Living with the Artist (LESSON 7)

• Significant Contributions


  • Unique Identity
  • Exemplary Skills
  • Way of Life
  • Enduring Values
  • Vision
• Unique Identity


  • Traditional arts reflect our diverse heritage and cultural traditions
  • This is evident in all arts created by the artists who receive the GAMABA award
  • Weaving - use of different materials and the different tedious process make each art unique
• Exemplary Skills


  • The artwork of Eduardo Mutuc from Pampanga shows how his skills developed from being a farmer to one of the furniture carvers
  • Uwang Ahadas, on the other hand, shows his exemplary skill in music. At a young age, he learned to play music with his siblings. Though kwintangan was usually played by a woman, he mastered playing it
• Way of Life


  • Alonzo Saclag mastered local musical instruments, along with dance patterns associated with rituals
  • These performances are performed during celebrations or communal agreement such as peace pacts
  • To pass this tradition, Saclag took a formal education reaching radio stations and creating Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe
• Enduring Values


  • Values are usually reflected in literary arts such as poem
  • The Mangyan script is one of the four remaining syllabic scripts in the country which was preserved through Ginaw Bilog
  • He was most popular in writing ambahan (a metaphoric poem comprising seven-syllable lines) on traditionally used bamboo tubes
• Enduring Values


  • Values is not only reflected in the art product but also on the process in which it is created
  • In textile weaving, we can see the artists' dedication to their work as they intricately put different elements of arts such as color, harmony and shape to create a distinct and vibrant design
• Vision


  • The traditional art shows the artist's vision
  • Moreover, it also inspires us to make the existing art as an inspiration to enhance the art or create our own artwork
  • Teofilo Garcia is a gourd hatmaker from San Quintin, Abra. Since he is a farmer, he sees the need of gourd casques. He used the tabungaw (gourd) plant for useful protective hats to help the farmers overcome heat during farming
• The artworks of our GAMABA awardees are indeed living treasures. Their arts do not only express an idea or feelings but they also carry significant contributions that are embedded through generations, and inspired the contemporary arts that we use and see today