NCCA to hold visual arts festival in Pagadian City

PAGADIAN CITY - The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), National Committee for Visual Arts will showcase Philippine Visual Arts Festival in Pagadian City on Feb. 7 -11 in celebration of the National Arts Month. 

In a media forum held last week at the Subanen Hall, Provincial Government Center, Barangay Dao this city, NCCA Deputy Executive Director Marlene Sanchez said this year’s festival theme is “Ani ng Sining” with its sub-theme, “Celebrating Icons.”

“A number of visual artists from all over the country are expected to come and participate. Various visual art works will also be displayed during the four-day festivity,” Sanchez said. 

On the other hand, Nemesio Miranda, head of NCCA’s National Committee on Visual Arts, said that in his three years as committee head, it was decided to bring the arts festival down to the regions, “considering that there are so many artists in the regions who could not afford to go to Manila to participate in the annual event.”

One main purpose of bringing the arts congress to the regions is to have a head count of all visual artists in the country, Miranda added.

He further said “the NCCA will come up with a national visual artist directory, and through this directory we can give them information and updates as to the programs of NCCA, giving them equal footing and opportunities with the artist based in Manila. It also serves as a venue for fellowship among visual artists.”

The congress also aims to listen to the issues and concerns of visual artists in order to thresh out and resolve their problems.

“Nobody will help us, except us – nobody knows the solutions to the problems of the visual artists except the visual artists themselves,” Miranda stressed. (FPG/CAL/PIA9)