JULY to OCTOBER 2024

Hello BUKAL SINING! We’re excited to bring you this latest update, as we come close to the end of what already is a fruitful and fulfilling 2024!

But first, we’d like to ask you all to mark and reserve Sunday, December 1, 2024 for CANVAS’ Christmas and Thanksgiving celebration. It starts at 4pm, and we would really be happy and honored to have you all there!

We will be sending out a formal invitation with details soon!

BOOKGIVING AND BOOK
DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

Bookgiving Milestone on the Horizon

We will definitely pass 500,000 books given away this year. Honestly, I think we already passed it last year, but we couldn't trace our donations from our early years, so we are relying only on our verifiable count. :)

So officially, as of October 2024, we are at 497,581 books given away - less than 3,000 away from the halfway to a million milestone.

Nonetheless, with the expected arrival of 19,000 books in mid-November, we’re more than ready to surpass this landmark.

These titles include:

  • 7,000 copies of Ang Pusang Kartero, supported by our recent Bukal Sining Artists Exhibition.

  • 5,000 copies of Safe Space (Filipino edition), funded by a generous grant from Globe.

  • 5,000 copies of YouThink (Ilocano edition), thanks to a grant from Google.

  • 2,000 copies of Building the Future, a book we created to inspire future engineers, commissioned by Fluor Daniel for science high schools.

Each book given is a step towards building a more literate, imaginative, and empowered generation. Thank you for making this possible!

Last August 2024, With the help of Project Dapat Aklat and Alpha Phi Omega - Pi Chapter, our award-winning Karapat Dapat books reached the far flung Aeta community in Sitio Matalangao, Bagac, Bataan. 


MUSEUM UPDATES

“Nanay Pawikan”, an installation by Laurence Vallieres, was an iconic symbol for our first If Trees Could Talk International Art Biennale. Always meant to be ephemeral, Nanay Pawikan suffered, and changed with the extreme heat of this year’s summer, and the recent onslaught of heavy rains. Its deep yellow color lightened, then turned brittle, then began its inevitable fate to crack and crumble.

That it could now stand as a metaphor for the plight of pawikans, and the environment more broadly is not lost on us. Still, looking at it today, it reaffirms the other truth that ultimately, life finds a way.

For a great review on the Biennale, click here.

The If Trees Could Talk International Art Biennale may have concluded, but the Tumba-Tumba Museum remains alive with special events and new projects! We’re excited to announce a collaboration with the Science Film Festival Philippines, presented by the Goethe-Institut. Starting this November 2024, Tumba-Tumba will host screenings of environmental-themed short films, especially geared toward children and families from our nearby communities, and focused on “Net Zero and the Circular Economy.”'

In the meantime, we also piloted two pottery workshops - one for artist friends from Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan, and one just for CANVAS staff - to create artistic fairy houses that will be installed along a "fairy trail" at Tumba-Tumba.

Check out what we came up with, and now imagine dedicated open areas of Tumba-Tumba filled with similar artworks that kids can walk around and try to find! Imagine children wandering the grounds, discovering art-filled nooks and magical details around every corner!

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To populate the fairy trail, we plan to organize these workshops as pottery parties in 2025 for artists and anyone else interested to support CANVAS while also having a great creative time! You can help us by organizing parties with your friends so you can all create your own whimsical additions to our fairy trail!

Let me know if you wish to learn more or participate in these initiatives.

ART FOR DEVELOPMENT

Last September, CANVAS organized three big exhibitions at the Parola Galleries at the UP College of Fine Arts:

  1. Kasalukuyat’t Kasaysayan ng Artista ng Bayan (ABAY), 1985–1994: A tribute to ABAY’s powerful contributions to Philippine art and its role in the movement against the Marcos dictatorship, this exhibit featured works from 22 artists active during the pivotal end of the martial law regime to the post-EDSA Revolution years. It’s a vivid reminder of art’s role in social change.

  2. SALIMBAGAN: A creative dialogue between poet Vim Nadera and artist Elmer Borlongan, where Nadera’s new poetry responds to Borlongan’s traditional relief prints. This exhibit also underlines the enduring significance of printmaking as a profound medium of self-expression.

  3. Bukal Sining 2024: This annual fundraising show brought together long-time artist collaborators and supporters. Proceeds support both our book-giving programs and the future Tumba-Tumba Children’s Museum of Philippine Art.

We have two more big Art for Development shows simultaneously opening this November 22, 2024, still at the Parola Galleries.

First up, the book launch and art exhibition for our latest children's book, "HUNI SA KAWAYAN". Written by Fernando Gonzalez, with artworks by Anthony Palomo, it is a past winner of our signature Romeo Forbes Children's Story Writing Competition. The story talks about the making of our famed bamboo organ, and comes just in time for the 200th Anniversary of the Bamboo Organ this November 2024. Perfect timing!

And second is TADHANAP, the latest edition of our Art for Development series where we invite artists to participate by reflecting on, and exploring a theme of our choosing. This time, we invited them to delve into personal, cultural, or universal interpretations of how destiny plays a role in human experiences. We suggested that they could reflect on how we search for our individual or collective destiny; or it could be about how destiny affects individual journeys, societal shifts, or even historical trajectories. With more than fifty artists are participating, there’s going to be a lot to see, admire and reflect upon.

OTHER NEWS AND UPDATES

Recognition on the Global Stage

We are delighted to share that CANVAS has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2025! This global award is given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature. With a prize of five million Swedish kronor, it is the largest award of its kind. Above all else, it highlights the importance of reading, today and for future generations.

We’re incredibly grateful for and honored by this nomination and what it signifies for our ongoing mission to uplift young minds through art and literature.

The Astrid Lingdren Award nomination comes on the heels of other humbling recognitions:

  • The 2024 International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour List came out a few months ago. It comprises 184 high-quality titles submitted from 59 countries, one of which is “Agawan Base” for Jericho Moral’s fantastic artworks. The List is a biennial selection of outstanding, recently published books, honouring writers, illustrators and translators from IBBY member countries. Important considerations in selecting the Honour List titles are that the books are representative of the best in children’s literature from the country and that the books are suitable for publication throughout the world. It can be used by all those involved with developing educational and literacy programmes and publishing initiatives to develop exemplary “international” collections. Permanent collections of the IBBY Honour List books are kept in Munich, Zurich, Bratislava, St. Petersberg, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Tucson and, until 2014, in Evanston.

  • Our activity book on Martial Law, “Hanapin ang Sagot” (written by Ergoe Tinio, Aldy Aguirre, and Marty Santos) was just selected as a winner in this year’s National Children’s Book Awards as one of the five best reads for 2022 and 2023. In the official citation, “Hanapin ang Sagot” was touted as “a valuable resource for promoting critical thinking especially in this era of misinformation and attempts to revise historical data."

  • And finally, two of our books won Gintong Aklat Awards. The prestigious awards, established in 1981 and held every two years, are given out regularly to outstanding book publishers based on the quality of books they produce year after year. Managed by the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), the awards are meant to recognize excellence in bookmaking in the country today among its members. The objective of the Awards is to recognize and encourage the production of quality books that are excellent in all aspects of bookmaking. Specific areas for recognition would include book production (printing, binding, etc.), content (writing and editing) and book design. Here are the the citations for our winning titles:

    • “How to Raise a Child” by Gigo Alampay, with artworks by June Digan

      A Visual and Literary Feast: This book is a true gem for young readers and their parents. The illustrations are nothing short of breathtaking, bringing the story to life with vibrant colors and intricate details. The writing is equally captivating, engaging young minds with a narrative that encourages big dreams and a sense of purpose.

      The book’s message is powerful: even the smallest individuals can make a significant impact on the world. By embodying this theme in its own design and content, the book becomes more than just a story; it’s an experience.

      —Merlee Jayme

    • “Hanapin ang Sagot: Ano ang Batas Militar?” by Ergoe Tinio, Aldy Aguirre, and Marty Santos, with artworks by Aldy Aguirre

      Hanapin ang Sagot: Ano ang Batas Militar? is an outstanding book that creatively illustrates historical events during the Martial Law period. With the presentation of information uniquely done in a very creative manner, the book walks the reader through the highlights of the harsh realities of Batas Militar. The writers’ technique of using questions at the beginning of a discussion makes the reader read more of the book to find answers to these questions. Despite the deluge of information, it is easy to understand–the pieces of information were heavily researched, and the narratives presented touched the core of the human heart, captivating discerning readers.

      —Marilu Rañosa-Madrunio

Finally, CANVAS has grown significantly, both as an organization, and also in terms of the dreams that we are pursuing, so we have decided to expand our Board of Trustees from five to seven. CANVAS is therefore pleased to welcome its two newest Trustees.

Mariella Sugue Castillo is the Managing Director of the Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation. Trained as a pediatrician and public health professional, Yella brings over two decades of experience in child protection and public health and the related interdisciplinary fields that respond to and prevent child abuse and neglect. She previously worked as a Health Specialist at UNICEF Philippines focusing on strengthening health systems to deliver evidence-based maternal and child health care aligned with global health goals. Yella is one of the Philippine pioneers in the field of child protection. She received The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for her work in this field. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and has a master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology. She was also a professor of pediatrics at the University of the Philippines.

Marianne G. Quebral is a senior Development Consultant who specializes in Fund Raising, Resource Mobilization, Non-Profit Management and Strategic Planning with over 3 decades of experience in progressive leadership roles. Mayan is the CEO and President of Akubo Software Philippines which provides advice to over 50 local and 20 international schools, non-government organizations and church-based organizations in order for these to raise the resources they need to achieve their missions. She is a pioneer in fund raising and trained at The Fund Raising School in Indiana, U.S.A. She has raised funds for organizations such as UNICEF, Asian Institute of Management, Ayala Foundation, Inc., Ang Misyon, Inc. and Save the Children, to name a few. Mayan also served as lead consultant for Venture for Fund Raising, a non-profit she co- founded in 1999, to provide fund raising training, mentoring and research for the non-profit sector. While at Venture, Mayan trained over 1,000 development professionals in over 24 countries. She also led gift giving motivation research in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Mayan authored The Fund Raiser's Guide to Fund Raising and Fund Raising 101.

Welcome to the CANVAS Family, Yella and Mayan!

You can meet the rest of our Board at https://www.canvas.ph/canvas-board.

Thank you! Maraming salamat! ありがとう(Arigato)! Danke!
Gracias! 谢谢 (Xièxiè)! 감사합니다 (gamsahabnida)!