which are all part of the new picture and story book based on the legend of Puente del Diablo in Barangay Pila-pila in Binangonan, Rizal.
Finally, the quarter saw the hosting of two more storycontests that will yield two more original books for children in the coming years.
Artist: Edrick Daniel
Status of Competition: Judging is ongoing.
Artist: Renee Avila
Status of Competition: Open for entries. Deadline for submission on Sept. 13, 2021.