Free summer art workshops this May

The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design is inviting young and budding creatives to explore their passion and talent in a series of Saturday art workshops for free.

Organized as part of the Summer Arts Festival of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Center for Social Action, the lineup includes a blend of interactive and fun-filled lectures and hands-on sessions. These were specially curated to introduce fresh minds and enthusiasts to diverse art forms and encourage them to foster and showcase their ingenuity and imagination.

On 9 May, Quilt & Connect will provide a bonding opportunity for parents and children as they weave functional textile products through recycled materials, such as fabric scraps. This family crafting session guides participants as they practice and learn their hand-stitching skills.

It will be facilitated by Olivia Jaro Lopez, a textile and surface designer and visual artist. She is a full-time professor under the Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) Program, where she teaches Textile Design, Philippine Fashion History and Thesis, and served as the chairperson of the Benilde FDM Program.

On 16 May, A Kaleidoscope World is set to immerse young artists aged 13 to 17 in the beauty and significance of patterns in nature, design, and everyday life. The environmentally conscious class will develop their deeper appreciation for the world around them — both natural and man-made — as they learn the basics of building their own optical instruments.

It will be spearheaded by Sophia Glorianna Viola, a visual artist, designer, and Philippine Educational Theater Association senior artist-teacher. Her professional experience includes graphic design, creating props and set designs for styling events and theater productions and designing interior spaces.

On 23 May, a mosaic workshop will challenge crafters aged 20 and above to explore and exemplify their imagination as they form decorative images using small and versatile pieces of colored tiles. It will be facilitated by visual artist and writer Tey Ihvonie Maravilla Sevilleno. She is the co-founder of Negrense art collective Artfull, and currently serves as the president of the Art Association of Bacolod-Negros, one of the country’s longest-standing art organizations. It is also the originator of Bacolod’s iconic MassKara Festival.

The workshops are free and open to the public. Materials will be provided. The sessions will run from 9 to 11 a.m. It will be held at The Loop, Benilde Design + Arts Campus, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila. For more information, visit facebook.com/MCADManila or mcadmanila.org.ph/.