TWO ALUMNI of the old College of Architecture and Fine Arts won the grand prizes in the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) National Competition while a Nursing senior and a Graduate School student recieved the grand prizes in two of the three major categories in the sixth ArtPetron National Student Art Competition last Aug. 31.
In the MADE competition, Michael Peña, a UST Architecture graduate, won the grand prize in the architecture category for his “Modern Filipino House” situated at St. Ignatius Village in Quezon City, while Jasmine O’yek Sy, a UST Interior Design graduate, won the grand prize in the interior design category for her design of the interiors of the Marquinton Residence in Marikina City called “Sustainable Haybol”.
Peña’s house design maximized the use of natural lighting and ventilation while taking into account the country’s tropical climate, while Sy’s interior design made use of a single color scheme as well as mirrors and glass to make the house appear spacious.
Both Peña and Sy were honored in a formal ceremony at Le Pavillion at the Metropolitan Park in Pasay City last Sept. 15 and received P200,000 each.
In the Art-Petron contest, Nursing senior Hilarious de Jesus bested 135 others in the photography category for his work, “Dibuhong Masinsin,” while Antonio Totto Jr., who is taking his Masters degree in Advertising at the UST Graduate School, topped the watercolor category for his “Ramos Family of San Miguel, Bulacan.”
This year’s theme, “Alay sa Sining Pilipino: Diwa ng Pagkatuto,” focused on the roots of Filipino artistry in folk and indigenous art.
“My photo was taken at Lumban, Laguna where a group of women weave clothes used in making barong tagalog,” De Jesus, who holds a Dean Bacala Academic Excellence Award, told the Varsitarian. “I asked these women if I could take a photo of them and it (the photo) matched the theme of the contest so well.”
Meanwhile, Totto said that his graduate course in UST taught him to research carefully on his subject before painting it. His entry portrays the art of making pabalat, the colorful wrappers used in packing local sweets like yema, pastillas, and polvorons.
“My paintings carry not just forms and figures but a story of passion and purpose in making sweets as well,” Totto said.
College of Fine Arts and Design professor Mark Ramsel Salvatus III, the last Thomasian to win the grand prize of the ArtPetron in 2002 hailed the winners.
“Their artworks captured the essence of this year’s theme without sacrificing the artistic styles,” Salvatus said.
The judges for the architecture category of the MADE competition were UST alumnus Francisco Mañosa as chair, and architects Jose Siao Line, Philip Recto, Avelina de la Rea, and Josefina Ramos, as members; while the judges in the interior design category were UST alumnus Jose Maria Hubilla as chair, and Gerry Contreras, Thelma Sioson San Juan, Susan Tuason and Leo Almira as members.
ArtPetron, sponsored by the Petron Corporation, is open to students aged 15 to 28 years old. The judges for this year’s Photography category were Asia-Week photographer Edwin Tuyay, and international photographers Wig Tysmanns, Denise Weldon and Kahlid Di-Alfad. National Artists Art Napoleon Abueva and Benedicto Cabrera headed the panel of judges for the watercolor category.
