A canvas of the future

CANVAS also works with Filipino artists and writers to publish original and local books for children that are given to kids in poor and disadvantaged communities.

Books open the mind to a world full of imagination. When given to children, it becomes an investment in the form of visuals and words that expose them to other realities and truths. Books and children are the hope of the future.

“It’s a cliché but it’s true. We do books because we want our children to learn and love books. Because if our children learn how to love books, there’s a bigger chance that the kids will lead a better life than we did because they can do things that non-lovers, non-readers can’t,” founder and executive director of CANVAS Gigo Alampay shared.

Children’s books, for Gigo, opens kids’ interest in humanity. “Of course, other fields are important. But there’s also something about the humanities and the way they would think independently. So, when you bring art to children, as we are trying to do, they’ll imagine a lot. I just know that kids will learn and be better with art.”

CANVAS stands for Center of Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development. It is a non-profit organization that works with creative communities to promote children’s literacy, explore national identity and promote deep appreciation for arts, culture and environment in the Philippines.

The group also works with Filipino artists and writers to publish original and local books for children that are given to kids in poor and disadvantaged communities.

It aims to promote independent reading while exposing their minds to Filipino art and literature. “For many of them, our books are the very first that they get to call their very own. It helps them not only in reading but in nurturing their love for books,” Gigo said.

“There’s a way for art to reach [other people],” he added. Their books are meant for children who are nine to 12 years of age, while activity books can be appreciated by those as young as six years old.

Some of their books are products of their story writing competition called the Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition while others are commissioned works.

CANVAS collaborates with one artist to produce one artwork — then it becomes the basis for the Romeo Forbes Children’s Story Writing Competition in which the contestants will try to write a story about it. It is open to all Filipino writers in the world. It first started in 2006 and used to run once a year.

This time around, CANVAS can be held three to four times in 12 months. Their youngest winner was a 16-year-old high school student studying in Dubai, Phoebe de Leon, with her winning piece “Moon Rising” with the artwork from Iggy Rodriguez’s contest piece.

There are no specific themes for the contest, but rather some stories end up having more impact or success than others. “It’s one of the more interesting and fun things about the contest. Writers will go in different directions and there is no way to predict what kind of stories emerge,” Gigo shared.

CANVAS also has its “Looking for Juan” program that uses art to explore, debate, reflect and discuss social issues. It is during their annual Outdoor Banner Exhibit that showcases 80 to 120 Filipino artists responding to a theme about Filipino identity.

Under their programs, CANVAS has produced 30 titles and distributed 250,000 books in partnership with a hundred volunteers, partner organizations from all over the Philippines.

CANVAS founder and executive director Gigo Alampay.

CANVAS was born on 13 June 2005 with its first publication Elias and His Trees, an adaptation of The Man Who Planted Trees written by French writer Jean Giono. Gigo had always dreamed of publishing an adaptation for it since the book had made an impact on him when he encountered it in the 80s.

When he set about doing it, the whole team was concerned about intellectual property rights. “I wrote to the publisher of the Man Who Planted Trees and they said, ‘Legend has it that Jean Giono, the author, gave it to the world,’” he shared.

This inspired CANVAS to spread the same lavishness for their books and by not being particular about copyrights. In fact, its owners/readers can use it for whatever they want thought hopefully not for commercial purposes.

“That’s what we claimed to do. If we got our start from the generosity of one writer, it’s only fair to extend the same generosity (to the rest of the world),” Gigo said. CANVAS’ books have a copyright page that enables its owners/readers to spread, share and use the books.

“This is also why we try to make the books high quality so that people can reproduce it to their hearts’ content,” he shared.

CANVAS prints hardbound copies which it gives to libraries, also publishing it in soft covers, with the text in both English and Filipino. Some of its books have been used as psychosocial therapies to help children deal with trauma or displacement, like Nadia and the Blue Stars.

“We’ve also been commissioned to develop and publish a book for the indigenous Tagbanua Tribe in Palawan. We sent a team there to talk with and interview the elders of the tribe to learn about and get inspiration from their legends, culture and traditions. The result of this very fulfilling project was Three Tales of the Tagbanua which was published in 2017,” he recalled.

However, it was Elias and His Trees that kickstarted the group’s will to promote reading to children all over the nation. “The success of the first book led us to more books, which later led to more books, new programs and to even bigger dreams,” Gigo said.

Some of CANVAS’ books are sold at Fully Booked and are also available through their website at www.canvas.ph and www.lookingforjuan.com where most of their titles can be downloaded for free.

People can also extend help through their merchandise such as notebooks, bags, art cards and shirts that are available at their websites. Email at info@canvas.ph, Facebook @canvas.ph, Instagram @lookingforjuan and Twitter @canvasph.