Salute to the master

National Artist for Visual Arts Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was honored by Freeway recently at CrownPlas Private Museum, which holds the largest collection of Alcuaz pieces in the world.

The exclusive and private event was a fusion of art and fashion, which served as a tribute to Alcuaz, the person who has influenced an entire generation with his art pieces, having excelled beyond the borders of the Philippines.

While in college, Alcuaz juggled two degrees — Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines in the morning, where he was taught by National Artists such as Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino; and a pre-Law degree in San Beda College in the evening. He continued his Law studies at the Ateneo de Manila University but decided to pursue art on a full-time basis.

Alcuaz bagged awards for his works from across the globe and of course in his own country with the 2005 Presidential Medal of Merit Award under his belt and being named as a National Artist. His works are showcased in 20 museums and major cultural institutions all over the world.

Sheree Roxas-Chua Gotuaco of Freeway started the event by giving a few words and then turned over the floor to moderator Coco Alcuaz, ANC Business News head and nephew of the National Artist.  

Coco executed a very informative 25-minute interview with Alcuaz’s son Christian Aguilar and Philippine art critic Cid Reyes. The discussion touched on Alcuaz’s achievements, experiences and interesting personal anecdotes. Guests got to know more about the Filipino master’s beginnings and his great contributions to the Philippine and global art history as discussed by Reyes. 

Those in attendance were treated to an exclusive viewing of Alcuaz artworks, all housed in the three floors of the CrownPlas Museum owned by Eddie and Norma Chua. Guests viewed all the mediums of art that the versatile Alcuaz had created — from paintings and sketches to tapestry, pieces of sculpture and three-dimensional works that the artist called “Alcuazaics.”

We all had a pleasant exchange of stories about the talented artist, whom I knew personally. We recalled all our funny stories about him as well as his talent.

The CrownPlas Museum also houses the Chuas’ collection of Buddhist artifacts and European porcelain and crystals.

The unveiling of the much-anticipated Holiday Collection for 2014 was exclusive but definitely a sight to see. Freeway awed the guests by showcasing a wide array of shift dresses, chloe puff tops, shirts and slinky pieces beautifully adorned with  the images of Alcuaz’s masterpieces.

Truly, the event was something to remember as guests went home that night filled with more knowledge, appreciation and awe for fashion as Freeway shared yet another superb historical figure for the entire art and fashion society to see.

(Shop online at freewayonline.com.ph or visit facebook.com/FreewayOnline and follow @FreewayOnline on Twitter and Instagram.)

Colors & beyond

The world is beautiful because of its endless parade of colors. These colors were embraced one fun day at Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines’ Colors and Beyond, a series of workshops organized in various Asia Pacific countries. The workshop aims to help participants understand the psychology of colors. I totally agree with that concept because I am also inclined, as my mood changes,  to change the color of my bedroom wall from white to bright red sometimes!

Nippon Paint Malaysia Group general manager Gladys Goh welcomed guests and introduced the guest speaker, Serene Pang, a renowned color expert from the Color Marketing Group, the premier international association for color design professionals. Pang explained that certain colors trigger different psychological reactions, which can help people live better, heal faster or work more productively.

Goh then introduced the tools people can use to maximize what they have learned from Pang’s talk. These included the Nippon Paint Color Creations Machines found in stores, which can produce thousands of colors, on demand; the Nippon Momento series that provides elegance and texture to walls; and the Nippon Color Creations app that lets users paint color on an image of their wall with their mobile devices, a unique and easy-to-use app from Nippon Paint that allows users to instantly apply colors directly onto an image, virtually painting the walls at the swipe of a finger. With this fun and easy app, users can create color schemes and palettes easily.

Guests got to apply what they learned during an actual painting session on canvas. The workshop clearly unleashed their creativity as they created wall masterpieces they could take home for inspiration.

Through the Colors and Beyond workshop, Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines hopes to share its expertise with Filipino consumers and educate them on the vast and unlimited color possibilities that they can utilize to transform their homes and surroundings into places that can help them live better and more enjoyable lifestyles.

 (Check out www.nipponpaint.ph.) The search is on for Ten Outstanding Young Mathematicians

In the 2013 to 2014 World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report, the Philippines was ranked 96th out of 142 countries in perceived quality of Math and Science education.

With the country’s quality of Math and Science education climbing further up in the worldwide survey, Sharp Calculators launched its very first search for Ten Outstanding Young Mathematicians (TOYM) from the National Capital Region. The search seeks to promote the development of science culture among young Filipinos by recognizing their accomplishments in the field of Mathematics.

The calculator company furthers its advocacy by partnering with educational institutions such as the Department of Education-National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR), Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), Mathematics Trainers’ Guild Philippines (MTG), Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP) and Philippine Council of Mathematics Teacher Educators Inc. (MathTEd).

Collins International Trading Corp. assistant vice president Lucero Ong said, “With TOYM Awards, Sharp Calculators aims to foster the academic excellence of the Filipino youth in Math as we recognize their extraordinary skills to motivate them further in becoming the future think tanks of this country. We also hope to raise the status of Mathematics in society — to stimulate the interest of the students, the academic and the general public to the significance of Math in the development of the society.”

The search is open to all public and private high school students in the National Capital Region who have completed at least two years of high school. They must be Filipino citizens, either naturalized or born. The nominee must be among the Top 3 students in Math as certified by the school principal and the award will be based primarily on the nominee’s performance on national and international competitions. A recommendation from the school principal or the school’s Mathematics department head with supporting documents will be the basis of judging. For students who will make it to the Top 20, their  involvement on activities included in the recommendation of the principal/Math head or other recognized authority will be reviewed and assessed by judges/co-presenters. The said recommendation will be the basis of the judges’ questions for the panel interview. 

The deliberation/final interview of the finalists will be conducted by representatives from DepEd-NCR, DOST-SEI, MTG Philippines, MSP and MathTEd.

The TOYM awardees will be the first batch of Sharp Calculators’ Youth Ambassadors who will inspire and encourage the Filipino youth to strive and achieve academic excellence through school tours and Mathematics symposiums. They will receive plaques of excellence, cash prizes and gifts from the sponsors.

The deadline for nomination is on Jan. 5, 2015. The awarding is scheduled in February 2015. Nomination kits are now available at selected National Book Store branches in NCR or can be downloaded through www.sharpminds.ph.

(For more information about the TOYM awards, call 681-6161 or 646-2867 and look for Mary Rose Rocha or Clara Camille Ocampo.)