LESSON 5: Artists and Artisans An artist is a person who exhibits exceptional skills in the visual and/or the performing arts. A rtists are more sensitive , very perceptive and more creative . They have the knack of interpreting ideas into an artistic form using as their medium the words, pigments, clay, stone, musical notes or any combination that may best represent his message. The artist then gives this experience (substance) form using a skillful composition of the media (paint, stone, movements for example) selected. The arrangement he imposes on his media fits the nature of the materials chosen so as to give the work spontaneity and perfect harmony.
The artwork portrays the artist's experience as subject matter, but it uses it after it has passed the artist's sensibilities and has been carefully analyzed, felt and thought.
An artisan , on the other hand, is a person who is in a skilled trade that involves making things by hand. He is a craft worker who makes or creates objects of great beauty by just using his hands. His creations may be functional or decorative like an earthen potor palayok ' for cooking or vase for decoration.
Artisans focus particularly on the technique and medium of the craft and through experience hone their skills enabling them to reach the expressive levels of an artist. E xamples of artisans' crafts are: furniture, sculpture, glass figurines, metal work, clothing, jewelry, food items, and handicrafts.
Handmade products of skilled artisans are priced more than commercial (factory-made) products. Artisans were the dominant producers of consumer products prior to the Industrial Revolution. Locally, in places outside the urban areas, many artisans abound. Some of the well-known are the woodcarvers of Paete , Laguna, the ceramic makers of Tiwi, Albay, the basket weavers of Pangasinan and the piña weavers of Kalibo, Aklan. These local artisans have created products that are recognized and sought after around the world, making the Philippines a nation of highly skilled artisans.
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awards or GAMABA is an award that acknowledges folk and indigenous artists who, despite modern technology, remain true to their traditions. They are recognized by the Philippine Government for their invaluable contributions to the preservation of the country's cultural heritage. It is administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee.
GAMABA began as a project of the Philippine Rotary Club Makati- Ayala. In 1992, it was adopted by the government and institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7335. This award aims to support and motivate these local artists to preserve their artistic heritage for the present and future generations. These artists are also recognized as the Philippine's National Living Treasures.
GAMABA Awardees: Artist Name Type of Art Origin/ Tibe Date of Recognition by GAMABA Contribution 1. Ginaw Bilog Poet, Hanunuo Mangyan Panaytayan , Oriental Mindoro 1993 (Died in 2003) helped preserved the Mangyan literary tradition by documenting the pieces of ambahan recorded not only on bamboo tubes but also on notebooks passed on to him. The ambahan is a poetic literary form composed of seven-syllables. It is usually sung . 2. Masino Intaray Musician and Storyteller Brookes Point, Palawan Pala'wan 1993 (Died in 2013) mastered the traditions of his people--the Palawan, Batak, and Tagbanwa in the highlands of southern Palawan. He is skillful in basal (gong music ensemble), kulilal (lyrical poem expressing passionate love sang with the accompaniment of the kudyapi ), and bagit (instrumental music depicting nature).
3. Samaon Sulaiman Musician Mamasapano , Maguindanao Magindanaon 1993 (Died in 2011) master in the use of the kulintang and kudyapi of the Maguindanaons . His extensive repertoire of dinaladay , linapu , minuna , and binalig has demonstrated not only his own skills but their culture. 4. Lang Dulay Textile Weaver Lake Sebu , South Cotabato T’boli 1998 (Died in 2015) continued the T’boli tradition and preserved the culture of their community through patterns of crocodiles, butterflies, flowers, mountains, and streams and of Lake Sebu in her works.
5. Salinta Monon Textile Weaver Bansalan , Davao del Sur Tagabawa Bagobo 1998 (Died in 2009) started learning weaving traditional Bagobo textiles from her mother at the age of 12. Her family is among the remaining Bagobo weavers in the community. 6. Alonzo Saclag Musician and Dancer Lubugan , Kalinga Kalinga 2000 worked for the preservation of Kalinga culture. He lobbied that the abandoned Capitol Building be turned into a museum, that schools implement the practice of donning the Kalinga costume for important events, and that traditional Kalinga music should be broadcasted alongside contemporary music in the local radio station. He also formed the Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe to guarantee that his knowledge in the performing arts is passed on to others.
7. Federico Caballero Epic Chanter Sulod -Bukidnon Calinog , Iloil 2000 worked hard to document the oral literature of his people. He has preserved the epics that use a language that has long been dead by working together with scholars, artists, and advocates of culture . 8. Uwang Ahadas Musician Lamitan , Basilan Yakan 2000 work to preserve and promote Yakan culture through the traditional music and instruments of his tribe. He has mastered the gabbang , the agung, the kwintangan kayu , and others.
9. Darhata Sawabi Textile Weaver Parang, Sulu Tausug 2004 (Died in 2005) master weaver in the island of Jolo . Like most women in their tribe, she has learned the art of weaving the pis syabit , the traditional cloth tapestry worn as head cover by the Tausug of Jolo , from her mother. 10 Eduardo Mutuc Metalsmith Apalit , Pampanga Kapampangan 2004 dedicated his life in sculpting retablos, mirrors, altars, and carosas from silver, bronze, and wood. Some of his works can exceed 40 feet tall while the others feature smaller sizes and delicate craftsmanship.
11. Haja Amina Appi Mat Weaver Tandubas , Tawi-Tawi Sama 2004 recognized as the master mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community of Ungos Matata. Her mats are known for their complex geometric patterns, proportion, and unique combination of colors. 12. Teofilo Garcia Casque ( tabungaw ) Maker San Quintin, Abra llocano 2012 makes gourd casques and weave baskets from his grandfather at the age of 16. Since he learned the craft, he never stopped experimenting with other designs. He previously used nito (vine trimmings) to decorate the headgear and then used with other materials such as bamboo after his supplier from Cagayan passed away
13. Magdalena Gamayo Textile ( inabel ) Weaver Pinili , Ilocos Norte ilocano 2012 has taught herself the traditional patterns of binakol , inuritan (geometric design), kusikos (spiral forms similar to oranges), and sinan-sabong (flowers). She has learned the art of weaving from her aunt and started harnessing her innate skills at the age of 16. She may be in her late 80s but she still manages to arrange threads on the loom, which is the hardest task in textile weaving.