ILOILO CITY (PIA) – The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Iloilo marks the month-long celebration of the National Heritage Month with a series of lectures, workshops, and community events aligned with this year’s theme: “Preserving Legacies, Building Futures: Empowering Communities through Heritage.”
NMP Iloilo invites heritage enthusiasts to a workshop focused on the Oton Gold Death Mask, a recognized National Cultural Treasure.
Last May 17, participants learned about the historical and cultural significance of the funerary artifact, which is linked to Southeast Asian burial traditions.
Guided by visual artist and heritage advocate Boy Masculino and the Oton Visual Artists League (OVAL), attendees crafted mask replicas, highlighting floral motifs created using the traditional repoussé technique.
This month of May also marks the birth anniversary of National Artist J. Elizalde Navarro, whose works are on permanent display in the exhibit Halangdon: The Art of J. Elizalde Navarro.
In his honor, NMP Iloilo held a “Magbinalaybay Kita: Speaking the Visual Arts of J. Elizalde Navarro” last May 18.
The event engaged participants to respond to Navarro’s artworks through spoken poetry.
Renowned Ilonggo author and poet Alain Russ Dimzon conducted a creative session to help participants interpret and articulate their emotional responses to Navarro’s diverse visual themes.
Meanwhile, the NMP Iloilo will also host Pag-ulikid: Art and Wellness Lecture-Workshop for the Elderly on May 28.
Visual artist Raz Salvarita of Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives will lead the session, designed to promote wellness through art among Iloilo’s senior citizens.
To ensure that heritage education reaches even the most remote communities, NMP Iloilo is also bringing its Pambansang Museo sa Paaralan/Barangay program to the island-barangay of Unisan in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, on May 31.
These off-site initiatives aim to make museum experiences more accessible to students and residents who may not have the means to visit the museum in the city.
The NMP Iloilo said that through these programs, they hope to champion the preservation of Filipino heritage while fostering creativity, community involvement, and cultural education in society. (AAL/JNH/PIA Iloilo/with reports from NMP-Iloilo)
