In the Philippines, October is recognized as Museums and Galleries Month. Through the years since I’ve started as a cultural worker I could no longer count the number of museums and galleries I’ve visited. In fact, whenever I travel somewhere, a museum is always number one on my list of go-to destinations, aside from the church. Museum speaks of the material and intangible culture of a place, not to mention that it’s a space where one gets to challenge the norms and preconceived notions through exhibitions and dialogs. There are museums that introduce you to what the place or community is all about – it tells about history, culture, and stuff you’d need to know before you go out and explore. But there are also museums where the exhibitions expose society’s ills and make you question the conventions.
2019 was a year of travel for me. In celebration of this year’s Museums and Galleries Month, I’m sharing with you some museums that I’ve visited and learned a great deal from. Enjoy!
The Henry Luce III Library in Central Philippine University launched this exhibit in December 2018 to commemorate the lives and sacrifices of the Hopevale Martyrs. The Hopevale Martyrs were Baptist missionaries who were murdered in the middle of World War II. This plaque was placed on the spot were they were were martyred.
An artistic rendition of the "Cathedral in the Glen," an open air chapel in Hopevale designed by Dr. Francis Howard Rose, one of the martyrs.
Huge framed pictures of the martyrs were displayed in their honor at the gallery of Henry Luce III Library . At the height of World War II, these Christians from Iloilo and Capiz sought refuge in the mountains of Aglinab in Tapaz, Capiz. Unfortunately, the Japanese caught them and their fates were sealed.
Sometime in May 2019, I was in Bacolod to train a batch of cultural workers at Negros Museum. They were running an exhibit titled "Coming Home" which features these exquisite metal works.
A cozy and artistic nook at the museum.
One of the artworks of sculptor Raphael "Paeng" Padernal on display at the Negros Museum.
"As a visual artist it is my aim to give physical form to the things I feel and imagine. And through the different mediums, such as paint , metal and wood, I can transform an ideal in into an art," says sculptor Rafael "Paeng" Zayco"
Muse 1 and 2, mosaic artworks by another Negrense artist, Lisa de Leon-Zayco.
This one pretty intriguing too. It's actually part of an art installation. In the painting, the cup falls and pieces of shattered china are actually scattered on the floor.
In Pilar, Capiz, my friend and artist Genie Biana runs the Gi Shell Craft Museum, where she creates, exhibits and sells different furniture pieces and accessories using shells.
Some lamps made from different kinds of shells. Gi's social enterprise benefits the community where she lives in Pilar, Capiz.
In September 2019, I visited the Museo de San Agustin in Manila, the country's premier church museum. The picture above shows one of the many, many intricately made retablos on display at this three-storey museum.
One who intends to learn church history will find the Museo San Agustin a must-see site to know more about the country's ecclesiastical past. There are numerous mind-blowing ornate pieces here. I am particularly drawn as the details of these mother-of-pearl floral adornments.
Liturgical books printed in Spain, Mexico , Italy and Belgium and were brought by the Agustinians when they came to the Philippines in the mid-16th century. These were among the instruments used by the Agustinians to evangelize the natives.
Saints, saints, and more saints, all of them are worth a fortune!
In September 2019, I made a short trip to Sydney, Australia, and one of the galleries that I visited was that of the State Library of New South Wales. The second floor of the Mitchell Library houses an extensive gallery that hosts different exhibitions.
The Library's Collector's Gallery displays their collection of books, manuscripts, artworks, artifacts and objects donated by different collectors throughout the years.
The Library boasts of more than 300 original artworks that range from landscape to portrait paintings that permanently displayed at the gallery.
The artworks range from the 1790s to the present, featuring portraits and paintings of every facet and aspect of Australian life.
What caught my interest was their special exhibit about the aboriginal communities of Sydney. The exhibit note says "In aboriginal communities our elders are our libraries; they hold our knowledge and connect us to our past while strengthening our future."
This is the entrance to the Nicholson Museum, another museum I've visited in Sydney. Founded by Sir Charles Nicholson in 1860, the museum houses the Southern hemisphere's largest collection of antiquities.
A 2,000-year-old mummified body of a six-year-old boy whose name was identified by the museum workers as Horus. This is just one of the many antiquities displayed in the museum.
Fossilised shell specimens from the Paris basin. They are believed to have come from the Eucoene epoch, about 56-33.9 million years before the present. These
Founded in 1860, the museum's primary collection are from areas including ancient Egypt, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, and the Near East. Here's a statue of Princess Amenirdas I from Egypt's 25th dynasty, c690-656 BC. This was acquired by Sir Charles Nicholson between 1856 and 1857 and was one of the first pieces donated to the museum in 1860.
A statue of Horemheb, who belonged to the 18th dynasty, c1335-1325BC. Acquired by Sir Charles in 1862 and donated to the museum in 1864.
The head from the statue of Rameses II, perhaps the most famous Egyptian pharaoh.
In September 2019, I worked with a team that researched about traditional healing practices of the Province of Capiz. The research formed the basis of an exhibit at Ang Panublion Museum. Here are some of the items that we have gathered from traditional healers. They ranged from religious images and icons to herbs and plants that were used during rituals.
Our team leader, Jason Rufino, comes from a family of traditional healers. His grandfather is a manugbulong. Here he is installing a map of Capiz where he plots the locality of the traditional healers.
Another interesting museum I've visited was the National Museum branch in Iloilo City. It opened in December 2018, following an extensive restoration of the structure that once served as a prison.
The Iloilo Prison was built in 1911. It ceased being a jail in 2006 after the new provincial jail was built in Pototan town. It was turned over by the Iloilo provincial government to the National Museum on April 11, 2018.
Guests to the museum are welcomed by the contemporary domed ceiling.
This statue of President Manuel Roxas used to stand at the Roxas City Plaza. It was removed after a replica of the president's larger-than-life bronze statue by Guillermo Tolentino was installed in 2016. I wondered where this statue went until I found it here at National Museum!
The museum's permanent exhibit is titled “Habol Panay: The Woven Artistry Philippine Textiles” and features the weaving traditions of Western Visayas.
A map showing the weaving, embroidery and lace-making centers in Western Visayas is prominently displayed in the museum. We only have one weaving center here in Capiz, as shown in the map.
Pineapple is the source of fiber used in making pina barong. The province of Aklan is famous for this craft. Most of the artifacts on display , such as this framed pineapple, were loaned from the National Ethnographic Collection.
The province of Iloilo is known for the hablon, the Hiligaynon term that refers to both the weaving process and the finished fabric. The picture above shows the terol , the loom used in hablon-making.
Detailed hand-embroidered handkerchief from Asilo de Molo in Iloilo City. The intricacy and fine stitching made these handkerchiefs are in demand among their loyal patrons.
One of the stations where prison guards used to be on the lookout. Now it's a pretty nook for picture-taking.
The museum grounds were well-manicured and turned into a park.
In Dumaguete City, the Silliman University Anthropological Museum is a museum lover's haven. It was established in 1970 by Dr. Hubert I. Reynolds, an American missionary member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and former Anthropology professor in Silliman University, to house the ethnological and archaeological artifacts which dates back as early as 500-200 B.C.
Gemstones and minerals, such as as amethyst are also displayed at the gallery.
The museum also features artifacts about Visayan folk medicine. Check out this miniature doll, which was used by a sorcerer from Siquijor to inflict pain on someone else by pricking the doll.
The enchanting town of Balete (named after the mystic tree) is where you will find the Basura Garden. An art space that displays artifacts, antiques, and recyclable garbage materials.
Aklanon proverbs were painted or inscribed on chopped woods.
The owner's collection of wooden sculptures and jars litter around the Basura Garden.
Who would imagine that garbage could be this lovely?
The last museum I've visited lately was the National Museum of Natural History. It is housed at the neoclassical Agriculture and Commerce Building that now forms part of the National Museum Complex.
Guests to the museum are greeted by this breathtaking dome and supporting structure was dubbed as the "Tree of Life". It serves as the courtyard of this six-storey building.
The country's rich flora and fauna are featured in this museum. One of the interesting finds here is this Malayan civet, which was collected in Quezon province in 1832.
Meet Lolong, the world's largest crocodile ever caught and placed in captivity. Lolong was notorious for eating a fisherman and a 12-year-old girl in Palawan. His remains were preserved by taxidermy and is now displayed at the museum.
The ultimate goal of a museum is to enrich your experience and widen your perspectives. I’ve grown to love museums over the years and it’s has become a huge part of my self-education. What about you? What museums have you visited so far?
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