It was the peak of the lockdown in April 2020. The PBA Board had its very first Zoom meeting. Then President Juju Lotilla asked the board if there are projects that the PBA could pursue during the lockdown.
Several ideas were shared and I think it was Past President Rico de Guzman who suggested an online art auction. The proposal was enthusiastically welcomed by the board and I was tasked to fine tune the details.
RLSAA –
The lakeshore town of Angono is the art capital of the Philippines. It is home to the Regional Lead School for the Arts in Angono (RLSAA). This is a public school for young gifted visual artists very much like the Makiling School for Performing Arts.
My Rotary Club (The Rotary Club of Marikina West of which Pope Solis and I are Past Presidents) has been a long-time benefactor of the RLSAA.
I actually own many pieces from its students that I accumulated over the years. Their artworks are not expensive and are in fact sometimes sold just to defray the cost of materials.
I got in touch with their coordinator, Ms. Len Carbonell, and broached the idea of an online art auction to help promote and sell the works of RLSAA students. She readily agreed and committed to get in touch with the students who were all staying at home.
ARTipolo –
ARTipolo is another art center. It is home to many artists inspired by its mountainous terrain and rustic charm.
There is an association of artists based in Antipolo and nearby towns and they call themselves “ARTipolo”. It has thirty-six (36) members some of whom are based abroad.
I was introduced by a friend to its President, Pol Mesina, a renowned painter and mentor to so many aspiring artists. I met Pol to propose the online auction project which he readily accepted.
The project was a much-needed opportunity for its members to sell their paintings during the lockdown since art exhibits were not allowed.
Now, the PBA had two partners and beneficiaries for the online art auction. Time to move it forward….
Lunch at Orville Tiamzon’s ancestral home, gallery and workshop –
Orville Tiamzon is a prominent son of Angono. He is an established artist and the art tutor of RLSAA students. His gallery located in his sprawling home in Angono is a must-see for art lovers.
Around September 2020, we invited Ms. Carbonell and Mr. Pol Mesina to lunch and to go over the details of the project. Orville’s garden was a perfect venue to enjoy the sumptuous lunch with inihaw na liempo and seafoods prepared by Past President Pope and wife Vicky.
Orville displayed his pieces and some paintings from the RLSAA students. To cap the day, we bought handcrafted easels with Orville’s signature and went home happy and satisfied.
Time to finalize the auction date and materials….
The Catalogue –
Ms. Jing Osias joined the PBA as Office Manager in October 2020. It was timely as Jing was quite competent in handling the administrative aspect of the project. The PBA Online Art Auction 2020 Catalogue was produced by Jing’s niece, Abigail Ramos, and disseminated to prospective bidders. It was a fantastic product – professionally-designed and elegant. By the time the catalogue was finalized, we had eighty-three (83) art pieces for auction and fifty-three (53) participating artists.
All systems go for the live auction….
D-Day
It was the week before Christmas 2020 and the holiday mood was not dampened by the pandemic. Pres. Rico Domingo generously offered his Makati office as the live auction site. Vicky Solis and her production/technical team were onsite.
With Zoom as the platform, around fifty (50) invited bidders participated. Several hours later, we auctioned off fifty-eight (58) pieces.
It was a resounding success!
Special thanks to President Rico Domingo, Past Presidents Juju Lotilla, Pope Solis and wife Vicky, Rico de Guzman and Fina Tantuico, Trustee Bingbing Fernando, former Trustee Othelo Carag, PBA member Divine Pedron (our resident art expert), Jing Osias, and to all the officers and trustees of the PBA!
Looking forward to PBA Online Art Auction 2021!