In November 2023, as part of the celebration of 35th year of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, the Benilde Open Design and Art was launched. This is an initiative invites Filipino artists, architects, technologists, engineers, industrial designers, craftsmen, illustrators, textile designers, animators, playwrights, composers, poets, filmmakers, cinematographers, lighting designers, fashion designers, chefs and all creative practitioners to submit proposals to realize projects that have not seen the light of day. 

Proposals should revolve around curiosities on movement and its relationship to sustainability; the shuttling of thinking across craft and technology; and the culturing of the virtual with the real. The call further seeks design and art projects marked by an appetite for investigation and experimentation, for tinkering that fuels renovation and innovation.  

The deadline for the submissions of proposals has been extended to 12 February. Proponents of selected proposals will be notified by March 2024, coinciding with a media launch. The selected works will be shown in a month-long exhibition, anchored by a highly anticipated show by an international artist and opens to the public on 23 May. 

All entries will be reviewed and selected by a noteworthy jury — local and international advocates representing various sectors within the creative industries. Up to 10 projects will each be awarded a grant of up to P300,000 net of taxes, to assist in bringing the projects to fruition. These projects will be exhibited alongside student projects in the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and the De La Salle University campuses. 

For more information on the Benilde Open Design and Art and the call for proposals, visit the official website (open.benilde.edu.ph) and follow the social media platforms Instagram and Tiktok (@benildeopen) and Facebook (BenildeOpen). For further inquiries, send an email to benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph.