The Maningning Miclat Art Awards is one of the two major awards hosted by the Maningning Miclat Foundation Inc. (MMFI). The bi-annual awards alternate between a poetry competition and art competition, both of which recognizes young talents in memoriam of the late Maningning Miclat who was both a multi-lingual poet and visual artist.
The Art awards’ awarding ceremony, which is on its 8th edition, took place at the newly re-opened FEU Theater, designed by National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio, Sr. The theater is recognized as a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Site.
Alma Miclat, president of MMFI, opened up on how this partnership with FEU is symbolic. The selling exhibition of the shortlisted works opened on the 4th of September in a gallery located on the ground floor of the Education Hall Building of FEU, the building where Maningning had taught at and met her tragic end in 2000. Alma Miclat shares that it has taken a great amount of strength to be able to be in that building that day. Yet her being there had brought Maningning’s legacy into a full circle. Instead of bitter memories, the Miclats return to FEU to celebrate the life of Maningning.
Presenting the awards were the awards’ judges: Imelda Cajipe – Endya, Egay Fernandez, and 2004 Maningning Miclat Art Awards grand prize winner Dexter Sy. There were 18 shortlisted finalists from a total of 64 qualified entries received online. The award recognized four finalists and one grand prize winner.
The 2018 finalists are “Beg” by John Nikko Pelaez from FEU, “Cover Up” by Harddy DC Santos from the University of the East, and Wendi T. Patoc’s “Hindi Na Maibabalik Pa.” Jessica Lopez (Lady Fishbone) from Pangasinan State University was named this year’s grand prize recipient for her work “Motion of Life”.
Lopez will receive a Julie Lluch Sculpture trophy, a cheque for Php 28,000, Miclat Book Collection, and a solo exhibition at District Gallery.
The awarding was followed by “Ginugunita Kita”, an hour long musical performance of Maningning’s poems turned into music. Banaue Miclat-Janssen sang her sister’s poems and interspersed between each number are anecdotes of her relationship with her sister Maningning. The songs performed were arranged and played by Jesse Lucas, accompanied by cellist Renato Lucas with guest performers Al Gatmaitan and Angela Castro.
