AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY SUPPORTS EXHIBITION OF INDIGENOUS POTTERY FROM SAGADA
An exhibition of northern Philippine indigenous pottery supported by the Australian Embassy will be featured at Le Soufflé Restaurant and Wine Bar at The Fort from 24 November to 5 December.
Ub Ubbo (Working and Sharing) exhibition features 53 contemporary works of indigenous potters Teresita Baldo, Siegrid Anne Bangyay, Lope Bosaing, Jessie Degay, Corazon Degay and Brenda Fuchay from Sagada, Mountain Province.
The exhibition is a culmination of the ‘Sagada Kiln Project’ which involved the construction of a wood-burning kiln and pottery training centre. The project was born through the efforts of Australian artist Sean Cassidy with funding assistance provided by the Australian Embassy’s Direct Aid Program (DAP).
“The Sagada Kiln Project has assisted in sustaining and preserving Sagada’s ancient pottery tradition, which pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish,” Ambassador Rod Smith said.
“The project has also assisted in stimulating economic activity in Sagada by providing local potters with an exhibition and pottery training centre to produce, exhibit and market their work,” Ambassador Smith said.
“Since it was first fired in October 2008, the kiln has enabled local potters to develop and showcase their cultural heritage to a wider audience. The pottery training centre will help to further preserve this heritage through the teaching of pottery skills.”
Australia is a committed partner in promoting indigenous culture in the Philippines. Under the Australian Government’s Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) Project, Indigenous People (IP) education centres have been established in Davao City and in Koronadal City which have developed curriculum that mainstreams indigenous core values while adhering to the Basic Education Curriculum learning competencies for Elementary and High School. The new curriculum is being taught at 185 schools in Regions XI and XII, providing more than 34,000 children with a higher standard of education.
Since 2006, the Embassy’s Direct Aid Program has funded 15 projects which have contributed to the welfare and income-generating capacity of Indigenous People.
The Ub Ubbo (Working and Sharing) exhibition can be viewed at Le Soufflé from 11:00am to midnight until 5 December. The finely-crafted works will also be for sale. For information on purchasing, please call 887-5108 to 09.