by Marvin Angelo R. Oloris

In the world of Philippine art, this final quarter of the year were very much dominated by the name of one dead artist: Fernando Amorsolo. With seven of Metro Manila's biggest museum and galleries--with participation of Metropolitan Museum of Manila's satellite galleries and local galleries in schools and universities in Manila--coming together in a very big celebration of his works, that would really hit the visual arts airwaves.

Of course, University of the Philippines Los Baños' Sining Makiling Gallery, UP system's first legitimate art gallery*, will not be left behind, especially if its curator is one of today's most-respected senior artist who is known internationally as Junyee.

Alas, something bad happened that served Junyee's first in his professional career as an artist.

His Art, Our Heart: The Amorsolo Retrospective

This grand exhibition was conceptualized to celebrate the Philippines' first National Artist and first National Artist for Painting, Fernando Amorsolo. With the Metrobank Group and Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation as its presenters, this show is dubbed as the most important art collaboration in the Philippine art scene in recent history as seven major museum and galleries in Metro Manila gathered their collections of Amorsolo paintings in hopes to cultivate a deeper understanding of Filipino culture and values as seen through the eyes of Amorsolo--depicting fervent idealism, a sense of community, the respect of women, the love of beauty, the dignity of hard work, and a celebration of our country’s history. These seven museums are the Ayala Museum, GSIS Museum of Art, Lopez Memorial Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, National Art Gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines, UP Jorge Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center, and Yuchengco Museum.

The participation of Sining Makiling Gallery

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, assigned with the theme "bayANInanding: The Motherland and the Harvest of Maestro Amorsolo", planned to also mount diverse subjects for the Amorsolo Retrospective through its twenty satellite galleries spread from Luzon to Mindanao. One of them is the Sining Makiling Gallery at the Dioscoro L. Umali Hall in University of the Philippines Los Baños, curated by the university's artist-in-residence Luis Enano Yee, Jr.--known in the art circle as Junyee. The gallery was given the theme "Makiling" because of its proximity to the legendary mountain of Mount Makiling. With the Sining Makiling Gallery unexpectedly vacant for the last days of November until January next year, Junyee decided to put up the show right after the Syjuco's exhibition on November 27, 2008.

The UP Painters' Club in the scene

With all the bliss the UP Painters' Club have had during the opening of its Labing-Isang Daliri 2008 on the month of September, Junyee, one of the invited guest, doubled it up as he announced his decision to brought up amateur UPLB artists to limelight by considering their participation in the upcoming exhibition. This time, the UP Painters' Club will be in its forefront since Junyee has been looking at the organization for years and has seen its members' exceptional talents.

The preparation

Junyee then scheduled meeting the organization to discuss about its participation to the exhibit. Right after the weekly general assembly, members of the organization quickly proceeded to the Sining Makiling Gallery for the agreed schedule of meeting. Alas, Junyee had forgotten about it and, to the order of the previous director Maurice Alcantara, scheduled a second meeting. The second meeting was scheduled 8:30 PM, Tuesday at the same place. Nevertheless, Junyee already left when the group members came. On its third meeting, now scheduled 7:00 PM, Tuesday at the same place, again, Junyee already left by 6:30. All-in-all, there has been three failed meetings--three weeks of delayed time in conceptualizing and making the artwork.

The finals week has neared, the organization decided to send three representatives--me, Ariel Aragoncillo and Niko Cedicol--to meet with Junyee and discuss everything once and for all. The meeting has been a success. At that moment, the organization committed at least 25 artworks (considering that, through conservative count, only half of resident members can be trusted to submit and at most ten coming from alumni members). There, to our knowledge, Junyee had all the previous two meetings set at 6:00 PM. Who was it to blame, then?

No more general assemblies--even the emergency one--happened since then. The first one should have been after organization's semender but was canceled due to a morning rain. Every members was in their academic senses because its finals week, hence general assemblies did not came in being. So, in order to compensate for that, the next Director, Marvin Angelo Oloris (me), took over and decided to horde in series of text messages, bulletin posts, group messages, and emails to inform all the organization's resident and alumni members--not the usual formal meetings but they have become the final resorts.

Many members responded--especially those who were present in the September exhibit's opening ceremony. By that time, five weeks after the deadline of submission, members began to order canvas by group. After the last day of exams (three and a half weeks after the deadline of submission), with the leisure of semestral break in hand, the committed members (all 17 while other members provided their own canvas) have all their canvasses.

The bad news

Then the bad news. For the start of registration for the next semester (that's one week before the deadline of submission) it happened that only four people--me, Ariel, Khrisna Nañola, Doi Padalhin, Nathz Carpena and Kulay Labitigan--were able to start working with their artworks during the semestral break. With the news dispersed, few concerned members then began to do their artworks.

On the deadline period, the organization only managed to submit 12 artworks. It's a dismal number--one-half short of what has been committed. For the succeeding three days, only two added to that number--making up our magic number 14. By that date, no one in the organization, even those who had committed, ever planned to add their contributions.

On the Saturday of that week, Junyee visited the Sining Makiling Gallery to take a look at the submitted artworks and do initial plans for the set-up tomorrow [that day]. As expected, he was disappointed. He then canceled the set-up for tomorrow and, instead, pushed for another deadline at Tuesday--two days before the exhibition's opening.

Additional disappointment: not one in the organization grabbed the extension. On that day, Tuesday, November 25, two days before the big day, Junyee postponed the exhibition.

Ang eksena sa likod ng lahat

Malaki ang asang nilaan sa atin ni Junyee matapos ang pakikipag-usap namin sa kanya sa kanilang tirahan. Higit pa n'yang pinagtitibay na TANGING ang organisasyon natin ang makikinabang sa pagpapalabas na mangyayari. Pagkatapos kong maipakalat sa lahat ng miyembro ang tungkol dito (sa abot ng aking makakaya at mga tumulong sa akin), marami ang nagsabing gagawa ng kanilang obra--oo nga't naging masyado maligaya ang mga miyembro noong ibalita ni Junyee na tayo's isasali n'ya sa isang malakihang pagpapalabas. Sa totoo lang, kung uungkatin ko ang pag-uusap namin, nag-aalala pa si Junyee na baka mapuno natin ang kanyang gallery. Hindi n'ya nais na humigit ng 40 obra ang isasabit n'ya... ayaw n'yang magmukhang palengke ang kanyang exhibit. Kaya't 25 obra lamang ang maibibigay natin--na kaya natin, sana.

Pagkaraan n'yo'y si Ma'am Yee na lamang ang kinakausap ko ukol sa ating partisipasyon at, sa higit na mahabang oras, ang planong Opus Elbi para sa sentenaryo ng UPLB. Dito ako napukol masyado sa pagbisita sa DL Umali Hall.

Sa akin, sa buong bakasyong 'yon, naging panatag ako na gumagawa ang mga miyembro. Na habang nagpipinta ako sa bahay nami'y ang iba nama'y nagpipinta rin sa kanilang tirahan. Hindi na ako ga'nong nagtetext sa mga miyembro sa pag-aakalang sila'y maiistorbo ko lamang. Panatag din naman ako dahil palagiang sinasabihan ni Ariel ang mga miyembro sa nalalapit na pasahan.

Yun na nga lamang ang lungkot na nangyari nang malaman kong iilan lang pala ang gumawa. Narinig ko ang mga dahilan ng marami; ang iba'y katanggap-tanggap ngunit sa iba nama'y hindi ko maintindihan. Sa loob ko, umasa pa rin ako na sa nalalabing pitong araw ay makagagawa ang karamihan ng nakapagsabing magpapasa--kumpiyansa naman ako sa kakayahan ng miyembro sa pagmamadali ng mga trabaho. 'Di na rin nagtanong sila Junyee dahil tiwala sila sa atin.

Pasahan na... labing-dalawa pa lamang ang nakapagpasa--ang iba pa rito'y produkto ng pagmamadali. Sa puntong iyo'y nakikita ko na ang mga mangyayaring 'di kanais-nais... lalo na sa 'kin bilang lider ng grupong ito. Naghinaing pa ako sa mga hahabol ngunit, sa lahat-lahat, labing-apat lamang naipasa natin. Sa puntong 'yon, marami nang miyembro ang nakaunawa kung gaano kalaking kapalpakan ang nagawa ng organisasyon.

Tama, naging palpak tayo.

Lumipas na ang pag-aayos sana ng lugar ng pagpapalabas... sa huli'y napagdesisyunan na ngang i-postpone na lamang ang exhibit. Dito na ako kinausap ni Junyee.

Propesyonal ang aming pag-uusap. Ngunit hindi pa rin maikakait kung ga'nong sakit ang nararamdaman ni Junyee sa nangyari. Itinuring n'yang anak ang mga miyembro ng organisasyon natin--noon pang maging tagapayo s'ya natin hanggang sa pagpapaloob nila ng tulong pangpinansiyal sa lahat ng pagpapalabas pambiswal natin. Hindi n'ya malaman kung bakit sila na nga ang nagbigay ng napakalaking pagkakataon sa grupo natin na ipakita ang ating talento at magyabang--oo, magyabang--ay hindi pa natin kinagat. Minsan naiisip n'yang ang tingin natin sa kanila'y mga tipong kinakausap lang natin sa tuwing magdadaos tayo ng ating exhibit--tila isa lamang ordinaryong tao. Minsan naiisip n'yang mukha tayong mga hari na masasaad lamang sa atin kung ano ang ikatatakbo ng exhibit na 'yon. Hindi rin n'ya matarok kung pa'nong nagkulang tayo sapagkat hindi naman tayo mga high-school student lamang na pwede pang pagbigyan--tayo'y matatanda na.

'Yan ay ilan sa mga isinabog n'ya sa akin na nag-iwan ng ilang tulo ng luha sa aking mata. Tinanggap ko lahat ng 'yon. Pinakinggan ko s'ya. Nakakatuwa ngang isipin na ito, sa harapan ko, isang napakalaking tao sa mundo ng sining, ay nagsasabi sa 'kin ng gano'n. Ngunit pinanatili pa rin n'ya ang kanyang propesyonal na tayo... na pagsasalita. Si Junyee, sa lahat ng tao, ay kinamamanghaan ko ng todo. Isa s'yang taong hindi kaagad nagpapadala sa kanyang damdamin. Propesyonal, ika nga.

Doon (kahit na sa karamihan ng aming pag-uusap ay inaasahan ko na) ko nakita ng husto kung gaanong kalaki ang disgrasya nagawa ng kapalpakan natin. Doon, sa lahat ng bagay, nakita ko ng husto kung papaanong ang organisasyo'y hindi nagawang maging responsable. Doon ko nakita na hindi pa handa ang organisasyon sa pagbabago tungo sa ikaaangat nito.

Lubos akong naliligayahan na napalapit na ang loob namin nila Junyee at Ma'am Yee. Kahit pa na sa mga bandang huli ng aming pag-uusap ay may bahid na ng lungkot at, kung sasaloobin ay, pagkayamot, hindi naman naging malayo ang pag-uusap namin sa ibang bagay--naging mainit pa rin.

Napakapropesyonal nilang tao. Marami akong natutunan. Marami silang itinuro sa akin. Totoo nga, mga anak na nga ang turing nila sa atin... masuwerte ako at naramdaman ko 'yon at gusto ko sanang lahat ng miyembro ay magkaroon ng pribilehiyong makausap sila... makilala. Pakiramdam ko'y sila ang nagbigay ng matinding impluwensya sa akin ngayon. Isa ito sa mga pangyayaring 'di ko malilimutan sa aking buhay.

The damaging effects

Our shortcomings led to rippling damages. First, the director of Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Mr. Zarrudo, a very respected man in the field of visual arts, has to postpone its visit as a guest speaker. The man, according to Junyee, was very busy and the gallery is really lucky that he found time amongst his tight schedule to come a long way to Los Baños. Second, the invited artists and arts enthusiasts--all acquainted to Junyee--from Manila will be contacted one-by-one to inform them of the exhibit's postponement. Third, Junyee's name will be at risk, considering how he's been regarded one of the best artists the Philippines produced and how he's respected internationally. Fourth, the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts had sought the release of 5,000 pesos from the Office of the Chancellor for the production of invitation letters and posters. Fifth, the OICA, could not, anymore, sought any amount from the Chancellor considering that they were now in question on the how in the world the exhibit was postponed. Sixth, being Junyee the biggest people in Los Baños of arts hence connection with him will be very golden, the organization will find difficulty in dealing with the OICA and the National Arts Center. Seventh, the postponement will also lead to the moving of schedule of individual shows already lined up at the Sining Makiling Gallery. According to Ma'am Yee, "these are the repercussions of what had happened. We have nothing to do with what already happened. What's important is to fix what will happen." Eighth, the reputation of the UP Painters' Club will be badly wounded. And ninth, the preparation for the exhibit will now coincide with the final week of application process that could lead to overworked members.

Second chance

Our last discussion ended up to ways on how the organization could, at least, make up for its failure. He reiterated that we have made a serious cut with our relationship to them and that any amount of artworks that we will submit cannot make up for it. For now, the organization needs to help in its rebuilding and to realize the second date of exhibition, which is on January 8, 2009.

1. The organization will have to help the OICA in editing all the 5,000 pesos-worth of invitation letters;
2. Distribution of the invitation letters and posters and verbal announcements around UPLB;
3. The organization will be the one in-charged labeling our artworks to be exhibited;
4. Pass more artworks which its deadline set on December 18, 2008;
5. Provide at least four members to join and help him in setting-up the exhibit; and
6. All members will attend the opening ceremony.

Other ways (indirect) that the organization could do to, at least, apply bandage to the cut is to strengthen visual arts in the campus, visit Junyee's show at Galleria Duemila (that's one thing he lamented to me: not one member have visited his show there) and his upcoming individual show next year, and, although short term, support Amorsolo's Makiling all the way until closing.

Working together

This experience is such that needs be learned well and will not happen again. Until today, I am seeking the help of all the members of the organization who had pledge under its constitution to work hand-in-hand in regaining their confidence--that is, fostering fellowship among artists.

About the writer

Marvin Angelo Rafols Oloris is currently, upon this article's publication, a 4th year BS Civil Engineering student of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He joined UP Painters' Club, a student organization focusing on visual arts, on the first semester of academic year 2007-2008. He served as Records Committee Head for two semester under the directorship of Maurice Alcantara until voted Director of the organization--serving from 2nd semester of AY 2008-2009 to 1st semester of AY 2009-2010.

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*According to Dr. Marites G. Yee, the current director of UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts and current senior adviser of UP Painters' Club.
**Here's the other Metropolitan Museum satellite exhibits: Museo Iloilo; The Museum at De La Salle University-Manila; Museo Ilocos Norte; Tayabas Studies and Creative Writing Center, Quezon; Museo Negrense De La Salle, Bacolod City; Legazpi City Museum, Albay; Baguio Mountain Provinces Museum; St. Louis University Museum of Arts and Cultures, Baguio City; Museo San Ysidro de Pulilan, Bulacan; UST Museum of Arts and Sciences, Davao Museum of History and Ethnography; Casa Gorordo Museum, Cebu City; Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies, Angeles City; Vigan Culture and Trade Center, Ilocos Sur; Bahay Nakpil-Bautista, Quiapo; Central Luzon Agricultural Museum, Nueva Ecija, Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Museum, Dipolog City; Sining Makiling Gallery, UP Los Baños; and The Second Gallery, Angono, Rizal.