Serving the art community

Arts and Artists, the fledgling art magazine that recently came out with its second issue, is a welcome development in the Manila visual art scene. Here is a publication that vows to cater to artists from all backgrounds. At more than P300 per issue, it is a bit pricey for the average artist to buy. Publisher William Siy claims, however, that it is well worth it. The general art magazine features, among others interviews with established and new artists, the column Easy Art Lessons by Fernando Sena, art news and reviews. As a new venture in art publishing, it is a good start.

Siy’s enthusiasm for this project is infectious. He says it took him years before he was able to make his dream come true. After a 1997 airbrush-painting seminar in New York, he was inspired from a meeting with the Airbrush Action publisher. "It was difficult to find the right people who could get involved in this project," reveals the artist-publisher who also owns Wits Publishing, a family-owned corporation. In the first two issues, art critic and teacher Reuben Ramas Cañete took the helm as its editor, providing the link with artists’ groups, and art writers. Cañete was an active Art Association of the Philippines’ (AAP) officer and is currently its president.

The first issue of Arts and Artists, which came out last year, had a contents page that was full of information about the Philippine art world. It featured sections on National Artists, the AAP, Philippine art history, contemporary artists, and a public gallery aimed at showcasing a reader’s artwork. The second issue presented the GSIS Museo ng Sining, Saturday Group of Artists, printmaking, art collecting, framing and documentation guides. As an indication that the magazine wants to create a link between issues, regular items in both also include tips, quotes on art and a vocabulary of art terms.

The efforts of Siy and his group of artists and enthusiasts are laudable. Part of their aim to give students of art and readers access to the scene has been achieved by this magazine. The how-to portions and the definition of art terms create possibilities even for artists to find the words to articulate themselves beyond images. It also keeps others up-to-date with trends in a particular sector of the artists’ circle in the Philippines. By no means comprehensive, readers of the magazine are given expectations of more things to learn about visual arts in the country. It could lead some of them to search for other publications and go to classes to understand even more about art.

Far from perfect, Arts and Artists has several areas that need improving. Its design, for instance, leave much to be desired. In its premier issue, I already found the cover too busy and its colors too dark to make it an attractive issue to buy. At that point the only thing going for it is that it is the first magazine of its kind and has been marketed that way. The inside pages were not as bad, however. In the sections featuring artists, I found the heads and texts competing with superimposed images. There were also far too much text fitted into each page. After awhile, looking at the pages made me feel tired.

The second issue’s design was far too busy for any one who seriously wants to read the magazine. It looked like it was left to someone who had gone uncontrollable with his or her computer layout software. Images were crammed into small spaces (sometimes seven colored but disparate images at a time). It looked as though the designer was sabotaging the features on the artists by distracting readers from taking a better look at their pages and from actually reading the text. Arts and Artists should also consider hiring a good copy editor to check that basic rules of English grammar are followed and to help the editor temper writers from overly long discourses. If these were followed, perhaps more readers would subscribe to this publication and better understand its contents.

Siy avers that he dares to continue "what nobody has done before – to provide the Philippines, the first magazine on the Arts." This pronouncement is not entirely true. Perhaps it is correct only in the sense that it is the first commercially produced full-color magazine devoted to the visual arts and without subsidy from government funding bodies or artists’ organizations.

Siy may not be aware of the many visual art publications produced by different interest groups and individuals who had the same commitment to recognize, develop, uplift, and promote Philippine art and artists. These included Ray Albano’s Marks, the CCP’s Philippine Art Bulletin and Dayaw, Pinaglabanan Gallery’s San Juan, and Juan Gatbonton’s Archipelago. At present there are others coming out with more issues than Art and Artists, such as the monthly Art Manila Newspaper. Analytical publications that have contributed to a better understanding of the arts include the annual Pananaw-Philippine Journal for the Visual Arts (published by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts) and the quarterly Transit (Creative Collective).

Perhaps it is better for Siy to claim that he has found a niche in the Philippine art scene, aimed at catering to a wider audience than most visual art publications. Other magazines or newsletters tend to target only certain types of readers that exclude majority of artists and art enthusiasts from learning more about Philippine art. He hopes to develop corollary events in developing a readership for Arts and Artists. Siy just concluded an art workshop at the Pearl Plaza in Tambo, Parañaque City. The Metrobank Foundation sponsored the workshop and was run by several artists-teachers. As a result of the good response from this activity, Siy hopes to organize the Arts and Artists Club of the Philippines.

Despite his busy schedule and publishing a magazine, Siy is also preparing for a group exhibition in Chicago, Illinois, taking along with him the participating artists. These include Charito Bitanga, Antonio Chan Sr., Wivienne Red Buhay-Javier and Sharon Fuentes. To be held in time for the Independence Day celebration in June, Chicago Kalayaan 2001 will display exhibitions at the Rizal and Daley Centers. Siy is coordinating this activity with US-based gallery owner, Willy "Red" Buhay who is also the chair for cultural arts and Orlando Bernardino, the overall chair of Kalayaan 2001. With Siy’s diligence, sincerity, and enthusiasm, it is possible that Arts and Artists magazine will become an important publication in promoting Philippine art.

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