The Conservatory of Music and the College of Fine Arts and Design have received creative research grants from the Commission on Higher Education and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The grants, meant to support higher education institutions affected by the K to 12 transition period, were given on the second day of “Salikha 2018: Onboarding and Orientation,” held last July 12 and 13 at the Bayview Park Hotel, Manila.
The head of the “Julio Nakpil@150 Music Project: Rethinking and Reimagining the Musical Works of Julio Nakpil in the Context of Philippine Modernity, Transculturation and Cultural Nationalism,” is Assoc. Prof. Ma. Alexandra Chua of the Conservatory of Music.
“This grant is very important because through it, we’ll be able to show the full anthology of an underrated Filipino composer,” Chua told the Varsitarian.
A native virtuoso, Nakpil was one of the first Filipino composers to publish his works in the international music scene. His nationalistic compositions include “Recuerdoz de Capiz habanera caracteristica para piano,” “Kundiman and Lulay,” Luz Poetica de Aurora,” “Amor Patrio,” “Pahimakas,” “Salve Patria,” and “Kabanatuan.”
Nakpil, commissioned by Katipunan leader Andres Bonifacio, also composed what could have been the Philippine national anthem, “Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan.”
“He was an important personality during his time. We would like him and his music to be known nationally,” project designer Asst. Prof. Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi of CFAD said.
For CFAD Asst. Prof. Guillerma Mendoza, the CHEd-NCCA grant “validates” their project “Diskarte: Understanding Design Culture through the Works of Filipino Design Exemplars (Monograph and Fora), since “design studies and scholarships are often marginalized.”
“Diskarte” will survey the works of furniture designers from the 20th century to the present, looking at them through the lens of innovation and ingenuity.
Support for the arts sought
In his opening remarks, CHEd Research Management Division Chief Custer Deocaris recognized the need to bolster arts and culture education in the country.
A molecular biologist, Deocaris said arts and culture education should not be treated as a mere “icing on the cake.”
“The next wave of technology is already based on creativity and the arts. How can we compete with other countries if we don’t have the slightest tinge of creativity?,” he said.
“Salikha is an ushering of renaissance, a collaboration between art and science. It brings in a message that we should also support the arts,” Deocaris said.
Salikha Creative Grants are targeted toward higher education institutions (HEIs) with faculty or non-teaching personnel affected by the K-12 Transition, who wish to engage in arts research or creative projects for publication, exhibition, production or other forms of public use, particularly geared toward advancing Philippine arts and culture and higher education.
