What’s the difference between an artisan and an artist?

An artisan is essentially a manual worker who makes items with his or her
hands, and who through skill, experience and talent can create things of
great beauty as well as being functional.
Before the industrial revolution virtually everything was made by artisans,
from smiths (goldsmiths, blacksmiths, locksmiths, gunsmiths) to weavers,
dyers carpenters, potters, etc.

An
artisan in Gianyar Regency’s carving district, Bali

 
An artist on the other hand is dedicated only to the creative side, making
visually pleasing work only for the enjoyment and appreciation of the
viewer, but with no functional value.
  
Confetti Death by Typoe (installation art)

In Bali this distinction is often very blurred since many farmers paint, many
sculptors farm or have other jobs. Most walls are carved, most houses
have decorative motifs. Art is everywhere. To the Balinese the act of
creation of beautiful things is second nature. All the ladies of a village will
make the amazing decorations for temples, and the elaborate offerings,
thinking nothing of spending three days making things which will be only
used for a few hours.
 Pai
nter Made DJirna displays the natural flow of an artist

In western society it would be very unusual to expect such talent to be

exercised throughout society. Enjoy these marvelous skills while you are in
Bali – and perhaps take home some art or artifacts with you as a reminder.
If you know the difference!
This is what separates Bali from the rest of the industrial world. It’s a place
where the ‘Artistic License’ has not been separated from the Artisan. Talent
is practiced across society on a daily basis. It provides an age-old
connection to historical purpose through a plethora of cultural traditions.
The Different Job Roles In Art
Art is a dynamic industry that abounds with creativity and imagination.

This Creative Careers Guide introduces some of the key roles in the
industry, and the skills required to do them, as follows:

Artist
An artist is a person who is engaged in the activity of creating, practicing or
demonstrating art, working with visual techniques, such as composition,
colour, space and perspective to produce the desired effect. This could be
in the form of installations, sculptures, paintings, drawings, pottery,
performances, dance, photography, video, film and any other medium.
Artists may also combine a number of different mediums into their work
referred to as mixed media. Artists tend to create their own pieces for sale
directly to the public or through an intermediary such as a gallery or an
agent. Artists can also be commissioned by a client, gallery or organisation
to produce a piece of work, and may also run art classes or be involved
with community art projects.
Skills required: creativity, imagination, and business, marketing and
financial awareness.

Art Agent
An art agent represents an artist working on their behalf to promote and sell
their work. The role involves negotiating individual sales, commissions,
licensing deals, as well as organizing publicity, and seeking opportunities
such as teaching and workshops.
Skills required: Negotiation and financial acumen, communication and
networking, awareness of art trends, and marketing and PR.
 
A discussion with Art Agent Nigel Rhodes about what an agent does, the
benefits of buying and selling on consignment, and the differences between
buying and selling privately as opposed to going through the auction
rooms.
 
Art Consultant / Advisor
Art consultants also known as art advisors act as an intermediary between
artists, galleries and auction houses, and buyers by helping people such as
art collectors select and acquire art for their home, business, or collection
as well as help them sell pieces they no longer require.
Skills required: A great eye for art, negotiation, communication and
listening, sales, finances and taxes.

Art Dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art with
aim of making a profit. A dealer may present artwork and might sponsor his
artists fully for mutual benefits. In such case, it works well for artists who
accept to work as employees not as free individuals for he/she is asked
what to paint within a given time. Dealer has a secondary market; first
market is targeting artists with certain artwork, second; is targeting art
buyers with his collection to get best prices possible.
Skills required: A great eye for art, awareness of trends, negotiation,
communication and networking, sales, finances.
Art Auctioneer 
An art auctioneer works on behalf of their clients to sells pieces of art for
the highest possible price. The art auctioneer is responsible for setting the
price of the artwork. Art auctioneers need to be active in the arts by
attending art exhibitions at galleries and museums, as well as attending art
lectures and other related professional events.
Skills required: Art history relevant to their area of expertise, research,
valuation, marketing and business, interpersonal skills

Art Valuer
Similar to an art auctioneer an art valuer gives advice on how much a work
of art or a collection of art is worth. An like art auctioneers, art valuers need
to be active in the arts by attending art exhibitions at galleries and
museums, as well as attending art lectures and other related professional
events.
Skills required: Research, art history, communication, financial, and an eye
for detail.

Gallery Owner / Manager

A gallery owner or manager chooses and presents art for sale. Galleries
may specialize in specific areas. A gallery owner or manager’s
responsibilities include managing both the creative and business sides of
running an art gallery, as well as organizing and exhibitions, private sales
and loaning out art. A galleriste is the person who represents and promotes
artists in primary art market, the one with an exhibition space to offer and
who raises relationships with collectors and art organizers. He/she might
own an actual building called a gallery or online gallery to present artists.
Skills required: An eye for art, creative flair, an awareness of trends,
business, financial, marketing, sales, negotiation and communication.
 

Curator
Curator Anne Pontégnie at Kelley Walker exhibition in Brussels
CC BY-SA 3.0 image fr Wikimedia Commons by Marcwathieu

 
A curator is in charge of a collection of exhibits in a museum or art gallery,
and is responsible for assembling, cataloguing, managing, presenting and
displaying artworks, cultural collections and artifacts. Curator can also
deliver public talks, publish articles as he/she has the knowledge of the
current collecting market for their area of expertise and are aware of
existing ethical practices and laws that may impact their organization's
collection. Generally speaking, a curator prefers to work with a small group
of artists and creates variety of presentations. 
 
Skills required: research, art/cultural history and awareness, organisation,
project management, communication, presenting and creative flair.
 
Art Conservator 
Art conservators are responsible for restoring, preserving and analyzing
artifacts and works of art. Art conservators tend to specialize in particular
types of objects or materials such as books, paintings, sculptures or
textiles.
Skills required: Research, art and cultural history, fine art, writing and
analytical.

Art Historian
Art historians study art created in the past by individuals, learning about
artists’ lives and their societies, and seeking to interpret and understand
these works of art for the preservation of future generations.
Skills required: Research, art and cultural history, fine art, writing and
analytical.
Art Critic
An art critic specializes in interpreting, analyzing and evaluating art. Art
critics produce written critiques or reviews that are published in
newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures and catalogues and
well as on websites. Art critics are highly influential and can make or break
careers with their words.
Skills required: Observation, writing and editing, analytical, objective and
research.
New York Magazine Senior Art Critic Jerry Saltz makes sense of Poppy, a
viral YouTube phenomenon. Poppy’s videos, of which there are more than
300, average roughly a minute in length often get millions of views.
 

Art Collector
An art collector is the person who loves certain pieces of art/paintings and
collect art not necessary to sell later but the chance is there. He/she is also
called an art lover with possibility of having a personal project in mind for
his/her collection in the future, such as having own museum or use/rent the
collection for films/movies and TV shows, etc. 
Art – you either get it, or you don’t, right? There is no in-between. You’re
either gifted with the know-how of all things higher and nobler or you’re a
skeptic forever, right?

Wrong.

In this article, you’ll learn about some of the most common mediums and
techniques utilized by our family of artists, the characteristics of each, as
well as famous artistic innovators who heightened their creative
possibilities.

Painting Techniques
1. Oil:

“Lilacs in the Distance” (2016), Michael Milkin

Capable of capturing even the most nuanced details shadowed amidst light
and dark, oil is the paint of history. Oil paint is made with natural pigments,
linseed oil and turpentine, making it recognizable in sight and smell. The
main downside is that it can take up to nine months to dry completely and
even years for heavy impasto (texture).

Oil paint usage can be traced back in origin to the 5th century in Asia,
broadening the scale of its beauty when introduced to European traders in
the 15th century. The Old Masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt van
Rijn and Francisco Goya used oil as a tool to evoke sentiments of agony,
ecstasy and poetry.  Modern artists seeking color saturation, versatility and
subtle illumination, prefer to use oil paint. These include Park West Gallery
artists Duaiv, Csaba Markus, Emile Bellet, Maya Green, Slava
Ilyavev, Michael Milkin, and Hua Chen.
2. Watercolor:
 “Waiting for Suzanne” (2006), Itzchak Tarkay
Watercolor was initially developed in Asia during the 8th century to be laid
on fine silks and woven paper. The paints slowly made their way to
Byzantium and Europe in the 14th century, placing its aesthetic hold onto
illuminated manuscripts, and later rendered itself to the gossamer aesthetic
of the French Impressionists.
Watercolor paint uses ground pigments mixed with water-soluble binders.
Watercolor painting lends itself to a gradient of tonal hues that can imitate
the washes of sky and sea, but it is considered one of the most difficult
mediums to master, as it doesn’t lend itself to correction after application.
Many consider Itzchak Tarkay (1935-2012) to be an especially gifted
watercolorist who awed viewers with his technique.
3. Acrylic:
 “Vase of Flowers Series 60 Detail Ver. VI #281” (2016), Peter Max
Made commercially available only as recent as the 1950s, acrylic is paint
that binds its pigment with a synthetic resin. Acrylics are water soluble
during application, yet water-resistant when dry, making them easy to blend
and fast-drying.

Unlike its oil-infused predecessor, acrylic paint emerged in the era of

advertising, graphic design and glossy, cosmopolitan editorials. Therefore,
by association, acrylic paints are vibrantly hued, eye-catching and possess
an advertent pop of bright ceruleans and magentas. No surprise that
creators of pop art like Peter Max, Simon Bull, Romero Britto and Andy
Warhol brought acrylic paint into celebrity.
Spray Techniques
1. Giclée:
 “Parisian Girl” (2006), Pino
Giclée (pronounced gee-clay) printing is the art medium of “now,” fusing
together traditions of realism and digital innovation.  A French term,
translating into “the spraying of ink,” giclées aren’t simply printed
reproductions; rather, they’re the result of obsessive digital fine-tuning and
modification, and are able to capture great photorealistic detail. The
process begins with a high resolution photograph of the artwork being
translated into giclée form. The image is then scanned, turned into a digital
source file, color corrected, printed, revised, reprinted – and subject to
constant adjustment until the artist is satisfied with the printed product.
Artists liked Pino, Andrew Bone, Scott Jacobs, Autumn de Forest, and many
more have utilized giclées for their limited edition artworks.
2. Dye Sublimation:
 “Melody of Rain” (2016), Michael Cheval
Dye sublimation is one of Park West Gallery’s latest and most innovative
mediums. Dye sublimation is the digital printing process that transfers
imagery onto materials such as metal, glass and plastic. The concept is
based on sublimation, which is when a substance changes from a solid to a
gas without becoming a liquid. The original image is rendered into a digital
matrix, or map, and from there the artist has complete control over how the
colors will appear on the final work of art. Lastly, the mapped image is
printed onto transfer paper using dye-based inks, and then transferred onto
a specially coated aluminum plate with heat and pressure.

Dye sublimation works are renowned for achieving striking and crisp detail
and vivid luminosity. Artists such as Michael Cheval, Guy Harvey and Yuval
Wolfson utilize the technique.
Surface Techniques
1. Lithography:
 “Theiere et compotier” (1975), Marcel Mouly
Lithography, or “stone writing,” is a printmaking process where images are
inked and pressed on slabs of stone. Lithography was heavily utilized by
19th and 20th century artists like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Marc
Chagall and Marcel Mouly. Revered for its capability to produce
atmospheric, delicate colors and soft tonalities, lithography lends itself to a
painterly aesthetic.
Based on the antipathy of water and oil, the lithographic process begins by
drawing an image, in reverse, on a stone using a greasy crayon or liquid
form called a tusche. The stone is treated with water, which adheres to all
areas except those drawn with the crayon. Lastly, a layer of ink is rolled
onto the stone, which is repelled by the water and sticks only to the greasy
drawn or painted areas. Paper is then placed on the surface and pressed,
transferring the ink to paper. This process must be completed separately
for each color on each example. In fact, it can take months to finish an
edition of lithographs.

2. Serigraphy:
 “Pre-Mazor No. 3” (1987-89), Yaacov Agam
From applying images to T-Shirts, stenciling holiday cards or even
airbrushing, we’ve all dabbled in serigraphy, or its common iteration, screen
printing. Don’t let this familiarity trick you, however, as fine art serigraphy is
a time-consuming and physically demanding medium.

In serigraphy, stencils are adhered to a porous polymer screen and tightly

stretched around a frame. Paper is then placed under the screen, and ink is
applied to the top of the screen and layered across the entire surface with
the aid of a squeegee. Like lithography, a separate stencil or matrix is
created for each color, which requires a patient and precise eye.
Serigraphy creates images of striking texture, decisive lines and sharp
colors. Artists like Erte, Tarkay and Yaacov Agam are among the innovators
of the medium.
3. Serio-lithography:
 “L’ Escalier du Jardin” (2004), Jean-Claude Picot
As the name suggests, serio-lithography is a hybrid medium, incorporating
characteristics of both serigraphy and lithography. Artworks that utilize this
technique are initially inked and pressed on a lithography plate and then
enhanced with one or more serigraphic screens. By combining these two
graphic techniques, serio-lithographs are appreciated for their vivid colors,
tonal depth, and texture.

Intaglio Techniques
1. Etching:
 “The Good Samaritan” (1633), Rembrandt van Rijn
Etching is a laborious and painstakingly detail-oriented medium. Old
masters such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco Goya heavily utilized
the medium to achieve awe-inspiring images.

Creating an etching begins with covering a metal plate with an acid-

resistant ground. The image being printed is then scratched into the ground
with a fine tool, exposing the metal plate beneath. The plate is then
submerged into an acid bath, burning away at the exposed metal – the
longer the plate is submerged, the deeper the impressed lines became.
Once removed from the bath, the plate is inked, the surface is cleaned so
that ink is only residing in the incisions and moistened paper is pressed into
the paper, extracting the ink and creating the mirror image of the
composition.

Fun Fact: Though most commonly recognized for his achievements in

painting, historical records indicate that Rembrandt carried and scratched
on an etching plate like one would casually doodle in a sketch pad! 
2. Engraving:

“St. Simon” (1523), Albrecht Durer

Engraving, like etching, requires a patient hand and keen eye for detail.
However, unlike etching, engraving uses cutting tools to incise lines directly
into the surface of a metal plate – no acids are employed or grounds used
to treat the plate. This means a precise technique is needed to print a
successful impression. The plate is then inked and pressed against paper,
to create a mirrored version of the engraving. Albrecht Durer preferred the
technique, creating some of the most intricate engravings of all time.
 Relief Techniques

“Diurnes (Femme Assise en Pyjama de Plage II)” (1961), Pablo Picasso

Relief printing is done as you would imagine pressing a rubber stamp,
however, the process for creating a relief matrix is comprehensive and
requires a clean design. Relief techniques are essentially the opposite of
the intaglio techniques described previously, which mean that the image’s
negative areas are cut away with a knife or chisel, leaving the image to
reside on the surface level once inked. Like many forms of printing, the final
image is the reverse image of the matrix. Examples of relief techniques
include wood cuts and linocuts, where the relief is chiseled onto a block of
wood in the former and a sheet of linoleum in the latter.
 In April 1992, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National
Living Treasures Award was institutionalized through Republic Act No.
7355.
Tasked with the administration and implementation of the Award is the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the highest policy-
making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the State. The
NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee and an Ad
Hoc Panel of Experts, conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of
the land, adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to
others and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and
instill pride among our people about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.
Read more --> GAMABA: Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
Gamaba awardees from Milorenze Joting
*All information are taken verbatim from the NCCA website to facilitate the
reading of the data. The website is posted here for the students'
information. 
Definition of Terms: 

1. Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan - meaning of GAMABA

2. GAMABA - Acknowledges flok and indigenous artists, who despite
the modern times, remail true to their traditions.
3. National Artist Award - Highest form of recognition to Filipino artists.
Give credit to those who dedicated their livest o forge new paths and
directions for future generations of Filipino artist. Promote creative
expression as significant to the development of a national cultural identity.
4. NCAA - National Commission for Culture and the Arts

MAGDALENA GAMAYO
Textile Weaver
Ilocano
Pinili, Ilocos Norte 2012

The Ilocos Norte that Magdalena Gamayo knows is only a couple of hours
drive away from the capital of Laoag, but is far removed from the
quickening pulse of the emergent city. Instead, it remains a quiet rural
enclave dedicated to rice, cotton and tobacco crops. 2012 Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee, Magdalena Gamayo still owes a lot to the
land and the annual harvest. Despite her status as a master weaver,
weaving alone is not enough.
Also, even though the roads are much improved, sourcing quality cotton
threads for her abel is still a challenge. Even though the North is known for
its cotton, it does not have thread factories to spin bales of cotton into
spools of thread. Instead, Magdalena has to rely on local merchants with
their limited supplies. She used to spin her own cotton and brushed it with
beeswax to make it stronger, but after the Second World War, she now
relies on a market-bought thread. She still remembers trading rice for
thread, although those bartering days are over. A thread is more expensive
nowadays and of poorer quality. Often, she has had to reject samples but
often she has little choice in the matter.
There are less local suppliers of thread nowadays, a sign that there is less
demand for their wares, but nonetheless, the abel-weaving tradition in
Ilocos remains strong, and there are no better artists who exemplify the
best of Filipino abel weaving tradition than Magdalena Gamayo.

TEOFILO GARCIA
Casque Maker
Ilocano
San Quintin, Abra 2012

Each time Teofilo Garcia leaves his farm in San Quintin, Abra, he makes it
a point to wear a tabungaw. People in the nearby towns of the province, in
neighboring Sta. Maria and Vigan in Ilocos Sur, and as far as Laoag in
Ilocos Norte sit up and take notice of his unique, functional and elegant
headpiece that shields him from the rain and the sun. A closer look would
reveal that it is made of the native gourd, hollowed out, polished, and
varnished to a bright orange sheen to improve its weather resistance. The
inside is lined with finely woven rattan matting, and the brim sports a subtle
bamboo weave for accent.
Because he takes pride in wearing his creations, Teofilo has gotten many
orders as a result. Through his own efforts, through word of mouth, and
through his own participation in an annual harvest festival in his local Abra,
a lot of people have discovered about the wonders of the tabungaw as a
practical alternative. Hundreds have sought him out at his home to order
their own native all-weather headgear. His clients have worn his work, sent
them as gifts to their relatives abroad, and showed them off as a
masterpiece of Filipino craftsmanship. With the proper care, a well-made
tabungaw can last up to three to four generations, and the ones created by
Teofilo are among the best there are. They are so sturdy that generally,
farmers need to own only one at a time. Even Teofilo and his son only own
one tabungaw each.
ALONZO SACLAG
Musician and Dancer,
Kalinga
Lubugan, Kalinga 2000

History, they say, is always written from the perspective of the dominant
class. It is not as objective an account as we were led to believe when, as
elementary schoolchildren, we were made to memorize the details of the
lives of Jose Rizal and the other notable ilustrados. History is about as
impartial as the editorials we eagerly devour today, the ones that extol and
chastise the exploits and the foibles of government, but with a distinct
advantage: by virtue of its form, it takes on an aura of authority. And this
authority is one ordinary schoolchildren and adults alike are hardly likely to
challenge.
Seemingly maligned by both history and popular media are the people of
the Kalinga. Even in the earliest Spanish Chronicles, they were depicted as
so hostile that Dominican missionaries were forced to abandon their plans
to build Christian missions in the area. Their more recent battle against the
Marcos administration’s plans to build a series of hydroelectric dams along
the Chico River only added to their notoriety. The very name they have
taken on was a label tagged on to them by the neighboring Ibanag and
Gaddang. It meant “enemy” – a throwback, no doubt, to the days when
head taking was a common and noble practice, intended not only to
demonstrate bravery but, more importantly, to safeguard lives and property.
GINAW BILOG (+ 2003)
Poet Hanunuo Mangyan
Panaytayan, Oriental Mindoro 1993

A common cultural aspect among cultural communities nationwide is the

oral tradition characterized by poetic verses which are either sung or
chanted. However, what distinguishes the rich Mangyan literary tradition
from others is the ambahan, a poetic literary form composed of seven-
syllable lines used to convey messages through metaphors and images.
The ambahan is sung and its messages range from courtship, giving advice
to the young, asking for a place to stay, saying goodbye to a dear friend
and so on. Such an oral tradition is commonplace among indigenous
cultural groups but the ambahan has remained in existence today chiefly
because it is etched on bamboo tubes using ancient Southeast Asian, pre-
colonial script called surat Mangyan.
Ginaw Bilog, Hanunoo Mangyan from Mansalay, Mindoro, grew up in such
a cultural environment. Already steeped in the wisdom that the ambahan is
a key to the understanding of the Mangyan soul, Ginaw took it upon himself
to continually keep scores of ambahan poetry recorded, not only on
bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed on to him by
friends. Most treasured of his collection are those inherited from his father
and grandfather, sources of inspiration and guidance for his creative
endeavors.

MASINO INTARAY (+ 2013)

Musician and Storyteller
Pala’wan Brookes Point, Palawan 1993

Living in the highlands of southern Palawan are the Palawan people, who,
together with the Batak and Tagbanwa, are the major indigenous cultural
communities of Palawan.
The Palawan possess a rich, intense yet highly refined culture
encompassing both the visible and invisible worlds. They may not exhibit
the ornate splendor of the Maranaw nor the striking elegance of the Yakan,
but their elaborate conemology, extensive poetic and literary traditions,
multi-level architecture, musical concepts, social ethic and rituals reveal a
deeply spiritual sensibility and subtle inner life of a people attuned to the
myriad energies and forms of luxurious mountain universe that is their
abode, a forest environment of great trees, countless species of plants and
animals, and a magnificent firmament.
The Palawan have no notion of property. To them, the earth, sea, sky and
nature’s elements belong to no one. Their basic social ethic is one sharing.
Their most important rituals such as the tambilaw and the tinapay are forms
of vast and lavish sharing, particularly of food and drinks, skills and ideas.
FEDERICO CABALLERO
Epic Chanter
Sulod-Bukidnon Calinog, Iloilo 2000

Stories are the lifeblood of a people. In the stories people tell lies a window
to what they think, believe, and desire. In truth, a people’s stories soundly
encapsulate the essence of their humanity. And this circumstance is not
peculiar to any one group. It is as a thread that weaves through the
civilizations of the ancient East and the cultures of the industrial West.
So significant is the role they play that to poison a people’s stories, says
African writer Ben Okri, is to poison their lives. This truth resonates in the
experience of many. In the folklore of the Tagalog people, tales abound of
a mythical hero who, once freed from imprisonment in a sacred mountain,
would come to liberate the nation. The crafty Spaniards seized upon this
myth and used it as a tool for further subjugation. They harped on it,
enshrining it in the consciousness of every Tagalog, dangling this
legendary champion in front of their eyes as one would the proverbial
carrot. So insidious was this myth that suffering in silence and waiting for
deliverance became a virtue. And for a time, it lulled the people into a false
sense of hope, smothering all desire to rise up in arms.
UWANG AHADAS
Musician
Yakan
Lamitan, Basilan 2000

Much mystery surrounds life. And when confronted with such, it is but
natural to attempt some form of hypothesizing. In the days when hard
science was nonexistent, people sought to explain away many of these
enigmas by attributing them to the work of the gods or the spirits. In this
way, rain and thunder became the lamentations of a deity abandoned by
his capricious wife, and night and day, the compromise reached by a
brother and sister who both wanted to rule the world upon the death of their
father.
Many of these heavenly beings hold sway over the earth and all that dwell
within its bounds. In the folklore of a northern people, a story explains why,
in the three-kilometer stretch of the highest peak of Binaratan, a mountain
in the region, there is a silence so complete it borders on the eerie. Legend
has it that the great Kaboniyan went hunting with some men to teach them
how to train and use hounds. When they reached the peak of Binaratan,
however, they could no longer hear their hounds as the song of the birds
drowned their barking. One of the hunters begged Kaboniyan to stop the
birds’ singing, lest the hunt fail and they return home empty-handed. So
Kaboniyan commanded the creatures of Binaratan to be silent in a voice so
loud and frightful that they kept their peace in fear. Since then, a strange
unbroken silence reigns at the top of the mountain, in spite of the
multitudes of birds that flit from tree to tree.
DARHATA SAWABI (+ 2005)
Textile Weaver                                                                               
Tausug
Parang, Sulu 2004

 
In Barangay Parang, in the island of Jolo , Sulu province, women weavers
are hard at work weaving the pis syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn
as a head covering by the Tausug of Jolo. “This is what we’ve grown up
with,” say the weavers. “It is something we’ve learned from our mothers.”
Darhata Sawabi is one of those who took the art of pis syabit making to
heart.
The families in her native Parang still depend on subsistence farming as
their main source of income. But farming does not bring in enough money
to support a family, and is not even an option for someone like Darhata
Sawabi who was raised from birth to do only household chores. She has
never married. Thus, weaving is her only possible source of income. 
EDUARDO MUTUC                     
Metalsmith
Kapampangan                                                               
Apalit Pampanga 2004
 
Eduardo Mutuc is an artist who has dedicated his life to creating religious
and secular art in silver, bronze and wood. His intricately detailed retablos,
mirrors, altars, and carosas are in churches and private collections. A
number of these works are quite large, some exceeding forty feet, while
some are very small and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship.
For an artist whose work graces cathedrals and churches, Mutuc works in
humble surroundings. His studio occupies a corner of his yard and shares
space with a tailoring shop. During the recent rains, the river beside his lot
overflowed and water flooded his studio in Apalit, Pampanga, drenching his
woodblocks. Mutuc takes it all in stride.
HAJA AMINA APPI (+ 2013)
Mat Weaver
Sama Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi 2004

 
Haja Amina Appi of Ungos Matata, Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi, is recognized as
the master mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community of Ungos
Matata. Her colorful mats with their complex geometric patterns exhibit her
precise sense of design, proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to color.
Her unique multi-colored mats are protected by a plain white outer mat that
serves as the mat’s backing. Her functional and artistic creations take up to
three months to make.
 
The art of mat weaving is handed down the matrilateral line, as men in the
Sama culture do not take up the craft. The whole process, from harvesting
and stripping down the pandan leaves to the actual execution of the design,
is exclusive to women. It is a long and tedious process, and requires much
patience and stamina. It also requires an eye for detail, an unerring color
instinct, and a genius for applied mathematics.
SALINTA MONON (+ 2009)
Textile Weaver
Tagabawa Bagobo Bansalan, Davao del Sur 1998

Practically, since she was born, Salinta Monon had watched her mother’s
nimble hands glide over the loom, weaving traditional Bagobo textiles. At
12 she presented herself to her mother, to be taught how to weave herself.
Her ardent desire to excel in the art of her ancestors enabled her to learn
quickly. She developed a keen eye for the traditional designs, and now, at
the age of 65, she can identify the design as well as the author of a woven
piece just by a glance.
All her life she has woven continuously, through her marriage and six
pregnancies, and even after her husband’s death 20 years ago. She and
her sister are the only remaining Bagobo weavers in her community.
Her husband paid her parents a higher bride price because of her weaving
skills. However, he left all the abaca gathering and stripping to her. Instead,
he concentrated on making their small farm holding productive. Life was
such that she was obliged to help out in the farm, often putting her own
work aside to make sure the planting got done and the harvest were
brought in. When her husband died, she was left alone with a farm and six
children, but she continued with her weaving, as a source of income as well
as pride.

LANG DULAY (+2015)

Textile Weaver
T’boli Lake Sebu, South Cotabato 1998

Using abaca fibers as fine as hair, Lang Dulay speaks more eloquently
than words can. Images from the distant past of her people, the Tbolis, are
recreated by her nimble hands – the crocodiles, butterflies and flowers,
along with mountains and streams, of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, where
she and her ancestors were born – fill the fabric with their longing to be
remembered. Through her weaving, Lang Dulay does what she can to keep
her people’s tradition alive.
There are a few of them left, the traditional weavers of the tnalak or Tboli
cloth. It is not hard to see why: weaving tnalak is a tedious process that
begins with stripping the stem of the abaca plant to get the fibers, to
coaxing even finer fibers for the textile, then drying the threads and tying
each strand by hand. Afterwards, there is the delicate task of setting the
strands on the “bed-tying” frame made of bamboo, with an eye towards
deciding which strands should be tied to resist the dye. It is the bud or tying
of the abaca fibers that defines the design.
SAMAON SULAIMAN (+ 2011)
Musician
Magindanao Mamasapano, Maguindanao 1993

The Magindanaon, who are among the largest of Filipino Islamic groups,
are concentrated in the towns of Dinaig, Datu Piang, Maganoy and Buluan
in Magindanao province. Highly sophisticated in weaving, okir designs,
jewelry, metalwork and brassware, their art is Southeast Asian yet distinct
in character.
In the field of music, the Magindanaon have few peers among Filipino
cultural communities. Their masters on the kulintang (gong-chime)
and kutyapi (two-stringed plucked lute) are comparable to any instrumental
virtuoso in the East or West.
The kutyapi is a favorite solo instrument among both Muslim and non-
Muslim Filipinos, and is also played in combination with other instruments.
It exists in a great variety of designs, shapes and sizes and known by such
names as kotapi (Subanon), fegereng (Tiruray), faglong (B’laan), hegelong
(T’boli) and kuglong or kudlong (Manobo).
AMBALANG AUSALIN
Textile Weaver, 2016 (born 4 March 1943)

 
The Yakan of Basilan are known to be among the finest weavers in the
Southern Philippines. They create eye-catching and colorful textiles with
tiny motifs, and possess techniques wielded only by seasoned weavers
accomplishing designs restricted for utilization within a certain weaving
category only.
Weaving is an extremely important craft in the Yakan community. All Yakan
women in the past were trained in weaving. Long ago, a common practice
among the Yakan was that, when a female was born, the pandey,
traditional midwife, would cut the umbilical cord using a wooden bar called
bayre (other Yakan pronounce this as beyde). That bar was used for
‘beating-in’ the weft of the loom. By thus severing of the umbilical cord, it
was believed that the infant would grow up to become an accomplished
weaver. This, and all other aspects of the Yakan weaving tradition, is best
personified by a seventy-three-year-old virtuoso from the weaving domicile
of the Yakan in Parangbasak, Lamitan City: Ambalang Ausalin.
YABING MASALON DULO
Ikat Weaver, 2016 (born 8 August 1914)

 
A century Yabing Dulo believes herself older than ninety. Her identity card
marks that age, however, and date of birth, the fourteenth of August
supposedly 1910. Since the venerable ikat-dyer has a memory sharper
than blades, it seems always best to follow her counsel. She does know for
a fact that she was born in a place already called Landan in that long ago
time. The exact sitio was and is still named Amgu-o, a settlement of a few
related families within Landan, today a barangay, a constituent unit of a
town. During the early twentieth century, Amgu-o was a cluster of houses
thoroughly unconnected to the national political organization. It was a hilly,
forested place where streams were punctuated by all sizes of rocks. The
trees, then, were ancient.
Now ancient as well — accepting the honorific Fu, elder, with no hauteur —
Fu Yabing has lived long enough to have seen Amgu-o emerge as an
exposed, dry place sans those trees. Her thatch-wood-concrete domicile
speaks of a permanence unconnected to the archaic system of shifting
agriculture that gave its practitioners to move entire hamlets following the
obligation to regenerate soil after extended use; giving that land back to the
forest. 
ESTELITA BANTILAN
Mat Weaver, 2016 (born 17 October 1940)

 
She was at birth, seventy-two years ago, Labnai Tumndan. It was a
recognizable name in the language, Blaan, spoken in the montane hamlet
of Mlasang. Her extended family reckoned their place in relation to
the mlasang, a tree that, once a year, flowers profusely, sheds the
inflorescences immediately, and carpets abode and environment in
magnificence all at once.
Mid-twentieth century in what are now the Mindanao provinces of
Sarangani and South Cotabato, Blaan speakers — also called Blaan, like
their language — took on the slow beginning of village life of some
permanence. Their forebears had for centuries shifted domiciles
systematically to regenerate land cultivated to wild rice and yams. Around
the time of Labnai’s childhood, the small community understood their link to
the Philippine political system to be vested in the new identity of Mlasang
as Upper Lasang, a barangay of the municipality of Malapatan, in a
province called Cotabato. Shortly after, this province was subdivided and
Malapatan was absorbed into the new province of Sarangani.