by Redjie Cawis
The popular Tam-awan Village is set for the 2nd International Arts Festival slated on May 13 – 15, bringing the arts closer to this highland region.

The Tam–awan International Arts Festival(TIAF) is themed “Weaving through the arts.” The TIAF aims to present the seven mediums of art like the weaves of the region as they will come together and create one tapestry of art. Activities lined up for the three-day festival include workshops, seminars, and exhibits on the arts.

The art of weaving is endemic to the Cordilleras with each province having its own weaving style, fabric, colors, pattern, and design. These will be showcased in presentations by the Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Benguet group of dancers who will be seen in the duration of the TIAF with Weaving, Carving and Solar painting demonstrations and graffiti art exhibitions.

Set to give talks are National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) executive chairman Malou Jacob on the Preservation of our Culture and Arts – our Heritage; Ike Picpican to share on the Overview of Cordilleran Dance and Music; Toti Cerda to speak on Visual Arts; Manny Montelibano on Multimedia Installation Arts; Dennis Ascalon on Black Artists in Asia and Bacolod Arts; and Mico Manalo on Eskwela Taller Intramuros and Art Conservation.

A demo and workshop on Kalinga Musical Instruments is set to be given by Ani Bungaoen with Benny Sokong.

The TIAF’s is an offering of Chanum Foundation, and backed by NCAA and the city government of Baguio.
Chanum Foundation has started a tradition of culture in its first jab in staging an international festival in 2010 bringing together a array of artists, enthusiasts, and lovers of culture in the city of Pines dubbed as a ‘melting pot of the Arts.’ (JDP/RC-PIA CAR)