KIDS are a natural audience for the arts. It’s never too late to introduce them to the arts, or encourage them when they are already into them.
Manila’s various museums can be their playground, in a manner of speaking.
Nina Lim-Yuson believes that art should be accessible to children. Yuson was recently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which gives out free art workbooks to kids under its art-for-young-children program. Kids look for the art work and identify the colors and shapes. Yuson believes the same thing could be done here.
Yuson, president of Museo Pambata Foundation Inc., has been keen on fostering art appreciation among kids, having seen how big museums abroad such as the Louvre and Pompidou in Paris have special programs for kids.
Yuson has seven simple steps to initiate kids in the arts and make them appreciate museum exhibits.
1. Adults should do some research before bringing their kids to a museum. Ask the museum guide or docent to give a briefing on the paintings. If you can Google or research on selected paintings, the better—who is the artist, where did he study painting, the influences which made him draw?
2. A first visit to an art museum should be fun, not rigid. Go around and view the paintings. Ask questions—“Which is your favorite painting? Why did you choose that?” If the child cannot select, you can choose one painting you like. Do you like it for its colors, subjects, the mood (happy, angry, sad)?
3. Very young children, ages 3-5, can stay for half an hour in an art museum. Be sure to select paintings that would appeal to them. Choose a painting where you can see characters—animals, people, food—rather than an abstract painting. As they get older, you can discuss what the painting is all about. For example, Amorsolo liked to paint rural scenery—he would go out with friends and spend hours painting the rice fields, with the native folks planting rice, or painting a market scene right in the market itself. But what made his paintings interesting was the source of light (sunshine). Museo Pambata makes kids wear the costumes and carry “bilaos” with native fruits that are shown on the paintings. The boys try on the camisa chino and pants, and the girls, the checkered pata- dyong, salakot and umbrella.
4. When the child draws, as when he tries to copy from a still-life painting of a tray of fruits, adults should encourage him instead of criticizing. Let him know that artists draw a lot and never give up.
5. Expose the child to many artists through books, CD’s, and museums. Initially, the child may not like it, but eventually, if you make these moments interesting, the child may even want to take up art seriously.
6. Provide art materials—any paper, even recycled paper is good; crayons, watercolor.
7. Most important, there is art all around us. We just need to look and interpret it.
Must-see exhibits
NOW for that one big step to appreciating arts, here is a list of museums and their schedules of activities and exhibits for your kids to check out, especially on weekends, the best time for parents and kids to bond. Remember that art should be fun. Kids will appreciate art if it is an enjoyable experience, not a lecture.
Ayala Museum
“Images in Stone.” Learn the amazing world of fossils from the Larry Gotuaco Collection. Fossils are the remains of living organisms that have been preserved in stone. Exhibit reveals a collector’s great infatuation with fossils.
Found in several parts of the world and of various ages, fossils are divided into four main categories: petrified wood, dinosaur bones and by-products, ammonites and rocks and stones.
As part of the exhibit, a gallery tour and drawing session for kids, “Fun With Fossils,” will also be held on Nov. 8 and 22, 3 p.m. Ongoing until Nov. 30, 3/F Glass Lane.
“Amorsolo’s Women: Concealed and Revealed.” Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (1892-1972) became known as the “painter of Philippine sunlight” because his works captured the brilliance and shimmer of the Philippine sun. His genre paintings that feature women draw inspiration from the lives of ordinary folk, portraying their industry, integrity and resilience. The exhibit surveys Amorsolo’s rendering of women from the country maidens during the American period to the nude studies of the postwar years. Ongoing until March 8, 3/F Galleries.
“Amazing Amorsolo.” Inspired by the exhibit, children, ages 7-14, learn about Amorsolo and his art through a gallery tour and art activities on Nov. 15 and 29, Dec. 6, Jan. 10 and 24, Feb. 14 and 28, and March 7, 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Free with museum admission.
“A Closed-Gallery Tour of Amorsolo’s Women.” Get personal with Amorsolo’s women after museum hours. Learn about the Amorsolo Retrospective in a more intimate setting as the curator, Petty Benitez-Johannot, takes you on private tour of the exhibit and shares stories behind the works. Admission fee: P200. Nov. 7, 7:15 p.m.-8:15 p.m.
Ayala Museum is at the corner of Makati Avenue and De la Rosa Street, Greenbelt Park, Makati City. Museum hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays closed. Call 757-7117 to 21 local 29.
Lopez Memorial Museum
“Tell-tale: The Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Coauthor.” Exhibit presents select illustrations of Fernando Amorsolo and the results of his collaboration with early 20th century Filipino writer-editors, such as Iñigo Regalado, Severino Reyes, Lope K. Santos and Camilo Osias. Amorsolo and Regalado had stuck a friendship while studying at UP, and the former’s skill in drawing led the latter to ask him to illustrate his first novel, “Madaling Araw,” and to use Amorsolo’s drawings as covers in Sampaguita and Liwayway magazines where Regalado served as editor. Amorsolo’s illustrations for Reyes’ first Tagalog novel, “Parusa ng Diyos” (1911), were not just collaborations with the author but other artists as well—Irineo Miranda and N. Reyes—and done when he was a student. The Philippine Readers used in the primary grades were illustrated by Amorsolo, bringing to life the stories of virtues and examples of good and proper behavior. Exhibit runs until April 4.
Lopez Memorial Museum is on the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum hours: Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., except holidays. Entrance fee: P60 for elementary school students, P80 for high school students and P100 for adults. Call 6312417 and 6354595 or e-mail admin@lopez-museum.org.
Museo Pambata
“Knowing Amorsolo.” A two-hour free workshop for children and parents is about the life and works of Amorsolo. It will give participants the chance to cultivate a deeper understanding of the artist’s life and works. Workshop module includes highlights of Amorsolo’s life and his paintings, portraying his subjects on canvas using costumes and props, tasting native fruits, distinguishing between a fake and a real Amorsolo painting and hands-on sketching using Amorsolo’s techniques. Workshop is held every Saturday, 2 p.m., until early December.
“Anino sa Museo.” Light and shadows come to life as the Anino Shadowplay Collective performs favorite children’s stories, songs and rhymes. Nov. 8, at 10 a.m.
“Haraya Storytelling Hour.” Volunteer storytellers from the Alitaptap Storytellers Philippines share exciting stories from Filipino kids’ books. Nov. 8, 15, 22, and 29, 10 a.m.
“Museo Pambata Guides’ Corner.” Fun and free arts and crafts demonstrations from MP’s creative bunch of theme room guides. Nov. 9 and 23, 2 p.m.
“Recycling is Fun.” Learn how to turn scraps into works of art. Kids will also learn the importance of caring for the environment. Nov. 12, 10 a.m.
Museo Pambata presents the Manila Dance Kids. Dance with the Manila Dance Center scholars. Nov. 15, 10 a.m.
“Ang Bayanihan sa Museo.” Enjoy lively performances from the Philippine National Folk Dance Company and join a learn-to-dance session after their performance. Nov. 22, 10 a.m.
“Health & Wellness for Kids.” Museo Pambata aims to increase the children’s awareness on health issues through a film showing session featuring various topics on health. Nov. 22, 2 p.m.
Volunteer Orientation. If you love spending time with children, you’ll have a blast being a Museo Pambata volunteer. Nov. 22, 2 p.m.
Book On the Spot features “Tight Times.” Interact with Filipino children’s book authors and illustrators and enjoy a whole day of storytelling, arts and crafts and an exhibit of original illustrations from the book. Nov. 29, 10 a.m.
Museo Pambata is on Roxas Blvd. corner South Drive, Manila. Museum hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m, Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and other official holidays. Street children, infants (under two years), museum workers, teachers (with valid ID) are free of charge. Children and adults P100. Manila residents (with valid ID) are on free on Tuesdays and 50 percent discount on all other days. Call 523-1797 to 98 and 536-0595.
Metropolitan Museum of Manila
“Gold collection.” The Met permanently exhibits the must-see Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Collection of gold and pottery from the 8th-13th century, including exquisitely woven golden belts, a 4.9 meter-long golden necklace, the biggest golden barter rings ever found in the country.
“Hidalgo: The Noble Subject.” Works of Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (1855-1913) in an exhibit paying homage to the master.
“Three Buddha Mothers.” Figurative sculptures by Agnes Arellano that convey the spiritual in everyday life.
“Glorious Batanes.” Featuring the Batanes-inspired works of Guhit artists. Batanes is known for its beautiful landscape of rolling hills and mountains, raw climate and the admirable spirit of its people.
“BayAninanding: The Motherland and the Harvest of Maestro Amorsolo.” Drawings and paintings by Fernando Amorsolo culled from institutional and private collections contextualized within the rhythm of rice production and consumption. Ongoing until Jan. 13.
Met Museum is at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila, tels. 5211517 and 5361566. Museum hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday and holidays closed.
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