Autism arts starts in Baguio

Five local artists are expected to start honing the arts skills of five students with special needs on Sept. 6 when the fashion, arts, autism benefits program is launched at the Lone Star at Camp John Hay.
Dr. Soraya Faculo, OIC assistant superintendent for administration of the Department of Education Baguio division, and SpEd principal Nino Tabingay have already identified the five initial students for the six month long project that will culminate with a fashion show featuring the art works of the students.
Autism Hearts Foundation president Erlinda Borromeo  said that the target is 10 students and together with their parents will hone their artistic skills with help from artists who will be their coach.
The San Francisco based organization staged the FAAB show at the United Nations headquarters in New York in Oct. 27 last year that featured the works of 10 children with special needs from Manila who underwent a six months training and coaching from artists.
Borromeo hopes to repeat the success of the Manila group in Baguio where a group from SpEd will be the subject of a six months training that will follow a similar program that has been started in Kalibo, Aklan earlier this year.
Borromeo is also eyeing a launch of the works of the program attendees in three months time as they are  now coordinating with the Fil-Am Golf, through the Camp John Hay Golf. Borromeo wants that works of the soon to be artists be used as souvenir items for the two-week event just like what they did in Manila Southwoods which benefited the Kalibo kids.
Borromeo and group made tote bags featuring works of the young artists.
The first big project when the six month apprenticeship is over will be the FAAB Show, where US based fashion designer Anthony Legarda takes the lead in helping the kids work out clothes, gowns and barongs with their art works.
The twist, Legarda said, is using local materials distinctively Cordilleran and the art works that are indigenous.
Legarda, who will launch a photographic exhibit in San Fraincisco later this year on Cordillera clothings – Ifugao, Gaddang, Itneg, Kalinga – among others, hope to integrate the art works with clothings including shawls.
In the UN exhibit last year, Legarda used piña as fabric, which the young artists painstakingly painted on for the show. “It was scary because we were afraid that the kids will not meet the deadline, but amazingly they did and their works were exceptional,” he recalled.
In Baguio, local artist Gladys Labsan will lead the artists in teaching the participants, which will start with five that will increase to 10 as the program progresses. The mother of three hopes to attract at least four other colleagues who will dedicate the next six months to the project. They are expected to have the added patience in teaching the children, whose attention span are short.
The project will also help increase awareness on autism where parents as well as teachers are also given extra trainings on said matter by the AHF under Borromeo.
“This is something exciting and I am looking forward to working with these kids,” said Labsan, who will be working with Brent International School’s art director Bob Joaquin.
Joaquin, who designed the arts program, said that trainings will be for two hours, with a 15 minute break midway.
“We expect a difficult beginning when we try to dawn on the children that it will be a  long two hour arts workshop. Well that will be the challenge,” Labsan added in the vernacular. PML / ABN

Amianan Balita Ngayon