The North Vancouver Community Arts Council and MELD Arts will present Essence Art Exhibit that will feature the art of five Filipino-Canadian artists. It will showcase art that celebrates the roles, struggles and triumphs of all women. Slated on April 27 to May 26, 2018 at the CityScape Community Art Space in North Vancouver, the opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 26 at 7 PM, and will welcome art enthusiasts and patrons.
“Essence will feature the works of three female visual artists Esmie Gayo McLaren, Lenore RS Lim, and Pamela Gotangco. Recognizing that men are equal partners in shaping a world where everyone should be able to realize their dreams, Essence will also present male artists Chito Maravilla and Danvic Briones,” according to the exhibit press release.
Ambassador Petronila Garcia, the first woman ambassador to represent the Philippines in Canada, will be the guest speaker at the opening reception. Lenore Lim will also do a talk about her series on comfort women, her mother’s influence on her work, and the process of printmaking on May 12, Saturday, from 2-3 PM. As well, Professor Leonora Angeles of UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning and the UBC Social Justice Institute will deliver a talk on immigrant youths and the community, and women’s issues on May 19, from 2-3 PM.
The exhibit will travel to the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa in September 2018, incorporating the works of two members of Ottawa’s artistic community, Melanie Yugo and Kristina Corre.
Essence will be presented in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ), Filipino Music and Art Foundation in BC and the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society.