OSA kicks off arts month celebration with exhibit on student organizations’ work

On the occasion of the National Arts Month (NAM) and UPLB 114th Foundation Day celebration, the Office of Student Activities (OSA) of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs launched Pagpanday: Galing sa Sining, A National Arts Month Exhibit on Feb. 27.
The exhibit was staged in partnership with the University Student Council (USC), the Kulturang Ugnayan ng Kabataan Alay sa Bayan (KULAYAN), and other cultural student organizations in UPLB,
The theme “Pagpanday: Galing sa Sining” is aligned with one of the three program areas of OSA – leadership, culture and arts, and public service. The exhibit features the works of student organizations and their space in the culture and arts scene as UPLB celebrates its 114th Foundation Day anniversary.
The exhibit was launched at the Student Union (SU) Lobby on Feb. 27. The event featured performances and speeches from representatives of cultural organizations in UPLB and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the government agency which oversees and organizes NAM events.
Edward P. Perez, head of the National Committee on Dramatic Arts of the NCCA, attended the event and gave a short speech. Relating “Pagpanday” to NCCA’s theme for this year’s NAM, “Ani ng Sining, Bunga ng Galing,” Perez discussed how art is a form of honing one’s skills to build a better society.
“Ang sining at ang pagpapanday ay mahalagang makita bilang isang proseso ng pag “hone” ng ating kakayahan para makamit natin ang kung ano mang gusto nating pagbabago sa lipunan lalo na bilang isang Iskolar ng Bayan.
(Art and honing one’s skills are essential in bettering ourselves to achieve the change we want in the society as Iskolar ng Bayan,” Perez said.)
The event’s co-organizer, the Kulturang Ugnayan ng Kabataan Alay sa Bayan (KULAYAN-UPLB), is a broad alliance of culture and arts organizations in UPLB that aims to build a mass-oriented and nationalistic culture and arts scene in the University. Clyde Naranjo, coordinator of KULAYAN-UPLB, acknowledged the importance of spaces for the arts within the University.
“Ang pagbubuo at pagpapaunlad pa ng culture and arts scene ay nagmumula sa mga komunidad natin. Kaya napaka importante ng mga espasyong ganito, kung saan mayroon tayong malayang paglalahad ng ating mga artistic expressions.
(Creating and developing the culture and arts scene is a community initiative that is why spaces like this one we have today are important in freely conveying our creativity and artistic expressions,” Naranjo said.)
An exhibit was also set up at the SU Lobby. It showcases artworks like paintings, prints, comics, zines, and videos of performances and short films of cultural organizations in UPLB from Feb. 27 to March 10.