THE ANNUAL MaArte at The Pen is determined to be more than just a shopping event. The goal? To fund nine grants supporting various museum programs and projects nationwide.
The MaArte at The Pen bazaar, which offers locally made goods, will run from Aug. 7 to 10, Thursday to Sunday, across three floors of Makati’s The Peninsula Manila hotel.
Three of the grants the bazaar will fund fall under the National Museum of the Philippines. There will be grants for the architectural arts and built heritage division, the botany and national herbarium division, and the zoology division’s entomology section.
Six other organizations will benefit from the bazaar — HABI: The Philippine Textile Council, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, the Cordillera Textile Project, the Imelda Cajipe-Endaya retrospective, the Carlos “Botong” Francisco studio-museum in Angono, and the “Art Weave at the Museum” collection in the Cordillera region.
Gemma Cruz-Araneta, vice-president of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (MFPI), told BusinessWorld in an interview during the July 15 preview that the increase in the number of exhibitors, from 147 last year to 160 this year, is a “good problem” to have.
“We are really so happy because every year we seem to get more participants. Sometimes we have not enough space for them.”
MaArte Fair this year will be occupying The Conservatory, the Rigodon Ballroom, the Upper Lobby, the 5th floor guest rooms, the 2nd floor meeting rooms, and the Garcia Villa and Balagtas function rooms of The Peninsula Manila.
For Ms. Cruz-Araneta, going to the bazaar is a must, especially for those who want to assist in “the main purpose of the MFPI, which is to help the National Museum with its various needs.”
“Sometimes they need equipment, scholarships, and grants, and we give them the funds that we raise from the MaArte Fair. “
EXHIBITORSReturning exhibitors from previous editions of the bazaar include modern Filipiniana designer Happy Andrada, art-inspired jeweler Artjoy, perfumer Oscar Mejia III, hand-beaded footwear designer Alexie Nethercott, and accessory and brasswork designer Neil Felipp.
Newbies to the fair include ready-to-wear Filipiniana brand Yssa Studio, period-inspired contemporary men’s wear Construction Layers, Aklanon barong brand Raquel’s Piña, and upcycled clothing brand Angkan by Carol de Leon.
Those curious about craft beverages will want to check out Palaweño Brewery, which is the first craft beer in Palawan, and La Mesa Mead’s honey and mead.
“The variety and diversity only show that the Filipino creativity, the handicrafts, they keep developing despite difficult times,” said Ms. Cruz-Araneta.
Danny Jacinto, MFPI president, said at the preview that the nine grants to be funded by the fair this year were chosen “based on the applications they sent to the foundation.”
“We’re proud to say that this is our biggest number of grants so far,” he said.
For updates, visit the MFPI and MaArte’s official social media pages on Facebook and Instagram or check out www.museumfoundationph.org. — Brontë H. Lacsamana