9 emerging artists. 3 creative consultants. 4 major creative sessions. 3 major revisions. 4 months. Close to a hundred sticks of chicken inasal and spareribs. About the same volume of rice. Countless cups of coffee and soda. A lot of love. Tons of faith.
These were what went into the making of the 2012 MassKara Festival logo.
It is a logo that captures the year’s creative impulses and temperament, the elements and values that will animate this year’s edition of the MassKara.
This year’s logo is also a statement on Bacolod’s vibrant, dynamic and thriving art scene – a fact that we should deploy in our tourism campaign as much as we highlight our food, places, and culture.
Other cities in the world are trying to position their places as art destinations because they know that art is fast becoming a huge tourism pull, attracting tycoons and jet-setters to places where art thrives.
For that their governments invite artists to perform, work, and even live with them. Bacolod is gifted. It does not have to do all that because we have artists as gifted and talented as any in the world and just as hard-working. All they need is the venue to showcase this gift and the means to tell the world of their work.
This is the reason why we have encouraged the active participation and involvement of artists in the MassKara, to make it a showcase of our tremendous artistic gifts and thus help in our tourism campaign.
That is what the logo captures: the tourism attractions of our city where life is good, where art, which is the highest expression of man, is an everyday reality.
As if this is not enough, our community of artists in this city is among the most generous of their time and talents, always ready to do their share for their city.
ELI F. J. TAJANLANGIT
Festival Director
CREATIVE CONSULTANTS
Three established artists of Bacolod City were chosen as creative consultants to assist the nine emerging artists in the creation of the 2012 MassKara Festival logo:
Raymond Legaspi provided the insights and perspective from the advertising and marketing promotion side. Legaspi had worked as creative director for advertising agencies like J Walter Thompson, Ogilvy and Mather Manila and FirstDirect, in which he was also a partner; and Arc Worldwide. Legaspi also won a bronze award in the Clio, the Oscar award of the advertising world.
Rudy Reveche, chairman of the MassKara Festival streetdancing committee who had helped transform the MassKara dance parade into theatre, gave insights from a festival participant. Reveche is an acknowledged authority in grassroots theatre and his long work resume includes directing the Philippine entry to the 2007 World Theatre Olympics of UNESCO and the Int’l Theatre Institute. He was also the Philippine delegate to the ASEAN Theatre Festival in 1998 and the International University Theatre Festival in 2011.
Charlie Co, who is the chief consultant, is a recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 13 Artists Awards in 1990 and one of the leading figures in the art scene, not only here in Bacolod and in the Philippines, but slowly (but surely), in Asia.
Co’s works are now in museums and private collections here and abroad, but he always has time for the city of his birth: He has done many public art projects for the MassKara, including last year’s sweeping Dreamers Floating Carousel at the Bacolod Government Center fountain area.
ARTISTS PROFILE
 Emilio “Jun-jun” Montelibano. Jun-jun, a graduate of Mass Communications from the University of St. La Salle, did the letter “M.” A multi-media artist, he is into production work for special events, stage, television and the movies, from sounds to lights to photography as staff, director, and editor. As a visual artist, he has done several group and duo shows, and has had three solo exhibitions. |
 Susanito Sarnate from La Carlota City did the first letter “A.” Known for his detailed and realistic clay works, Susanito has done 11 solos and many group shows here and in Manila. In 2007, he was the winner in the Intl Biennale Terracotta Festival Exhibition and Competition held in Silliman University, Dumaguete City. |
 Claudine Joyce “Cindy” Ballesteros did the first “S.” A nursing graduate of USLS, Cindy nevertheless pursues work in the arts. She is into performance arts – concerts, plays, special events, TV, movies, as well as visual arts, and has done several group and duo shows already. |
 JR Delleva, who studied fine arts major in painting at the La Consolacion College in Bacolod City did the second “S.” Now with an installation work at the Orange Gallery, JR has joined plenty of group shows since 2006. He did his first solo last year, and joined Jun-jun in a twin bill at the Negros Occidental Visual Arts Gallery in Manila last June. |
 Guenievere “Guen” Decena painted the letter K. The only daughter of two traveling musical artists, Guen graduated with a fine arts degree major in advertising with cum laude honors from LCC Bacolod. She was part of many group shows since 2004 and mounted her first solo in 2011. This year, she had another solo, “Suspend the World” in Manila. |
 Hilario “Doods” Campos III did the second letter “A.” An architect by profession, Doods graduated from LCC Bacolod. He works mostly with watercolor and acrylic and is known for his playful take on things. He has done many group shows and four solos. |
 “R” was done by Roderick Tijing, who is based in Silay City. A graduate of Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of St. La Salle, Tijing has done two solo shows last year, and was in three group shows this year, the latest of which was “Looking for Juan” at the Vargas Museum in Diliman. In 2004, he had a show at the Leuenberger Residence in Switzerland. |
 Peter James Fantinalgo, like JR, works at B>sides Art Initiatives Studio in Bacolod and is a graduate of fine arts major in advertising from LCC Bacolod. Peter painted the last “A.” He is from Roxas City, Capiz. He has done several group shows in Manila and Bacolod. Last year, he did a solo, “Illusion Allusion” at the Orange Gallery in Bacolod. |
 The 9th artist put all these art works together and with digital skill and savvy, put the finishing touches into what you now see as the 2012 MassKara logo. A computer engineering graduate of USLS, Daryl Anthony Jimenea works in cyberspace, a frontier which Bacolod artists like him are also conquering. |
