OUR ORGANIZATION

In 1960, Fe Sala Villarica gathered a group of seven Cebuano artists, one for each of the seven arts, to arouse the art consciousness of Cebuanos. Forming this nucleus group were Ms. Villarica herself for dance, Pilar Sala for music, Carmelo Tamayo for painting, Gloria Escaño for drama, Molly Briones for literature, Fidel Araneta for sculpture, and Jose Mercado for architecture. This group was then known as the Arts of Cebu.

The Council organized the pioneering Festival of the Arts in Cebu City, and steadily built its reputation as the premier arts advocate organization south of Manila by sponsoring the performances of national and world-renowned artists. The year 1975 saw the affirmation of the Arts Council's cultural leadership when it was cited by the Philippines Foundation, Inc. as a Valuable Institution for developing programs and scholarships in arts, culture and theatre.

In August 2, 1990, the Arts Council was formally launched as the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. at Casa Gorordo. In 1993, in line with its aspiration to attract truly high-caliber performers, the Council acquired a Yamaha concert grand, which it presented at a one-night gala fund raiser.

Also in 1993, the Council embarked on an ambitious scholarship program wherein a trust fund was established to support the training of music and fine arts students. Moreover, aside from promoting the seven arts, the Council also aims to generate awareness and concern for the preservation of our cultural heritage.

Motivated by the belief that access to cultural, artistic, and educational opportunities is a necessary element for a healthy and robust civic life, the Arts Council of Cebu continues to dedicate itself to the promotion and development of artistic and cultural endeavors in the Cebuano community by providing access to performances and exhibitions by local, national, and international artists with a reputation for excellence. It is involved in audience development and education in an integrated " Arts for the Youth" program that involves the participation of young students in artistic cultural lectures, seminars and workshops.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Arts Council of Cebu continues to subsidize the tuition and matriculation fees of needy but deserving students enrolled in music, film and other fields in the performing arts. A voice major, Crystal Mae Esmero recently graduated from the Siliman University. Julius Mocorro, accomplished classical guitarist, is entering his senior year at the Philippine Women's University under the tutelage of Professor Jose Valdes and was the lone representative of the Philippines at a prestigious classical guitar competition in Hong Kong. He gave his junior recital at the PCIB Auditorium on April 6, 2002. Elwyna Mae Lagare and Janus Quiamco, graduates of the Philippine High School for the Arts in Makiling are senior Film and Audio-Visual Communications student at UP. Last month the Arts Council accepted Cebuana pianist, Chloe Canton as the next performing arts scholar. Ms. Canton is taking up her Masteral studies in Piano Performance at UP. The Arts Council Scholarship fund continues to benefit from a generous grant from EAST ASIA UTILITIES CORPORATION and CEBU PRIVATE POWER CORPORATION.

AND THE WORLD BECAME ART
by: Achinette Joy Villamor

What if our world were turned upside down, inside out, and Rizal had never sparked the fires of a revolution through his writings? What if, by some evolutionary catastrophe, we never evolved beyond the confines of a primitive civilization whose greatest masterpieces are doodles in the sand? Much worse, what if the arts did not, at all, exist?

All throughout the years and the whole world over, budget for developing the arts has always taken a backseat to many other concerns. Governments spend billions for tourism and weapons but hack and cut out, or scrimp on, allocations for the arts. Consequently, support for the arts and its developments have been relegated to schools and universities, institutions, and private groups and individuals. Senator Raul Roco once condemned this practice as tantamount to destroying the "soul of the nation".

But why support the arts, really?

The arts play a vital role in our existence. They help define the culture and the ultimate value of our collective history, giving us a deeply rooted sense of our proud heritage, and providing us with a profound idea of who and what are we as a nation and as a people. Major achievements in the arts are the hallmarks of a civilization, the bastion of a country's great, colorful legacy. England has Shakespeare. France has Voltaire. We, on the other hand, have the powerful triumvirate of Edades, Ocampo, and Francisco, the romantic and impressionist styles of both Luna and Hidalgo, the dreamy landscapes of Amorsolo, and the countless others who forged, spliced and molded the bonds between art and life and inspired a nation to a transcendental path for greatness.

Nietzsche held that the art is the highest task and the proper metaphysical activity of this life. And he is right. The arts have a positive impact on our cultural experiences as well as the cultural experiences of those who would come after us. They inspire a sense of personal and collective achievement as well as develop creativity, enhance multicultural understanding, and even improve interpersonal relations. Above all, they remind us that life is beautiful, that the past had vibrated with life, that the present is a fascinating struggle, and that the future would truly be something to look forward to.

But there is no such thing as art for art's sake. The arts have never been a passive medium and people are becoming increasingly aware of the crucial part the arts play in advocating social reforms. The arts are weapons for peace, freedom, and justice. Weapons that are incomparable to bombs, cannons and even a deluge of green bucks. As early as 1821, paintings have been used for propaganda, as evidenced by Estella Villanueva's depiction of the Ilocanos' revolt against the basic monopoly. The dynamic propaganda movement itself evolved around harnessing and utilizing the genius and the capabilities of the Filipinos in the arts to promote and advance the cause of Philippine self-rule. Juan Luna's Spolarium chronicled the suffering of the Filipinos under Spanish yoke. Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo challenged the Spanish gold, cross, might and gloriously paved the way for our independence.

Today, the arts are still legitimate avenue to cry out against the tyranny of dogmas, the vicious reality of third world desperation, the corrupt and corrupting political acrobatics of those in power. From placards to uncompromising novels, from militant student publication articles to avant-garde paintings, the arts have become blueprints for socio-political changes. Still, despite the new-age art's almost belligerent bid to give reforms a face, the arts remain a celebration of life, of courage, and of honored traditions.

So why support the arts?

Ask the young actor given the instruction to fulfill a dream. Ask the child who tiptoes her way through a bamboo dance routine. Ask the humanities teacher who spends years firing up the passion and the imagination of his students and passing on to them "the soul" of this nation. Ask the student college editor who inks his articles with the sweat of the browbeaten and the blood of the broken. Above all, ask the countless nameless persons who faced public scrutiny and braved public scorn to find, through the arts, their own pieces of a bleak world to change. For truly, there is nothing more liberating than supporting a cause far bigger and greater than one's self.