Filipino American artists to be showcased in 2021 Texas Biennial

By WALTER ANG
Aug. 26, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A group of Filipino American artists' works will be showcased at this year's Texas Biennial.

"Mumu" by Jacqueline Poisot,
20 x 17 inches framed, digital painting.

Titled "A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon," the biennial launches in September and will be held across several Texas museums featuring exhibitions, programs and public art in San Antonio and Houston.

When visual artist Matt Manalo applied, he was one out of 850 applicants whose work was chosen to be included. "The jurors asked me if I wanted to include the Filipinx Artists of Houston (FxAH)," he says, referring to the group of Fil-Am artists he founded.

"I said yes. It will be my first time being a part of the Biennial so I thought, might as well bring everyone with me." Exhibiting at the biennial are 28 members of the collective. Their works will be featured at the McNay Art Museum.

A free opening reception will be held on Sept. 2 at arts and events complex Silver Street Studios on Edwards Street.

Themes

Organized by art nonprofit Big Medium, the biennial is intended to be a survey of contemporary art in Texas.

The curators of the biennial said in a statement that the seven-month endeavor is "spread across San Antonio and Houston in order to realize a diversity of practices and explore a vast landscape of disciplines, themes, and historical events relevant to both Texas and contemporary global discourse.

"Principal themes of the project-the mutable histories contained within objects and people, activism and issues of racial and social justice, and narratives unique to the history and land of Texas-are examined in multiple creative disciplines and across multiple sites."

Collective

Manalo founded the collective "because of the need for a creative community among Filipinos living in Houston."

"Kagustuhan o Pangangailangan" by Zeus Paredes,
24 x 36 inches, acrylic on Canvas.

"The group was founded in 2019 by me with the help of Bridget Bray, Asia Society Texas Center's curator and director of exhibitions.

"'Filipinx' is a term we use to identify the Filipino American experience. We use the "x" to include different identities, stories, skill-level, ages, traumas, etc.

"We don't have officers because we believe in collective leadership and respect each other's capacity for labor. Everyone takes responsibilities according to their desire and ability to successfully execute a project within the collective."

Since its founding, the group has organized activities such as film showings, book signings and discussions, art exhibits and panel discussions.

Composition

With a current pool of 78 members, the collective is composed of artists who are self-taught as well as academically trained.

Among the exhibiting artists for the biennial, the most seasoned artist is 68-year-old Zeus Paredes and the newest blood is 18-year-old Jacqueline Poisot.

The group is a cross-section of the rich breadth of Filipino American identity, with close to 20 biracial members as well as members who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans).

It also harbors a wide swath of the many talents Fil-Ams have to offer. In addition to the visual artists, there are writers, poets, photographers, filmmakers, musicians and performance artists.

The visual artists' works range from pieces as grand as 40 by 60 inches to as intimate as 8 by 10 inches using mediums from acrylic to gesso on surfaces from canvas to vellum. There is also a light projection piece and a mixed media installation that spans 20 feet.

"The group was excited when I told them the news that FxAH would be part of the biennial," says Manalo.

"It will be everyone's first time. Excited siyempre! It is a big deal for everyone in the art community in Texas."

Visit Fxahouston.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/81221/fil-am-artists-to-be-showcased-in-2021-texas-biennial

Prolific Filipino American writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard re-releases her short stories

By WALTER ANG
Aug. 11, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net

LOS ANGELES — Prolific author and publisher Filipino American Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is releasing a new anthology, Selected Short Stories, which collects 39 of her previously published short works. 

Selected Short Stories and The Newspaper Widow by Cecilia Brainard.

In addition, she is also re-issuing her mystery novel The Newspaper Widow. Both titles are published in the U.S. by Philippine American Literary House. In the Philippines, the two titles are published by University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.

The reason for coming out with this collection was a matter of providing access. "Some of the stories are from earlier anthologies that are out of print or hard to find," explains Brainard. "I have met many teachers and students looking for these books."

"Many of these stories are part of their curriculum. My Philippine publisher encouraged me to do a collection that included the strongest stories."

Range

Selected Short Stories, the cover of which features a work created by noted Filipino artist Felix Mago Miguel, includes her popular works such as "Flip Gothic" and "Romeo" including recent pieces like "The Syrian Doctor in Paris."

The oldest piece in the collection is "Woman with Horns." Set just after the tumultuous Philippine-American War, widow Agustina Macaraig, who is rumored to have horns, encounters a doctor from New York sent to "the islands" to help stop a cholera epidemic. She heals the doctor in other ways.

The most recent work is "Melisande in Paris," whose protagonist is a featured character from one of Brainard's novels. Set in Paris, there is also a doctor involved in this story. Brainard explains that this episode helps explain how the title character ends up in The Newspaper Widow.

The novel, also set during the American occupation of the Philippines, begins with the discovery of a dead priest in a creek. In order to clear her son's name and free him from prison, Ines Maceda and her French friend have to solve the crime. She also has to run her recently deceased husband's newspaper business while she's at it.

Inspiration

Real life and real individuals are rich sources of prompts for Brainard's work. The occupation of Ines Maceda was inspired by none other than her maternal great-grandmother. "Remedios Diosomito Lopez was said to be the first woman publisher in the Philippines." 

Filipino American author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard.

Although now based in Log Angeles, Brainard grew up in the port city of Cebu, which inspired her to create her mythical setting, Ubec. The setting, "which echoes the Santo Niño Church, triangular Spanish fort, and old buildings and streets of the real Cebu," appears in all three of her novels and other works.

She moved to the U.S. to do graduate work in filmmaking and later focused on writing, which "suits her individualistic personality better."

Nurturing

"It is difficult to calculate how long it takes to write any novel because it's a stop-and-go process, at least for me. It's a different process from writing non-fiction that can be outlined.

"I wrote a draft of The Newspaper Widow during National Novel Writing Month (which challenges writers to produce 50,000 words of a novel in November). Then I spent maybe another three to four years tinkering with it."

In addition to The Newspaper Widow, Brainard's other novels include When the Rainbow Goddess Wept and Magdalena.

"I don't have a regular schedule as some writers have; I have family and many other projects going on like art and gardening, among others.

"I need to place myself in a master workshop so that I am able to carve out the time to write.  When I'm in that workshop and I'm told I have to submit 10 pages next week, I will do it."

When Brainard is not busy crafting her own pieces, she is hard at work nurturing other voices. She edits fiction and nonfiction anthologies of works by Filipino American writers.

Editing credits include Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults, and Growing Up Filipino II: More Stories for Young Adults.

Visit Palh-books.blogspot.com.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/80089/prolific-writer-cecilia-manguerra-brainard-re-releases-her-short-stories

Filipino American playwright Thelma de Castro spins multimedia nature play

By WALTER ANG
Aug. 4, 2021 | USA.Inquirer.net

SAN DIEGO, California — Filipino American playwright Thelma de Castro has devised a play revolving around one of San Diego's nature landmarks while providing audiences a multipart, multimedia experience.

Filipino American playwright Thelma de Castro (far right)
with her fellow theater makers in "The TAG Project." 

Upon registering for "The TAG Project," audience members will receive a Welcome Letter with a Mystery Object in the mail. Prior to the performance, dates, maps and interviews will be released throughout August.

The production features short video plays set beside the mouth of the San Diego River as it meets Ocean Beach. Audience members may opt to visit the site and watch the plays on mobile devices.

Audience members will be encouraged to share their own nature stories through social media comments, photos, videos, and even their own plays.

The production is presented by Playwrights Project, a theater education nonprofit.  Other Filipino Americans involved in the production include voice actor Taylor Wycoff and actor Ali Nelson.

Nature

"I've lived in San Diego most of my life but I had never spent time at the estuary," says De Castro. "I ended up stuck there because my son is a surfer and I was his ride. As I killed time while he surfed, I walked and discovered the mouth of the San Diego River.

"It's been a long pandemic and he surfs a lot, so I've been able to visit the estuary over many seasons. The water fluctuates with the tides and time of year . It's an area of transience for people and wildlife. Some people live there illegally in RVs or vans. Others travel through. It's a fascinating place."

De Castro is currently a Teaching Artist at Donovan State Prison for Playwrights Project. She has been a dramaturg for Plays by Young Writers Festival. Credits with Filipino American elements include "Rain Forest" (suicide prevention play in Filipinx community), "The Fire in Me: A Theatrical Exploration of Domestic Violence in San Diego's Filipino community," and "Halo-Halo-Mixed Together Stories from San Diego's Filipino American Community."

Stories

De Castro has written four short plays for the August 17 performance titled "TAG."

In "Blank Tags," Osprey shares a story of longing and belonging about his old yellow cat. In "Tree Tag Part One," a stressed-out soccer mom seeks solace from a tree.  In "The Tree," a tree talks about choreographing the dance of the estuary. In "Tree Tag Part Two," a traveler and her dog find sustenance and comfort from the tree.

The August 24 performance, titled "You're It!," will feature the short plays of five other playwrights. Talkback sessions will follow each performance.

Inspiration

De Castro developed the idea for this production from workshops and classes she has been taking with different artists.

The format of the production was from a prompt to find new ways to deliver stories from a workshop on non-traditional theater.

The theme of nature was inspired from Sarah Greenman's Creative Alchemy Cycle, a workshop revolving around the seasons and nature. "During the pandemic . many people focused on creative pursuits and were able to spend more time in nature and realize its importance to our health. I'm particularly interested in the barriers to engaging with nature that people of color experience."

The idea for incorporating mystery objects into the production sprung from her own experiences in the workshop. "We received seasonal bundles. It's as fun as it sounds! Honey, dried apples, pinecones, flowers, and other ephemera."

De Castro wanted to help give audiences the "props" to piece the elements together. "The TAG Project is about the details. It asks people to stop and pay attention. Here's a letter. Here's a Mystery Object. What does it mean?

"The estuary is a very overlooked area, but if you stop and look around, there is beauty. I could tell people about the estuary, but if I connect them to it through a story that takes place there, they're drawn in."

This program is made possible by The William Male Foundation, a Rising Arts Leaders of San Diego Virgil Yalong Quick Grant, the California Arts Council, and the City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture.

Visit Playwrightsproject.org.

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https://usa.inquirer.net/79537/fil-am-writer-spins-multimedia-nature-play