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Philippines

National Arts Month

National Arts Month is celebrated in the Philippines for the entire month of February.

History

National Arts Month was instituted by President Corazon C. Aquino who signed Proclamation No. 683 on January 28, 1991. The declaration was made in accordance with Article 14 Section 15 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which reads, “Arts and letters shall enjoy the patronage of the State. The State shall conserve, promote, and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources, as well as artistic creations.”

Led by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), this month-long affair is a celebration of the country’s artistic achievements in the fields of cinema, dance, dramatic arts, literature, music, visual arts, architecture, and allied arts. NCCA announces the theme in each year’s celebration such as “Ani ng Sining, Bunga ng Galing” (which translates to Arts’ Harvest, the Fruit of Genius) in 2023.

This yearly, month-long event is participated by national agencies, local government units, public libraries, education department, galleries, museums, arts institutions and establishments, professional organizations, etc.

National Arts Month Activities

General activities of the National Arts Month include opening program, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, art installation, screenings, tours, live performances, seminars, and a lot more. Their goal is not only to provide a platform to celebrate national arts but also to provide a vehicle through which regional arts and artists are given visibility.

There are also activities that are slated in each of the respective fields that have been ongoing for many years. For instance, Cinema Rehiyon began in 2009. It aims to promote the screening of creative outputs by filmmakers from different regions and to create a space for collaboration among artists by expanding their network.

Another much-anticipated event is the Tanghal (dramatic arts) which is an avenue for theatrical production in different regions of the country and these will then be made available nationally.

Ani ng Dangal

Moreover, there is Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) which was launched in 2009. It is given to natural-born Filipino individuals or groups whose artistic accomplishments earned national and international distinctions and have made an invaluable contribution to Filipino artistry in the past year. Awardees are given a trophy that is inspired by sarimanok (a mythical bird) created by National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Asia Imao.

Pasinaya Festival

Pasinaya Festival is a national, multi-arts festival organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It is conducted to serve as an inaugural event to the yearly National Arts Month, and it has since expanded as a venue for arts exhibit and education, for networking, and artistic collaboration.

References

National Arts Month Summary

NameNational Arts Month
Address633 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila
CelebrationArts
Contact(02) 8527-2217 to 18
CountryPhilippines
DateFebruary
Duration1 month
Emailinfo@ncca.gov.ph
EstablishedJanuary 28, 1991
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Flickrwww.flickr.com
FounderPresident Corazon C. Aquino
Instagramwww.instagram.com
OrganizerNational Commission for Culture and the Arts
Twittertwitter.com
Websitencca.gov.ph