Lesson 4:: The Contemporary in Traditional Art
Lesson 4:: The Contemporary in Traditional Art
Lesson 4:: The Contemporary in Traditional Art
THE CONTEMPORARY IN
TRADITIONAL ART:
National Living Treasures Award
(Philippines)
alternatively known as the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA; lit. Award for
the Creators of the Country) is conferred to a person or group of artists recognized
by the Government of the Philippines for their contributions to the country's
intangible cultural heritage.
A recipient of the award, known as a National Living
Treasures or Manlilikha ng Bayan is defined as "a Filipino
citizen or group of Filipino citizens engaged in any traditional
art uniquely Filipino, whose distinctive skills have reached
such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have
been passed on to and widely practiced by the present
generations in their community with the same degree of
technical and artistic competence.
The National Living Treasures Award (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) was institutionalized in
1992 through Republic Act No. 7355. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts,
which is the highest policy-making and coordinating body of the Philippines for culture and the
arts, was tasked with the implementation. This is in line with UNESCO's criteria of Living
is an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community anywhere in the
1. Philippines that has preserved indigenous customs, beliefs, rituals and traditions
and/or has syncretized whatever external elements that have influenced it.
must have engaged in a folk-art tradition that has been in existence and
Criteria: 2. documented for at least 50 years.
To become a
National Living
must have consistently performed or produced over a significant period,
Treasure, the 3. works of superior and distinctive quality.
candidate must
possess the
following must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by the art and must
qualifications: 4. have an established reputation in the art as master and maker of works of
extraordinary technical quality.
must have passed on and/or will pass on to other members of the community their
5. skills in the folk art for which the community is traditionally known.
A traditional artist who possesses all the qualities of a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate,
but due to age or infirmity has left them incapable of teaching further their craft, may
still be recognized if
3. has passed on to the other members of the community skills in the folk art
for which the community is traditionally known.