- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Twenty-eight artworks of 11 past winners of the Victorias Milling Company Inc. (VMC) on-the-spot interschool art contest are on display at The Negros Museum in Bacolod City until Dec. 24.
Dubbed the “Panumbalik” art exhibit, it features the works of Yul Gabriel Dionson, Hans Benedict Espina, Ben Johnson Gohing, Kennette Luague, Einstein Schwartz Gaspar Maulad, Philip Aldrin Nalang, Dennis Occeña, Therese Ortaliz, Andrea Parrocho, Rolando Salimbaga Jr., and Arliyah Tatoy.
“Panumbalik is a very, very fitting affair for us to gather together again and see all the artworks” of past winners done while under the pandemic, VMC president and chief executive officer, Minnie Chua, said at the exhibit opening Nov. 26, adding she was glad to know that many of the young artists “actually thrived during the pandemic” and channeled their experiences and feelings during the lockdown and quarantine into creative works.
“I would like to personally thank our artists for coming back and bravely sharing with us your works during the pandemic. We all had our own way of dealing with the pandemic, and it is refreshing to know that you all continued your work amidst the quite dismal backdrop of quarantines and all those restrictions,” Chua added.
Anne Tiongco, VMC Foundation executive director and VMC corporate communications director, said, “We, in VMC, are now ready to revive our program that promotes artistic and cultural development of the youth through our annual art contest and the summer art workshops which we have done more than any other organization to ensure that the arts continue to thrive in Negros.”
Tiongco said the VMC could not really hold the on-the-spot contest this year since we are only just recovering from the pandemic.
“So we thought of having an art exhibit featuring our past winners, who continued to create art during the pandemic. We felt that this would be an ideal set up for when we resume the on-the-spot contest,” she stressed, adding that VMC’s commitment to the art continues. “We value our relationship with our participants and past winners, and we our here to support them in their endeavor in the arts.”
The VMC interschool art contest started way back in 2013, but was only then open to schools and students from Victorias City in Negros Occidental, with entries submitted for judging.
Tiongco said they eventually opened the competition to students in nearby towns and cities, and switched to an on-the-spot contest to make it more challenging.
She said it was opened to students all over the Negros Island Region in 2018, with the on-the-spot contest for Negros Occidental held in Bacolod, and in Dumaguete City for students in Negros Oriental.
Art workshops for the winners were also held to further nurture their skills, expose them to other forms of art media, and contribute to their maturity, growth and development as artists, she added. “The momentum was there, and then COVID happened. We had to stop two years ago.”
Chua, meanwhile, said that “arts and culture have always been central to our corporate social responsibility programs and, through the years, we would like to believe that we have played a major role in the discovery and nurture of new art talents in Negros.”
“We truly want to be part of the children’s journey in honing their talent and skills to achieve their full potential,” she added. “Through the VMC Art, we hope we can continue this tradition of giving value to arts and cultural development, to unity and collaboration, and to showcase the wonderful talents of the Negros community.”/CGC
