MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 14, 2012) – American visual artist Mary Mattingly is visiting the Philippines as part of the Department of State’s cultural diplomacy program, smART Power and the U.S. Embassy.
The Embassy said the program sends selected artists around the world to create community-based projects in collaboration with local artists and youth groups.
Focusing on direct community engagement that encourages dialogue, experimentation and creativity, the program – administered by the Bronx Museum of Arts – is designed to stimulate discourse around local or global social issues including the environment, education, health, girls and women’s issues and freedom of expression, according to a U.S. Embassy statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
It said the Philippines is one of 14 countries selected as a program participant and the other countries include China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kosovo, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Venezuela.
While in the Philippines, Mattingly will visit contemporary art spaces and institutions in Metro Manila and conduct tours and research in selected areas in the cities of Quezon, Manila and Makati to determine the public art project related to environment and urban planning issues, its construction site, design, and availability and transport of project materials and tools.
“She will then conduct workshops on the construction, documentation, exhibition and evaluation of the project. She will be working directly with Green Papaya Art Gallery in Quezon City as program partner in the Philippines,” the statement sent.
The workshops, it added, will be conducted between October 1-25 at Green Papaya Art Projects in Quezon City.
Mattingly will also conduct workshop with artists from The Negros Museum and Orange Bacolod in Negros Oriental, the U.S. Embassy said.
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