23/09/2026
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) successfully held the Popularizing Arts event from September 17 to 18, 2026.
This event was organized by the Office of the Associate Dean for Research and Public Service (OADREPS). This two-day event brought students and faculty from inside and outside of UP, with resource persons and speakers sharing their expertise in various mediums of art. On both days, the head of OADREPS, Associate Dean Dindo P. Cafe, Ph.D., introduced the event in a way that signified the importance of the arts and their appreciation.
On September 17, 2026, two workshops were conducted by resource persons from the UPM CAS Faculty. For the morning session, Asst. Prof. Arnulfo N. Esguerra shared his knowledge and gave a live demonstration of Chinese Visual Arts. For the afternoon session, Asst. Prof. Juliet Bien showed her expertise on Maguindanao Kulintang Music and taught participants how to play the Maguindanao Kulintang ensemble. The first day of the event garnered around 80 participants.
The following day, September 18, 2026, three speakers from various art fields delivered a talk each. The first speaker, Inst. Paula Nichole Bautista of the University of Santo Tomas, gave a lecture on the artistic expression, aesthetics, and evolution of the Filipino Dress during the American Period, and how its identity and symbolism changed over time. The second speaker is Mr. Ruben Claro “Kim” Reyes IV from the UP School of Archaeology, and he talked about the connections and integration of the arts within archaeology, both as a research topic and as part of the process of recovering, recording, and reconstructing the past. Lastly, the third and final speaker, Dean Abdulmari “Toym” de Leon Imao Jr. of the UP College of Fine Arts, gave a lecture on the lack of support for art appreciation and other humanities disciplines in the current education system. This comes with the rise of AI and the planned reduction of General Education classes. The second day of the event consisted of more than 90 participants attending the talks.
Each event day was closed by the CAS Dean, Ma. Teresa G. De Guzman, Ph.D., with remarks highlighting how art is integral and vital to us as humans. Dean De Guzman reminded the participants that art, as a living culture, history, and identity, shall be kept alive, be understood, and be respected. She emphasized how art is not separate from society, as it allows us to greatly experience human things and aspects.
The Popularizing Arts event drew more than 100 students, faculty, and staff from various fields, disciplines, and schools overall. Notably, the event revealed the great interest of students in the arts, as they enthusiastically participated and interacted with the speakers during the event.
The Office of the Associate Dean for Research and Service (OADREPS) extends its sincerest gratitude to all the resource persons, speakers, and participants who helped make this year’s Popularizing Arts event meaningful and successful.
Thank you so much for your unending support!
