Museum
Salingkat: The Allure of Philippine Basketry
The UP Asian Center successfully launched Salingkat: The Allure of Philippine Basketry on 07 June 2023, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, at the Seminar Room and Japan Hall, UP Asian Center, Diliman, Quezon City.
This exhibit features around 200 ethnographic items on traditional basketry from all over the Philippines, holding a significant place within the Asian Center Ethnographic Collection which showcases artifacts from the Philippines and other Asian countries. Through this exhibit, we aim to highlight the rich diversity of basket weaving traditions in the Philippines and celebrate the artistry and skill of Filipino basket weavers.
As part of the launch, a lecture was held to honor the late Dr. F. Landa Jocano, the visionary anthropologist who established the Asian Center Ethnographic Collection in 1973. Led by Dr. Carolyn I. Sobritchea, Dr. Mary H. Racelis, and Felipe P. Jocano Jr., these distinguished individuals continue to carry on Dr. Jocano's profound legacy and contribution to scholarly endeavors. The event also featured performances by the talented duo of John Philip Mateo Bautista, singer, and Ricardo Juanito Balledos, guitarist.
Organized by the Asian Center Museum under the Assistant to the Dean for Cultural Affairs, Dr. Matthew M. Santamaria, the exhibit is part of the efforts to raise awareness of the Asian Center's role as a cultural hub.
Video recording of the launch is available at the UP Asian Center Youtube Channel.
Speakers and Lectures @ Exhibit Launch
CAROLYN I. SOBRITCHEA, Ph.D.
Professorial Lecturer
University of the Philippines Diliman
"Honoring the Trailblazer: The Enduring Influence of F. Landa Jocano on Anthropologic Scholarship"
MARY H. RACELIS, Ph.D.
Research Scientist and Senior Professorial Lecturer
Ateneo de Manila University
"F. Landa Jocano: Seeing Value in Values"
FELIPE P. JOCANO, JR.
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology
University of the Philippines Diliman
"Grounded Theory, Reflexivity and Ethnography: The Legacy of F. Landa Jocano"
Visiting Hours
The exhibit is open to the public for FREE from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
For group tours, please contact Phoebe Danielle Pangilinan, Junior Museum Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 981-8500 loc. 3580.
Follow the Asian Center Facebook page to know more about upcoming events and activities
Bulwagan ng mga Bayani: Alay, Alaala, at Pagpupugay sa mga Bayani ng Pilipinas
The UP Asian Center launched—via Zoom—an exhibit titled Bulwagan ng mga Bayani: Alay, Alaala, at Pagpupugay sa mga Bayani ng Pilipinas on 21 March 2022, 3 pm.
This project aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Philippines national heroes and the roles they played in Philippine and Asian history. It seeks to deepen and expand our understanding of the Filipino identity by featuring the busts of the three martyred priests, Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora and 13 other national heroes and an exhibit catalog.
The online launch will also feature a lecture on GomBurZa, Graciano Nepomuceno, and performances by guest singers and artists. Organized by the Asian Center Museum under the Assistant Dean for Cultural Affairs (Dr. MCM Santamaria), the event is being held in line with the University of the Philippines Diliman’s celebration of the 2022 Arts and Culture Festival with the theme, kaMALAYAn: Pamana ng GomBurZa @ 150.
Videos from the launch will be available on the UP Asian Center Youtube Channel.
History of the Busts
In 1981, Apolinaria Masangkay, Soledad Borromeo-Buhler, and the other heirs of General Guillermo Masangkay, one of the original members of the Katipunan, donated to the Asian Center historical artifacts which previously belonged to General Masangkay. The items donated were 16 busts of Filipino national heroes made by the Graciano Nepomuceno, a renowned Filipino sculptor and santero (icon maker). Since then, the UP Asian Center became the home of these historical artifacts.
Recognizing and understanding the significance of these items in strengthening and solidifying Filipino heritage and identity, the Asian Center seeks to preserve, promote, and permanently exhibit these objects of artistic and cultural significance for public consumption.
List of Speakers @ Exhibit Launch
-
-
Ambeth R. Ocampo, PhD
Ateneo de Manila University -
Soledad Borromeo-Buhler, PhD
Retired professor and historian -
Ariel C. Lopez, PhD
Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman
-
Visiting Hours
The exhibit is open to the public for FREE from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
For group tours, please contact Phoebe Danielle Pangilinan, Junior Museum Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 981-8500 loc. 3580. We also appreciate any feedback on the exhibit.
Follow the Asian Center Facebook page to know more about upcoming events and activities. To learn more about the 2022 Arts and Culture Festival with the theme, kaMALAYAn: Pamana ng GomBurZa @ 150, please view the brochure or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Get updates by following OICA's Facebook page.
Other Exhibits in UP Diliman
To view other exhibits at the University of the Philippines Diliman, visit the Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center. The UP Office for Initiatives for Culture and the Arts (OICA) also has a list of cultural events that are held in the university.
Collecting Histories: Gems from the Asian Center Art Collection
Available online and onsite, this exhibit showcases works that originate from, or were inspired by the arts of, Southeast Asia, India, Iran, East Asia, and the Philippines. All exemplify different styles and techniques: from Indonesian leaf art, Mughal-style painting and “temple rubbing” to Chinese ink painting, Okinawan rice-resist dyeing, palette-knife, and Persian calligraphy, nasta’liq style.
The collection includes two works by Leonilo Doloricon (“Mangingisda” and “Continuing Revolution”), a modernist Indian expressionist painting by M. Sivanesan; an oil painting, The Liberation of Manila (February 1945), by Vars Rosal; and a Chinese ink painting by Zeng Houxi.
Many of these works have not been seen for decades; others are unknown, and the Asian Center takes pride in showcasing them anew to the public. Held as part of the Asian Center’s 66th anniversary, the exhibit is a celebration of AC’s history, and represents the first effort to revive the Asian Center Museum.
The Asian Center Art Collection: A History
The Asian Center, since its establishment in 1955 as the Institute of Asian Studies, is known as the Philippines’ premiere culture and research center on Asia. Back then, with its name as evidence of its colorful history after having been changed so many times (from IAS, to AC, to PCAS, and back to AC), it was the home of legendary and pioneering scholars and academicians such as F. Landa Jocano, Cesar Adib Majul, and Josefa Saniel.
With the wide-ranging expertise of the center, AC (as PCAS) also became the brains of Philippine Foreign Policy. True to its mandate, the Asian Center became the primary venue for the Philippines’ broadening and growing relationship with its Asian neighbors. It became known as UP’s “embassy,” its representative in international and Asian affairs and a symbol of the Philippines’ flourishing relations with Asia through academic and cultural exchange.
A testament to these strengthened relations is the Asian Center’s collection of art works, cultural artifacts, and materials. These were mostly given as gifts and donated by the institution’s friends from other Asian countries, as well as renowned colleagues in the academe. These were housed in the Asian Center Museum in the institution’s old building, the Romulo Hall, and later transferred and storage of its collection to the GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center, a facility donated by Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation in support of the Asian Center’s mandate. The launch of the exhibit represents an initial effort to revive the Museum, and includes a tribute to former deans of the UP Asian Center.
Visiting Hours
The exhibit is open to the public for FREE from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
For group tours, please contact Phoebe Danielle Pangilinan, Junior Museum Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 981-8500 loc. 3580.
Follow the Asian Center Facebook page to know more about upcoming events and activities
