by Xyla Mercedita E. Gualberto
An exercise for the life tapestry artwork
“Eagle, kasi nakakalipad siya at natatanaw niya lahat ng bagay. Gaya niya, gusto ko rin matanaw ang mundo,” says Cokie, a 15-year old Sendong survivor, when asked what his life symbol is.
Just like Cokie, most artists take inspiration from one's dreams and aspirations to create masterful art pieces. That is why Ms. Rosalie Zerrudo, facilitator of the Arts and Handicrafts, Environment and Art Workshop held at Xavier Ecoville on August 11 to 13, opens her sessions by encouraging her participants to share pieces of their life story among one another.
“Your story is your legacy to the world,” she says -- a legacy worth sharing through art forms.
The participants take pieces of scrap cloth to create artworks with the following themes: life before, during and after Sendong. As they stitch and cut, they share their individual experiences- some with a dose of drama, some with a punch of humor. A mother shares the tragic tale of losing her 8-year old daughter; another woman shares of her new found friends at an evacuation center.
Lives intertwined. Individual stories made one.
Meanwhile, the younger participants are making mandala artworks, a type of artwork expressing what is within a person and manifesting it outside, through communal and concrete artwork. As they share their life symbols to the group and make their mark in the mandala art, they get a better grip of the meaning of one’s life experiences -- such as that of Sendong and its relation to the environment.
The children and youth now take organic materials and create pictures of birds, trees, mountains and people as they interpret an environmental story through their own artworks. The activity, called Kanta-Storya, speak of their relationship with Mother Earth and how human race can both be the destroyer and savior of the Earth’s existence.
With what they have been through coupled with their inventive nature, they are able to create works of art that unleash their artistic skills and deepen their appreciation of the environment. Through the art workshop, they are able to share their community’s story – a story of environmental respect and healing. Every shape and color speaks of the community’s rich history, hopeful present and bright future.
Through art, Cokie’s life story and those of the other participants can now fly like an eagle. They can reach other communities and inspire people with their sense of hope and resilience.
The art workshops are initiated by the Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XCCA) through its program Sining Galing, a Xavier Ecoville Arts Program for the Youth. It is funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through its Cultural Education Committee's Bugkusan. Sining Galing will run from August to November this year. The program also offers recurring workshops on: cultural dance, children and teen’s theater, guitar, teen chorale, photography, visual arts and storytelling.
It involves the Xavier University (XU) students, giving them an opportunity to reach out to the Sendong survivors by sharing their artistic talents and skills. These students, who are also official talents of the XCCA, help the community’s youth find their artistic side so they can creatively express their emotions and tell their stories to the world.
The program aims to provide the youth with a venue for healing through art therapy, to develop appreciation for culture and arts and to introduce them to possible livelihood ventures with their handmade products.
Catch the Sining Galing showcase in the university-wide celebration of the XU Festival Days to take place in November. Come and enjoy the participants’ proud display of artistic spectacle and be a part of their colorful story as survivors.
Xavier Ecoville is the XU-led resettlement community for Sendong survivors in Brgy. Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City.
Learning different body expressions in the teen theater workshop
Teen Visual Arts Workshop
Making soothing symphony in the teen chorale workshop