BAGUIO CITY – Baguio City on Wednesday launched the 1st Baguio Creative Festival to celebrate and boost its designation as a Creative City under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
Touted as the next festival-to-watch-out-for in the tradition of the successful Baguio Flower Festival, the art gig slated on Nov. 10-18 is a collaboration between the public sector (city government and government line agencies Depts. of Trade and Industry and Tourism and the University of the Philippines Baguio) and the private sector through Baguio Arts and Creatives Collective, Inc., an aggrupation of local artists from the various disciplines.
It will feature a week-long calendar of art expositions, exhibits, forums, galleries and shops of artists and artisans in different venues around the city aimed at showcasing the city’s craftsmanship and creative endeavors.
For this year, it adopted the tagline “ENTAcool!” with “enta” from the indigenous term “entaku” meaning let’s all go and “cool” connoting the city’s temperate climate and pleasant people.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan said the festival not only heralds the artistic genius of the city’s denizens but also proves anew the teamwork and unity among sectors that has boosted the city’s development “this time in ensuring that our UNESCO designation is sustained by committing to our mandate to pursue creative endeavors towards productivity and sustainable development.”
City Tourism Operations Officer Alec Mapalo said the festival aims to build a “Creative Baguio” image and sustain it through the “Creative Crawl Map” with sites that can be visited beyond the festival and through active online portal one of which the officials Creative Baguio website www.creativebaguio.com .
DOT Cordillera Officer-in-Charge Jovita Ganongan, DTI Cordillera Regional Director Myrna Pablo and BCCI Representative Rommel Marcelo affirmed that the festival serves as a springboard to unifying creative groups and link them with the government which bodes well for future collaborations towards achieving the UCCN’s missions.
The calendar of activities follows:
Nov 3, 4PM — “Uma ART eh 2” Art Exhibit Opening at the Main Gallery Tam-awan Village;
Nov 4-18 –“Uma ART eh 2” Art Exhibit (A benefit art exhibit for the NTU Foundation, with participating artists: Margie Dela Cruz-Gomez, Ella Picazo-Pinder and Melody Arellano, with cultural shows and live portrait sketching every Saturdays, Nov 3, 10 and 17) at the Main Gallery Tam-awan Village;
Nov 8, 2PM — Baguio Crafts Gallery Opening at the OTOP Philippines Hub;
Nov 8-18 –Baguio Crafts Gallery (Showcase and exhibition of local crafts featuring weaving and metalcrafts) at the OTOP Philippines Hub ;
Nov 10-18 — Talastasan Series on Art and Creativity (Conversations on culture, arts and creativity by distinguished professors and researches) at Teatro Amianan, UP Baguio;
Nov 10-18 — Cultural Exhibits and Art Demo (Weeklong showcase and exhibition of cultural arts and crafts featuring the renowned solar painting by Jordan Mang-osan) at Tam-awan Village;
Nov 10, 5PM — ENTAcool Festival and “Kulay ng Siglo” Opening Ceremonies at Dominican Hill & Retreat House;
Nov 11-18 — ENTAcool “Kulay ng Siglo” (Visual Arts Gallery & Exhibits week-long public visual arts gallery and installation exhibits display by local artists) at Dominican Hill & Retreat House;
Nov 11, 9AM — Forest Bathing Grand Launching (Launching of the DOT-initiated Forest Bathing: a personal retreat with nature to immerse in the forest atmosphere for unwinding and health improvement) at Yellow Trail, John Hay;
Nov 11, 4PM — Opening of the Bell House Photo & Visual Arts Gallery at Bell House, John Hay;
Nov 11-12, 14-18 — Latag Handicrafts Market and Fair (An offering of small to medium-scale handicraft enterprises and Cordilleran inspired streetfood by local artisans) at Malcolm Square;
Nov 11-18 — Experiencing Silver and Metal Crafts Making (Demo and workshop on silver and metalcrafts with local artisans) at Pilak Silvercrafts;
Nov 12, 9AM — “Mentor Me on Wheels” Creative Entrepreneurship (A national Go Negosyo program featuring 1-on-1 mentorship by experienced entrepreneurs with the local art and creative start-ups) at Cultural Quad, UP Baguio;
Nov 12-18 — Bell House Photo & Visual Arts Gallery (A week-long exhibit of “old Baguio” photos and artworks of national artist BenCab) at Bell House, John Hay;
Nov 12-18 — “Ay Apo!.. May Shooting sa Baguio” Film Festival (Public viewing of featured local independent films, with an immersion of the creative space of Ili Likha by Kidlat Tahimik) at Balanghay ni Ikeng at Ili Likha;
Nov 12-18 — Tie Dye Exhibit & Workshop by Narda’s (Open demo and workshop on tie dying with local fabric artisans) at Narda’s Handicrafts;
Nov 12-18 — Weaving Exhibits & Workshop by Easter (Open demo and workshop on Cordilleran weaving with local weavers) at Easter Weaving;
Nov 12-18 — Tinatik Art Exhibit & Workshop (Demonstration and workshop of the homegrown and unique art form of tinatik by Maela Jose {workshop fees apply}) at Villa Romana;
Nov 13, 6PM — Malcolm Square; Cordillera Weave Fashion Show (Local weavers meet local fashion designers, featuring indigenous fabric in contemporary wear)
Nov 16, 6PM — Dominican Hill & Retreat House; Anido Artists’ Night (A culminating fellowship night among local artists with recognition of some featured budding artists)
Nov 17, 9AM — “Harnessing the Power of the Sun” (A Solar Drawing demonstration and exhibition Mr. Jordan Mang-osan) at Main Gallery Tam-awan Village ; and
Nov 18, 5PM — Culminating Show (A cultural concert featuring local bands and performers giving tribute to the local artists and creative) at Malcolm Square.
Mapalo said there will also be Creative Crawl tour contest where a person who will be able to complete the five circuits will win a prize from DOT.
The details will be announced soon.
On October 31, 2017, Baguio City joined the ranks of 180 cities from 72 countries that made it to the UCCN.
The first Philippine city to receive the designation and only the fifth in Southeast Asia, Baguio made the cut through its notable crafts and folk arts specifically basket and cloth weaving, woodcarving, silverware and ink or tattoo. **Aileen P. Refuerzo
