National Arts Month 2013 List of Activities Laid out by NCCA
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in the Philippines is organizing national activities in celebration of National Arts Month (NAM) which will take place in February 2013.
NCCA, the country’s prime agency for the arts and culture, has been spearheading the celebration since 1991, with the signing of Presidential Proclamation 683 declaring February as National Arts Month.
The Philippine Arts Festival (PAF), a consolidation of different NAM activities, is mainly composed of the flagship projects of the seven committees of the NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts—architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theater and the visual arts.
With private and government agencies as partners, PAF 2013 promises to be a fulfilling feast for the senses and the soul with workshops, exhibitions, forums, performances and many others participated in by numerous artists to which the public is highly encouraged to join in.
With this year’s theme “Celebrating Icons”, activities will highlight the different cultural icons of the country, emphasizing their enriching roles in our lives and identity as a people.
The seven committees of the NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts are preparing a repertoire of activities and events.
The National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts will be holding several exhibitions, conferences, lectures and competitions on Philippine architecture and allied arts, collectively called Achi (types/texts) 2013, anchored on the theme of Filipino icons.
The National Committee on Cinema will be holding Cinema Rehiyon 5 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna, with screenings and forums that focus on the film productions from the regions.
The NCCA partners with pelikuLAB and the UPLB Foundation Inc. for Cinema Rehiyon, which has the theme “Cinemas of Home” and will run from February 5 to 8, 2013.
Independent filmmakers from the provinces of Baguio, Pangasinan, Naga, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao and others will showcase their latest films.
For the National Committee on Dance, a dance concert called Sayaw Pinoy will showcase the different dance forms (folk, ballet, hiphop and contemporary) of the country performed by various dance companies.
Meanwhile, the National Committee on Literary Arts will mount the literary arts festival Taboan 2013: Philippine Literary Arts Festival, to be held in Dumaguete City.
Taboan 2013: The Philippine Writers Festival will gather writers, teachers and students for forums, lectures, a book fair, literary readings, performances, food and arts and crafts exhibits, a cultural tour, satellite projects in 11 sites across the country, a literary contest for flash fiction and poetry, an awards ceremony for outstanding writers from the regions, and a closing program highlighting the Bisayan literary traditions, culture and arts.
The National Committee on Music will be staging the Tunog-Tugan: First International Gongs and Bamboo Music Festival in Dipolog City, Iloilo City and Baguio City.
The rich variety of music in this genre will be fully explored and promoted.
Tanghal 2013 of the National Committee on Dramatic Arts will highlight the works and achievements of community and university-based theater groups from Marikina, Albay, Bohol and Cagayan de Oro City.
And the National Committee on Visual Arts will be staging the Philippine International Visual Arts Festival (PIVAF) on the island province of Camiguin with a lineup of activities including conferences, exhibitions, competitions, workshops, painting sessions, tours, and many others. (RJB/AKG-PIA-NCR/NCCA)
