In his poem that was first published in 1865, William Ross Wallace wrote, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” To paraphrase that, we say, “A woman’s delicate hand that holds a paintbrush is the hand that can change the world.”
At the height of the pandemic, a lot of women found themselves with so much time on their hands.
Then an idea sparked in the mind of Joanne Zapanta-Andrada, president of Zonta Club of Makati & Environs (ZCME). “Why not an art competition strictly for women, which we’ve never had in the country before?”
She asserts, “Women have so much power, they have so much vision, they have so much to say but do not have the platform in which to express their human experiences.”
Art with a heart
Thus was born Sining Filipina last year — yes, to give women a platform to express their creativity and shine a light on their art as a catalyst for social change.
“The number of entries we received last year was surprising because we gave them a very small window to be able to send their artworks,” relates an overwhelmed Joanne. “We were inundated with inquiries. Apart from asking questions, they would voluntarily share their stories which were all heartwarming.”
There were stories of women who would paint at night in the kitchen after cooking the family’s meal or when their children were asleep. There were women who could only paint on weekends because they were working in the fields on weekdays. Some of them would be saving every centavo to be able to go to the city from their homes in the mountains or some small town. Some of them would take a banca to get to the mainland to be able to buy paints. Some of them would ask for financial assistance to be able to buy art materials.
“Regardless of their circumstances, one thing is for sure: They were all undeterred, they were passionate, they were excited to share what they had inside,” notes Joanne with a hint of pride. “For me, that alone was a huge win, they were all winners.”
Sining Filpina’s first nationwide art competition launched the careers of Maria Gemma San Jose of Ilocos Norte, first prize winner for her artwork “Layers of Experience,” non-figurative category and Hanna Joy Sayam of Negros Occidental, grand prize winner for her “Pira-pirasong Tela ng mga Marias,” figurative category.
Sining Filipina 2025 is expected to draw even more entries vis-a-vis last year’s 730.
“We’ll triple the number,” suggests Fidel Sarmiento, Art Association of the Philippines president, drawing a thunder of approval from women guests at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura. “Our women members were very excited when they heard about this. AAP was founded by a woman — Purita Kalaw-Ledesma — in 1948.”
With this year’s theme “Her Earth, Her Future,” Sining Filipina Year 2 is all about what it means to be a woman at the forefront of sustainability.
Sining Filipina is presented by SM Supermalls and Chinabank, with the support of Airspeed for the benefit of Zonta Club of Makati and Environs.
For women, by women
Asked why SM is supporting Sining Filipina, Grace Magno, SM Supermalls vice president for corporate marketing, quickly replies, “Why not? It’s a natural because SM has long been for women, by women. The Sys — Tessie Sy-Coson and Hans Sy — are staunch advocates of environmental causes. SM has a lot of programs targeting women not only because they’re our shoppers but because they’re our employees and management. SM has a social media army of 37 million women followers on Facebook. This is just part of our celebration of Women’s Month.”
She adds, sending robust waves of approval across the hall, “I think we all admit that women are better than men. This competition is a total game changer for women, a major equalizer. It gives a lot of hope to women who have the talent but may not have the opportunity to be recognized. You just have to give them the venue, the platform.”
“I believe in women empowerment,” says Rosemarie Rafael, president of Airspeed which is transporting the 50 final entries to Manila. “When women are empowered, they can lead communities, they take care of their families and enhance the lives of other people being impacted by these communities.”
Rose, who founded Airspeed in a male-dominated industry, declares, “Women entrepreneurs are really the drivers of our economy.”
Interested to join Sining Filipina 2025 art competition? Email siningfilipina.secretariat@gmail.com or follow the Zonta Club of Makati & Environs on social media to get the official entry form and further details. It is open to all Filipino women residing in the Philippines. For this year, the theme is limited to the environment, focusing on sustainability. Send original paintings in oil, acrylic or mixed media and in sizes 2ft by 3ft or 3ft by 3ft. Deadline is on Feb. 13, 2025.
The first round of judging will be done virtually. From the entries coming from all over the country, 50 finalists will be chosen and Airspeed will transport these artworks to the competition venue.
The winners will be announced in mid-March to give them time to travel to Manila for the awarding and exhibit scheduled on March 27.
Surely, women have the power to create, nurture and transform lives.