(Letter handed to Bukal Sining Members at the Gunita Christmas Celebration, December 1, 2024, UP Diliman)

Dear Bukal Sining Members,

Thank you again for your support. It has been invaluable and has helped us not only to achieve a lot this year, but also to look forward and dream of bigger things, especially next year as we prepare for CANVAS' 20th Anniversary.

Looking back on 2024, the year brought many important accomplishments. First and foremost, we officially passed the halfway mark for our One Million Books for One Million Filipino Children Campaign. As of this December, we have given away 500,261 books directly to children, on top of thousands of hardbounds that we have donated to libraries and reading rooms all over the country. Those books are valued at over P150,000,000 if we go by their retail prices. :) Here's hoping we can reach the one million book milestone faster than the 13 years it took us to reach the halfway point!

One of the year’s highlights was the debut of the If Trees Could Talk International Art Biennale, a global initiative that exceeded our expectations. We also confirmed the National Museum as the venue for CANVAS’ 20th Anniversary Retrospective next year, which will run for an entire year. On the literary side, CANVAS books won six awards, including a Gintong Aklat Award for my own How to Raise Your Child.

We made other strides as well, from updating YOUTHINK to include AI-related content in addition to publishing 3 new books this year - Salimbagan (with Elmer Borlongan and Vim Nadera), BABAE - 18 Fierce and Fearless Filipinas, and Huni Sa Kawayan, copies of which we are sending you together with this letter.

Several of our books were honored with prestigious recognitions:

Gintong Aklat Awards
Winner, General References: Hanapin ang Sagot
Winner, Inspiration: How to Raise Your Child

National Children's Book Awards
Best Reads: Hanapin ang Sagot

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour List
Illustration: Agawan Base

Severino Reyes Medal
Best Storybook: I Like Wearing Rainbows
Storybook Honor List: Moon Rising

2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
IBBY Philippines Nominee: Mga Kuwento ng Maaliwalas

We also mounted a number of innovative and relevant shows including 2 Art for Development Exhibitions (Waterscapes and Tadhanap), I Teach My Child (National Artist Gemino Abad and Manny Garibay), and the big ABAY Reunion Show.

As you're aware, we secured $200,000 in funding for I Am the Storyteller (our first major hall for the Tumba-Tumba Children's Museum of Philippine Art, which will house 200 child-friendly artworks from our collection and for which we hope to break ground in June 2025 when we celebrate our 20th Year.

On that note, and looking forward, 2025 will be an even bigger year. Did I already mention it's our 20th Anniversary? :) As you're all probably aware, we will open our major Retrospective at no less than the National Museum in June. It will run for an entire year, and we are aligning our curation for this show with our plans for Tumba-Tumba. In this way, the National Museum show will serve as an immersive preview to what people can expect once I am The Storyteller is built.

We have at least 10 new books in the pipeline and (barring unforeseen but possible requests for extension from artists, hehe) scheduled for publication in 2025. These artists with book projects include Tiffany Lafuente, Abi Dionisio, John Marin, Dengcoy Miel, Liza Flores, Roel Obemio, June Digan, and Chad Montero, in addition to special and commissioned book projects.

We also have two Art for Development Exhibitions (our signature social development themed group shows) scheduled next year, starting with "Kasaysayang?" in April where more than 80 artists have already signified their intention to participate. We are still deciding on the theme for the second one in November, so if you have any ideas for a good socially relevant theme, please feel free to share it with us. :)

For Tumba-Tumba (and the connected National Museum Show), in addition to the groundbreaking for I am the Storyteller, fundraising will center stage. Aside from the $200k grant from Panta Rhea Foundation, we've also raised P 6.5 million already in pledges for the National Museum show. We plan to leverage that to raise around P40 million for the hall. 

But for the year, we will also concentrate on fixing the land up significantly so that it is both fully walkable, clean and beautiful. Like a park, really, with good seating areas.

The hope is that by June, we not only have the current installations there, and a fully functioning "I Am the Explorer" hall (Leeroy New's designed hall which as a first long term show will feature lifesize whimsical sculptures by Jojo Barja), but also a fully landscaped land with several seating areas.

We also have big plans for the next edition of the If Trees Could Talk International Art Biennale in 2026, but I've gone on for far too long now, so I'll give you continued updates on that in 2025. :)

For now, on behalf of CANVAS and also all the children we serve, I wanted to thank you for all your support. All our achievements are yours as well.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!

--Gigo