Winning the Silver Award for the Interior Design category is Aurelio Evan for his entry “Pleaves,” which aims to address UN Sustainable Development Goals 2, 9, 11, and 13. Evan also won the People’s Choice Award. Pleaves contributes to waste management and disaster relief after being inspired by the locals of Siargao. The facility aims to facilitate trading of plastic waste for food and blankets for disaster relief. Located in Smokey Mountain, the facility aims to be sustainable through the installation of solar panels and promoting natural air circulation.

Named as Finalists were Dymphna Bringas (for Re-HABIlitate, a fabric scrap deposit and repurposing center), Bienn Marie Francine Brucal (for Salbasyon, a prison design aimed at preventing in-prison violence), and Franzel Diane Bernardo (for Balay Kaagapay, which aims to provide a sanctuary for resilience, community, and dignified lives).

The students were mentored by Department of Interior Design Chair Inst. Mary Ann Joy A. Lampoon, MDesSci, PIID, CIIE, along with academic staff Inst. John Carlo C. Beliganio, MID and Inst. Michael Suqui, MID.

With four of ten finalists, UST was named the Best Education Institution for the Interior Design Category.

According to the contest’s social media account, the contest was “first launched in 2008…to inspire interior design and architectural students to apply creativity and innovation in the implementation of design.”

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For Iwasaki, in his artist statement, his original style was an attempt to challenge new artistic expression, incorporating modern techniques and sensibilities tethered from the Japanese sense of aesthetics and culture.

His works demonstrated the power of airbrushes in creating realistic textures and smooth gradation. Motifs such as dragons and koi were auspicious images in the oriental culture, included in his exhibit.

Present in his works also was the 500-year-old technique of pasting 24k gold leaf on the canvas, which served as the arena of his expression, similar to ink painting.

The College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) organized the exhibit to promote peace and friendship between the two countries.

“This year marks the 80th anniversary of the war’s end, and I would like to start an event through art, spreading its appeal while wishing for peace and smiles all over the world,” Iwasaki said.

The exhibit can be viewed until March 8, 2025 and is open to the public.

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ARTDEC’s membership includes faculty affiliates from Visual Art & Design academic institutions in the Philippines namely -University of the Philippines, Far Eastern University, University of San Carlos, University of the East, Bulacan State University, St. Scholastica’s College, CIIT College of Arts & Technology De La Salle Lipa, Adventist University of the Philippines, Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science & Technology and the ľĹÉ«.

The Council of Visual Arts & Design Educators, Inc. (ArtDEC) was initiated in October 2012 by representatives of higher educational institutions (HEIs) that offer programs in visual arts and design in the Philippines. ArtDEC was organized primarily to provide art and design educators with opportunities for professional development and networking with fellow academicians as well as with practitioners in the creative Industry. Some of the founding members and current officers/board of trustees of ArtDEC also serve as CHED Technical Committee for Fine Arts.

ArtDEC’s major activity for the year 2024 was held during the three-day conference (July 4-6, 2024) at School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design (SAFAD) Theater, University of San Carlos (USC) Talamban Campus, Cebu City with the theme “REDESIGN: Explore the Ways Design Practice is being Re-considered, Re-defined and Re-formed”.

The said conference was hosted by both academic institutions – ľĹÉ« College of Fine Arts and Design, Manila and University of San Carlos School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design, Cebu in partnership with National Bookstore.

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The 2+2 program entails first two academic years of schooling in UST, with the final two years being completed in HKPolyU. The agreement allows UST to nominate a maximum of five students of good academic performance to HKPolyU, where they must complete graduation requirements to earn the dual degree. HKPolyU evaluated UST’s curriculum and for the first two years and found the courses to be comparable and sufficient for credit transfer, without prejudice to HKPU mandating the completion of several other courses that may be needed to graduate. At the end of the program, graduates will receive diplomas from UST and HKPolyU.

In a social media post on March 28, 2025, Commission on Higher Education Chairman J. Prospero de Vera IV said that with the program, “more Filipinos can now break into the global creative industry…[through the] dual-degree program that will elevate local talent to the global stage.” CHED approved the program with Republic Act 11448 (Transnational Higher Education Act) as basis.

Third-year BFA major in Industrial Design students Beatrice P. Rodriguez and Kristine Marie C. Faelnar are set to enjoy full tuition scholarships from HKPolyU to finish the dual degree. They are accompanied by Industrial Design Chair Romano S. Macaisa, MFA.

The dual degree program, which will run until Academic Year 2028-2029, was operationalized with the agreement signed on March 15, 2024 by UST Rector fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., PhD and HKPU Vice-President (Education) Prof. Kwok-yin Wong.

Interested UST Industrial Design students may also apply for the program sans a scholarship from HKPolyU.

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Voragen spoke about the relationship among language, body, and city, linking his practices as a poet and curator to show connections between the visual arts and writing.

For Voragen, artists and writers must engage with the city and its languages and use them as material to create new modalities and fresh expressions of art. “I invite you to make things. Even [in creating] meaningless stories, you do creativity. Even meaning is form […] try to meet the city, try to see how it will affect your body,” Voragen said.

Voragen has shared his art and craft in the neighboring Southeast Asian countries. He served as a curator of 1335MABINI Gallery in Ermita, Manila from 2017-2019.

“Open Forms” is part of the CCWLS International Writers and Scholars Lecture and Conversation Series, whose lineup consists of Filipino writers and scholars based abroad. Among them were Ninotchka Rosca, Sabina Murray, Gina Apostol, Miguel Syjuco, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, R. Zamora Linmark, Eugene Gloria, Marivi Soliven, John Blanco, Lara Stapleton, M. Evelina Galang, Fidelito Cortes, Nerissa Balce, Amalia Bueno and Robert Nery; and foreign nationals, like Robin Hemley Tim Tomlinson, Dennis Haskell, Xu Xi, and Yukari Yoshihara.

Open Forms will serve as a space for students to explore experimental or hybrid poetry, paired with visual and other forms such as video, photography, collages, and performances.

The event was curated by Assoc. Prof. Nerisa Del Carmen Guevara of CCWLS and the Faculty of Arts and Letters and Assoc. Prof Mary Ann Venturina-Bulanadi, PhD of the College of Fine Arts and Design.

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The Thomasian painter came from a family of artists in Angono, Rizal. Dedicated to bring positive change, the third generation Blanco has lent his creativity and artistic vision to significant projects in the country such as the Vigan Convention Center, the restoration of the Ayuntamiento Building in Intramuros, as well as becoming an instrument in establishing the Regional Art Guild of SOCCSKSARGEN in collaboration with the Department of Tourism.

He was also designated as the “Outstanding Citizen of the Town of Angono for Visual Arts and Music” in 2012, which attests to his advocacy as a multi-faceted artist in his hometown.

At present, Blanco serves as Angono, Rizal’s tourism youth ambassador. Their family runs the Blanco Family Museum and Art Gallery that curates and celebrates their family’s vibrant legacy in their hometown.

The Congress seeks to recognize the nine domains of the Philippine creative industries.

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The exhibit was inspired from CFAD’s motto, “The gift you have received, give as a gift. – Matthew 10:8.”

Department of Painting chair Pedro Felix G. Garcia II, MFA explained that the theme celebrates the diversity of artists and their works. Moreover, Garcia said they hold the 43-year-old Grupong Tomasino exhibits to showcase their artworks and to serve as a homecoming event for alumni.

CFAD Dean Asst. Prof. Mary Christie D. Que, MS, LPT vowed to continue holding events similar to this and to continue inviting Thomasian artists to join. “We are one Thomasian Artists, we are on UST,” Dean Que said.

The artists who exhibited their works are both alumni from the defunct College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA) and CFAD.

Echo: Sharing the Divine Gift was organized by the Department of Painting, UST Museum, and the UST Atelier Alumni Association. It will run until February 23, 2024.

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Rector Rev. fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., PhD led the Thanksgiving and Feast Day Mass in honor of the saint, while Bishop-elect Rev. fr. Napoleon B. Sipalay, Jr., O.P. blessed the image.

The Fra Angelico image was enthroned at the main lobby of the building named after him.

‘Angelic Artist’
According to fr. Ang, Fra Angelico was dubbed as the “Angelic Artist” because of his integrity and how he uses his artistic gifts as a way to connect with God. “Fray Angelico was very prayerful that painting for him was not just an artistic enterprise or expression, but it was also a form of prayer,” fr. Ang said in his homily.

A 15th-century Renaissance artist and Dominican priest whose frescoes and paintings depicted Gospel scenes, Fra Angelico shared the “Angelic” distinction along with the University Patron Saint Thomas Aquinas, who was dubbed as the “Angelic Doctor.”

Meanwhile, Layug is a BFA-Painting alumnus who was awarded in March 2016 with the Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice, the highest honor the Pope can award to the lay people in recognition of their services to the Church.

Layug’s life-size saints, retablos, and other religious images can be found in churches and cathedrals in the country.

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According to fr. Abaño, the exhibit not only showcases the Filipino tradition captured in the paintings, but it also serves as a reminder of the devotion, a habit performed during dawn, noontime, and dusk that allowed family members to gather and to express their gratitude to our Lord. “In line with our tradition, I hope we establish a connection to the past activities. And, if it helps, we hope to revive it. And part of it is the various interpretations of the artists here, who share their talents with us and who give the message of their artwork,” fr. Abaño said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Rev. fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., EHL noted that this devotion is tethered to the life of every Thomasians and every Filipino, highlighting that this exhibit celebrates God’s love. “Itong exhibit na ito ay tungkol sa pagmamahal ng Panginoon, ang pagmamahal na ating tinanggap, at [pagmamahal na] ibabahagi sa iba,” fr. Coronel said.

The Angelus is a prayer that commemorates the Gospel, specifically where St. Gabriel the Archangel announced the incarnation of Christ to the Virgin Mary. The University likewise practices this devotion at 12 noon and at 6 p.m., where everyone is enjoined to pause and to pray.

The paintings featured in the exhibit are from UST Museum’s visual arts collection and from the rich personal collection of Mr. Ron David, who said that the exhibit is a manifestation of the profound importance and deep meaning of prayer. “These remarkable works of art take us on a visual journey, capturing the moments when the devout souls pause in reflection and prayer, resonating the Angelus bells bellowed His call,” David said.

Exhibit Walkthrough

Depicted in the paintings mounted at the makeshift hall configured into an old Filipino House, Orasyon was captured in a multitude of interpretations by notable painters, a mix of traditional and contemporary expressions–from Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s images of family members pausing their activity to kneel and pray to Raul Isidro’s non-figurative take on mankind’s quest to holiness, as represented by the Timbers of Mother Earth.

One need not to have a scrutinizing pair of eyes to notice the color embellished on the walls, of teal and rose hues, which actually hark at the Virgin Mary. The exhibit was also timed in celebration of the month of the Holy Rosary.

The space pulls the visitors to see beyond the walls. As they walk past the back-to-back Botong-Jose Delos Reyes centerpiece, they are led to the oratorio, or the prayer room, that invites them to also pause and whisper a prayer as the exhibit is more than just curated objects.

The artists exhibited in Orasyon are Hermes Alegre, Wilfredo Alicdan, Antonio Angelito, Marcel Antonio, Tam Austria, Aries Bagtas, Jessa Balag, Otep Bañez, Norma Belleza, Jeho Bitancor, Remy Boquiren, Angel Cacnio, Demet Dela Cruz, Jomar Delluba, Robert Deniega, James Gabito, Caloy Gabuco, Manny Garibay, Romeo Gutierez, Jun Impas, Raul Isidro, Alvaro Jimenez, Edwin Ladrillo, Lorebert Maralita, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Nik Masangkay, Almer Moneda, Francis Nacion, Roel Obemio, Jay Pacena, Anthony Palo, Aljo Pingol, Loreto Racuya, Irvin Roxas, Ivan Roxas, Dominic Rubio, Blaine San Luis, Roger San Miguel, Robert Shook, Abril Valdemoro, Lydia Velasco, Michael Villagante, and Migs Vilanueva.

The exhibit will run until October 30, 2023.

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UST Tiger TV received five awards in the said conference.

The Facebook page UST Tiger TV was hailed as the “Best Social Media Account.” Four more recognitions came in the form of the Len Mallioux Management awards, which were conferred upon:

1) Charlene Beatrice Go (UST College of Fine Arts and Design – TMN)- Best Creatives Services Director, Television – College Division

2) Janis Andriella Santiago (UST Faculty of Arts and Letters – TMN)- Best Student Station Manager, Television – College Division

3) Asst. Prof. Faye Martel-Abugan, MA (Communications Bureau; TMN adviser)- Best Faculty Advisor, Television – College Division

4) Angelica Mendoza (UST College of Commerce and Business Administration) – Best Promotions Director – Television – College Division

The Len Mallioux Management award is bestowed by IBS, a network of academe-related media broadcasting organizations.

Meanwhile, Tiger Radio bagged the sixth award and was named the “Best Streaming/Online-Only Radio Station for schools with more than 10,000 students”.

The Tiger Media Network is the official broadcasting arm of the University that operates under the supervision of the Communications Bureau. TMN produces content through Tiger TV with the use of internet protocol television (IPTV) and through Tiger Radio, the University’s e-radio airing via Mixlr.

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