Art conservation arrives in Manila via the Lopez Musuem, and art collectors should check out what it has to offer.
Return to top form
By Walter Ang
June-August 2008 issue
Metro Home and Entertaining
Furry mice are suspended in mid-crawl across three wooden contraptions with pulleys. No need to worry, the mice are actually just stuffed toys. This humorous installation piece speaks volumes about the vulnerability of art, or anything made by man, for that matter, against the elements. And it is an apt introduction to the Lopez Memorial Musuem's exhibit tackling the very serious matter of art conservation.
"The Sum of Its Parts" features pieces from the museum's collection which have undergone or are slated to undergo conservation. To underscore how fragile art can be, the exhibit shows how Juan Luna's "A group of men pushing the wall" (pencil on papel de marquilla) has been reduced to what looks like pencil striations on a yellowed piece of paper. Fortunately, it has gone through the musuem's conservation laboratory and has been declared "stable."
Husband-and-wife curating team of Claro and Eileen Ramirez aims to share the role of and the processes involved in conservation. "Preserving and promoting cultural heritage is mostly behind the scenes, few museum audiences understand the work involved," Claro says.
Through the works of Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Pacita Abad, Nena Saguil and Juvenal Sanso among others, the exhibit creates awareness of the thought and care in the maintenance that must go hand-in-hand with owning and appreciating works of art.
Claudio Bravo's "Portrait of Doña Pacita Moreno," created with pencil and charcoal on paper, is a shining example of the fruits of the museum's conservation labor. One could never have imagined it in its previous state: filled with stains like skin ravaged with disease.
The woman responsible for breathing life back into this work is Maita Reyes, a chemist who specializes in the "security, safety and survival" of art works. Having trained at the Facultedad De Bellas Artes of the Unibersidad Complutense de Madrid and International Center of Conservation, she is the museum's consultant for art conservation.
"The goal of conservation is really to stabilize works of art," Maita says. "Our work involves preventing and arresting deterioration caused by natural and man-made disasters."
While the museum has its array of climate-control systems, parabolic lighting (to prevent direct light shining on the art work), mylar wrapped frames and refracted ultraviolet glass covering, homeowners need not break the bank to protect their treasures as Maita has several tips that are not difficult to comply with.
She cautions that the number one enemy of paintings and prints is light. "Sunlight and strong lighting will fade paintings and once it's faded, it's irreversible," she says. One method of preventive care is to apply a protective coating. "An ultra-violet stable varnish will do."
Molds also pose a serious problem but is easily prevented by ensuring that air circulates in the area where the painting or print is hung. "Stagnant air will allow mold spores to settle and grow," she says. "Allow for some space behind the painting."
Another problem area is usually the frame and backing. Not only does the lignant in wood produce acid, "wood is food for molds!" says Maita emphatically. She appreciates that completely acid free backings or frames can be a bit expensive, so she has no problems with using materials with "reduced or minimal acid." "But these materials can be treated to minimize the effects of acidity."
She even offers a do-it-yourself quick-fix. "Mixing calcium carbonate tablets (which can be bought at any drugstore over-the-counter) with water can create a solution that can be sprayed onto the materials to control or neutralize the acid."
It's best to involve the experts from the moment of acquiring the art work. "Not many people know this, but to attend to the needs of private owners and collectors, the museum provides conservation and restoration services," she says. Of course, an ounce of "preventive conservation" is always better than a pound of laborious, expensive, time-consuming cure.
For details, call the Lopez Memorial Museum at 631-2417 or email pezseum@skyinet.net.
Gibi Shoes' Lydia Castro has a sense of detail and diligence
A sense of detail and diligence
By Walter Ang
June-August 2008 issue
Asian Dragon Magazine
Given the stiff competition from China, Gibi Shoes, an all-Filipino shoe enterprise,
has not only survived but also thrived. Walter Ang talks to proprietor Lydia Castro
on how she and her husband did it with
A sense of detail and diligence
The one striking thing you realize after talking to Lydia Castro is the supremely practical way she views life. "Accept your situation in life and do the best you can, otherwise you'll never be happy," she says. This mantra has helped her work together with her husband William in building their shoe company, Gibi Shoes, from a backyard operation to one store in Marikina and, finally, to its present network of outlets all over the country.
"My husband and I started out with just five workers," recalls Lydia. "We would make shoes for the stores along Avenida. Eventually, we decided to come up with our own brand." They borrowed capital from her in-laws and worked to get the business off the ground. "It was not easy. We worked from Sunday to Sunday and the money that we would borrow from my in-laws was always paid back with interest."
Hard work is no stranger to Lydia. Growing up, this eldest daughter of four children was tasked to help out in their father's hardware store during weekends and summer vacations. "I did not receive any salary. I only got free merienda," she laughs.
In a time when women were expected to stay at home and keep house, Lydia was lucky to be immersed in the daily workings of a running a business. "My own mother was a homemaker because that was how society was back then, but I got a chance to learn things," she says. "I developed my sense of being detail-oriented and being diligent."
Starting off with a men's line of shoes, the Castros grew their business to include women's shoes and children's shoes, for which they are now popularly known for. Hotsellers these days include office shoes and nursing shoes. "When operations and profits became stable was when we were able to stop working on Sundays. Then when the children were born, I told my husband that we could stop working on Saturdays to give our family more time," says Lydia.
She points out, however, that just because they no longer clock-in on weekends does not mean they actually get to relax. "We still take turns going to China during weekends to source for raw materials," she shares.
There are no regrets, however. "You have to love what you are doing. I actually took up chemistry for my undergraduate degree. It's just that these days, instead of balancing chemical equations, I now balance the books," smiles Lydia. "Life is what it is, I just had to learn the trade. My business philosophy is very basic: I want to make good, quality leather shoes."
Using that vision as a guide, Lydia had to navigate tough terrain to bring the business to where it is now. "In 1997 we almost gave up the business because the competition was very stiff with cheap imports from China," says Lydia. She realized however that starting from scratch would not be easy.
Aside from that, there was one other galvanizing reason for her to carry on. With her being in charge of the company's finances and human resources, she saw an obligation that could not be ignored. "I could not just let go of my employees. I could not leave them without a means of living. When you have a business, you cannot just think of yourself, you have to help others."
The company stuck it out for a few years and finally got back on its feet. Now it remains one of the very few shoe manufacturers that still do local production. "Aside from occasional imports of trendy shoes, all our shoes are made here with local employees," beams Lydia.
The loyalty of her employees was certainly one of the reasons why they were able to ride through the rough patch. "I'm lucky to have people who are faithful and are skilled. I always try to be sincere and compassionate with my staff. It's not just about the salary you give them. I'm very strict and work is work, but I also give them guidance and they know that I'm here for them if they need to talk to me. It goes both ways," says Lydia.
Lydia has actually given out scholarships to five children of her staff. After completing their course in shoe design at the Philippine Footwear Academy, Lydia absorbed two of them. She was questioned by some of her friends why she didn't try to recoup the money that she had spent on these students by taking in all five of them. She had a very simple answer, "When you help others, you shouldn't expect something in return."
This mother of five kids credits her own father for instilling the values that she hopes to pass on to her own progeny. "I admire my father very much. We were a modest family. He provided for our basic needs. He was very down to earth and had no pretensions in life," she shares.
Her generosity extends to volunteering for civic work such as medical missions. "It's fun!" she says. "I have a philosophy in life, everyday I should have accomplished something at work or have done something good. As you add years to your life, you should also add knowledge to your life. If everyone just lazed about, nothing will happen in the world!"
By Walter Ang
June-August 2008 issue
Asian Dragon Magazine
Given the stiff competition from China, Gibi Shoes, an all-Filipino shoe enterprise,
has not only survived but also thrived. Walter Ang talks to proprietor Lydia Castro
on how she and her husband did it with
A sense of detail and diligence
"My husband and I started out with just five workers," recalls Lydia. "We would make shoes for the stores along Avenida. Eventually, we decided to come up with our own brand." They borrowed capital from her in-laws and worked to get the business off the ground. "It was not easy. We worked from Sunday to Sunday and the money that we would borrow from my in-laws was always paid back with interest."
Hard work is no stranger to Lydia. Growing up, this eldest daughter of four children was tasked to help out in their father's hardware store during weekends and summer vacations. "I did not receive any salary. I only got free merienda," she laughs.
In a time when women were expected to stay at home and keep house, Lydia was lucky to be immersed in the daily workings of a running a business. "My own mother was a homemaker because that was how society was back then, but I got a chance to learn things," she says. "I developed my sense of being detail-oriented and being diligent."
Starting off with a men's line of shoes, the Castros grew their business to include women's shoes and children's shoes, for which they are now popularly known for. Hotsellers these days include office shoes and nursing shoes. "When operations and profits became stable was when we were able to stop working on Sundays. Then when the children were born, I told my husband that we could stop working on Saturdays to give our family more time," says Lydia.
She points out, however, that just because they no longer clock-in on weekends does not mean they actually get to relax. "We still take turns going to China during weekends to source for raw materials," she shares.
There are no regrets, however. "You have to love what you are doing. I actually took up chemistry for my undergraduate degree. It's just that these days, instead of balancing chemical equations, I now balance the books," smiles Lydia. "Life is what it is, I just had to learn the trade. My business philosophy is very basic: I want to make good, quality leather shoes."
Using that vision as a guide, Lydia had to navigate tough terrain to bring the business to where it is now. "In 1997 we almost gave up the business because the competition was very stiff with cheap imports from China," says Lydia. She realized however that starting from scratch would not be easy.
Aside from that, there was one other galvanizing reason for her to carry on. With her being in charge of the company's finances and human resources, she saw an obligation that could not be ignored. "I could not just let go of my employees. I could not leave them without a means of living. When you have a business, you cannot just think of yourself, you have to help others."
The company stuck it out for a few years and finally got back on its feet. Now it remains one of the very few shoe manufacturers that still do local production. "Aside from occasional imports of trendy shoes, all our shoes are made here with local employees," beams Lydia.
The loyalty of her employees was certainly one of the reasons why they were able to ride through the rough patch. "I'm lucky to have people who are faithful and are skilled. I always try to be sincere and compassionate with my staff. It's not just about the salary you give them. I'm very strict and work is work, but I also give them guidance and they know that I'm here for them if they need to talk to me. It goes both ways," says Lydia.
Lydia has actually given out scholarships to five children of her staff. After completing their course in shoe design at the Philippine Footwear Academy, Lydia absorbed two of them. She was questioned by some of her friends why she didn't try to recoup the money that she had spent on these students by taking in all five of them. She had a very simple answer, "When you help others, you shouldn't expect something in return."
This mother of five kids credits her own father for instilling the values that she hopes to pass on to her own progeny. "I admire my father very much. We were a modest family. He provided for our basic needs. He was very down to earth and had no pretensions in life," she shares.
Her generosity extends to volunteering for civic work such as medical missions. "It's fun!" she says. "I have a philosophy in life, everyday I should have accomplished something at work or have done something good. As you add years to your life, you should also add knowledge to your life. If everyone just lazed about, nothing will happen in the world!"
Welcome to Hacienda Escudero, a plantation resort town
Welcome to Hacienda Escudero
By Walter Ang
May 26, 2008
Philippine Daily Inquirer
In 1890, Don Placido Escudero and his wife Dona Claudia Marasigan acquired 415 hectares of land in southern Luzon spread across Laguna and Quezon.
Originally planted in sugar cane, production shifted to coconut in the early 1900s under the management of their only son Arsenio Escudero.
Generations later, the family has opened up their land and is converting it into a "plantation resort town" which they call, what else, Hacienda Escudero.
At the launch of the Hacienda, Arsenio's grandson Placido "Don" Escudero Jr. (know to film aficionados as the production designer of "Oro, Plata, Mata," a movie that had scenes shot at the hacienda) recounts how plans for the development of their land actually started years ago.
"My uncle, Don Conrado "Ado" Escudero, took up agriculture in Cornell [University] and came back to the county to set up the plantation," he says. "At the time when coconuts were under attack from foreign lobbyists for having, as we all now know is not true, bad cholesterol, Ado did not find the support he needed from government."
It served as a catalyst for Ado to return to New York to learn about the hospitality industry. "He realized he wanted to be a hotel man," Don says. "He came back and opened up the plantation to the public with Villa Escudero Resort in 1980." This became an inkling of the how the family would eventually use their land for real estate.
"Back then, people wondered why he wanted to do a Filipino-themed resort. But he really wanted to provide a Filipino destination for Filipinos, it was as simple as that," he says. This strong sense of identity runs in the blood and remains the cornerstone of the Escudero's thrust even with their current undertaking.
Hacienda living
"We have very strong feelings about preserving our heritage and we spoke to a lot of different developers until we finally found our partner in Landco Pacific Corporation," he says. "They share our vision. In an industry where the primary selling proposition is to emulate foreign architecture, we want Hacienda Escudero to celebrate and honor all that is distinctively and genuinely Filipino."
"Villa Escudero serves as the jumping off point from which the rest of Hacienda Escudero will take form," he says. The resort has become known to provide Filipinos and foreigners alike with a taste of the idyllic Filipino way of life. No vehicles are allowed past the parking lot and a carabao-drawn carriage brings visitors to the front desk to check into bamboo cottages thatched with anahaw.
With the rivers Bulakin and Labasin as well as Mounts Banahaw, Malarayat, and San Cristobal surrounding the hacienda, a genteel, unhurried atmosphere is what the Escuderos wish to create. Taking the cue, Aldea del Palmeral, the hacienda's first residential development phase will provide pastoral amenities like an orchard, an herb garden and a fishing lake. "We'll have an agri-tainment center which includes an aviary, butterfly farm, botanical garden and demo farms," he says.
Bucolic
To maintain the bucolic charm of the hacidena, its future residents will have to follow certain guidelines when constructing their homes. "We want to evoke a neo-Commonwealth theme for our residential development," he says. "We want to capture the essence of a period of affluence in the country's history."
It was during this time when the country was being primed for independence and sovereignty that the coconut industry boomed and plantation owners constructed homes that reflected their stature. The Escuderos had their own home designed by architect Antonio Toledo. Don takes pride that theirs is "the second of only two houses that Toledo ever designed because he was really more of a public architect, having designed projects like the Agrifina Circle and the City Hall."
Similar to Toledo's design as well as most other plantation houses in nearby San Pablo City in Laguna that were built in the 1930s, "The houses to be built here must have finials or spires on pitched or sloping roofs with generous overhangs. The floor must be raised at least three to four steps from the ground. There should be front porches or verandas leading to a grand entrance," says Don.
Beyond these parameters, future homeowners and their architects are free to interpret the 'Commonwealth look' as they please. "We are not building a theme park!" he laughs. "We expect completely different looks. We envision stylized versions or modern interpretations of ancestral homes. We're going for the charm of a provincial town with the frills of modern living."
Preservation
But even as he talks of modern conveniences (which will include an 18-hole golf course designed by golfing legend Frankie Minoza, a water park with wakeboarding facilities, and resorts and convention hotels aside from the usual shopping and dining facilities), he points out family and tradition are still the guiding priorities.
"One of the reasons why we've been gradually shifting our resources to developing the land is because we wanted to find a way to provide for all the people who depend on our family for their livelihood. We treat everyone as an extension of our family," he says. With the ongoing development, the Escuderos now employ twice the number of people they had at the height of their coconut production days. "We're proud to keep two or three barangays alive."
One of their personal commitments to preserving the heritage will be the creation of a new "family house" museum. This will be an addition to the family's already existing museum (designed to look like a 16th century Spanish era church) which enjoys a reputation of housing a trove of religious artifacts, silver altars, gilded carrozas, ivory santos, galleon trade era oriental ceramics, costumes, dioramas of Philippine wildlife and ethnography, rare coins, antique furniture and other important pieces from the Spanish era.
"This new museum will contain items that my grandparents collected. They were interested in all sorts of things. My grandmother used to collect insects when she was a teenager so we'll include those. My grandfather, on the other hand, used to drive his truck around buying ornaments and artifacts nobody wanted. People laughed at him, but you'll never find those things anywhere else now," he says.
He points out that the museum will not be a scholarly attempt at cataloging items that would be found in a house at a specific point in time. Instead, "We're recreating a `real' house with things that would have been accumulated by three generations of people living in it," he says. "You'll see a mix of furniture and appliances from the early 1900s to up until before the second world war. You'll have an old player piano right beside a gramophone, things like that. We want to have fun!"
For details on Hacienda Escudero, call 836-5000.
Also published online:
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080526-138782/Welcome-to-Hacienda-Escudero
By Walter Ang
May 26, 2008
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Originally planted in sugar cane, production shifted to coconut in the early 1900s under the management of their only son Arsenio Escudero.
Generations later, the family has opened up their land and is converting it into a "plantation resort town" which they call, what else, Hacienda Escudero.
At the launch of the Hacienda, Arsenio's grandson Placido "Don" Escudero Jr. (know to film aficionados as the production designer of "Oro, Plata, Mata," a movie that had scenes shot at the hacienda) recounts how plans for the development of their land actually started years ago.
"My uncle, Don Conrado "Ado" Escudero, took up agriculture in Cornell [University] and came back to the county to set up the plantation," he says. "At the time when coconuts were under attack from foreign lobbyists for having, as we all now know is not true, bad cholesterol, Ado did not find the support he needed from government."
It served as a catalyst for Ado to return to New York to learn about the hospitality industry. "He realized he wanted to be a hotel man," Don says. "He came back and opened up the plantation to the public with Villa Escudero Resort in 1980." This became an inkling of the how the family would eventually use their land for real estate.
"Back then, people wondered why he wanted to do a Filipino-themed resort. But he really wanted to provide a Filipino destination for Filipinos, it was as simple as that," he says. This strong sense of identity runs in the blood and remains the cornerstone of the Escudero's thrust even with their current undertaking.
Hacienda living
"We have very strong feelings about preserving our heritage and we spoke to a lot of different developers until we finally found our partner in Landco Pacific Corporation," he says. "They share our vision. In an industry where the primary selling proposition is to emulate foreign architecture, we want Hacienda Escudero to celebrate and honor all that is distinctively and genuinely Filipino."
"Villa Escudero serves as the jumping off point from which the rest of Hacienda Escudero will take form," he says. The resort has become known to provide Filipinos and foreigners alike with a taste of the idyllic Filipino way of life. No vehicles are allowed past the parking lot and a carabao-drawn carriage brings visitors to the front desk to check into bamboo cottages thatched with anahaw.
With the rivers Bulakin and Labasin as well as Mounts Banahaw, Malarayat, and San Cristobal surrounding the hacienda, a genteel, unhurried atmosphere is what the Escuderos wish to create. Taking the cue, Aldea del Palmeral, the hacienda's first residential development phase will provide pastoral amenities like an orchard, an herb garden and a fishing lake. "We'll have an agri-tainment center which includes an aviary, butterfly farm, botanical garden and demo farms," he says.
Bucolic
To maintain the bucolic charm of the hacidena, its future residents will have to follow certain guidelines when constructing their homes. "We want to evoke a neo-Commonwealth theme for our residential development," he says. "We want to capture the essence of a period of affluence in the country's history."
It was during this time when the country was being primed for independence and sovereignty that the coconut industry boomed and plantation owners constructed homes that reflected their stature. The Escuderos had their own home designed by architect Antonio Toledo. Don takes pride that theirs is "the second of only two houses that Toledo ever designed because he was really more of a public architect, having designed projects like the Agrifina Circle and the City Hall."
Similar to Toledo's design as well as most other plantation houses in nearby San Pablo City in Laguna that were built in the 1930s, "The houses to be built here must have finials or spires on pitched or sloping roofs with generous overhangs. The floor must be raised at least three to four steps from the ground. There should be front porches or verandas leading to a grand entrance," says Don.
Beyond these parameters, future homeowners and their architects are free to interpret the 'Commonwealth look' as they please. "We are not building a theme park!" he laughs. "We expect completely different looks. We envision stylized versions or modern interpretations of ancestral homes. We're going for the charm of a provincial town with the frills of modern living."
Preservation
But even as he talks of modern conveniences (which will include an 18-hole golf course designed by golfing legend Frankie Minoza, a water park with wakeboarding facilities, and resorts and convention hotels aside from the usual shopping and dining facilities), he points out family and tradition are still the guiding priorities.
"One of the reasons why we've been gradually shifting our resources to developing the land is because we wanted to find a way to provide for all the people who depend on our family for their livelihood. We treat everyone as an extension of our family," he says. With the ongoing development, the Escuderos now employ twice the number of people they had at the height of their coconut production days. "We're proud to keep two or three barangays alive."
One of their personal commitments to preserving the heritage will be the creation of a new "family house" museum. This will be an addition to the family's already existing museum (designed to look like a 16th century Spanish era church) which enjoys a reputation of housing a trove of religious artifacts, silver altars, gilded carrozas, ivory santos, galleon trade era oriental ceramics, costumes, dioramas of Philippine wildlife and ethnography, rare coins, antique furniture and other important pieces from the Spanish era.
"This new museum will contain items that my grandparents collected. They were interested in all sorts of things. My grandmother used to collect insects when she was a teenager so we'll include those. My grandfather, on the other hand, used to drive his truck around buying ornaments and artifacts nobody wanted. People laughed at him, but you'll never find those things anywhere else now," he says.
He points out that the museum will not be a scholarly attempt at cataloging items that would be found in a house at a specific point in time. Instead, "We're recreating a `real' house with things that would have been accumulated by three generations of people living in it," he says. "You'll see a mix of furniture and appliances from the early 1900s to up until before the second world war. You'll have an old player piano right beside a gramophone, things like that. We want to have fun!"
For details on Hacienda Escudero, call 836-5000.
Also published online:
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080526-138782/Welcome-to-Hacienda-Escudero
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)