‘BAHAY:home’ art exhibit to complete 3 classrooms, benefit children in rural Capiz
From left, Maia Cruz Palileo, Alan Calpe, Ayesha Vera-Yu, Consul General Tess Dizon-De Vega, David McQueen, and Sara Jimenez. Photos by Jen Furer
Social impact innovator Advancement for Rural Kids (ARK) that feeds, gets kids back to school and creates income with their communities, along with cross-cultural learning innovator Global Playground, hosted an art exhibit and benefit on November 11, 2016. Proceeds from the night will furnish 3 sustainable classrooms rebuilt after Typhoon Haiyan in barangay Mangoso in Capiz, Philippines.
The “BAHAY: home” art exhibit and cocktail benefit held at Rogue Space Chelsea featured the outstanding works of NYC-based Filipino American artists Alan Calpe, David McQueen, and Maia Cruz Palileo; and Filipino-Canadian Sara Jimenez. Their work speaks about the “universal experience of exploration, immigration, quest for identity and belonging.” The artists generously contributed proceeds of their artwork to furnish the classrooms.
ARK CEO and co-founder Ayesha Vera-Yu welcomed guests led by Consul General Tess Dizon-De Vega and fashion designer Josie Natori. De Vega received a hearty applause as she recorded the event via Facebook Live.
Also spotted in the packed gallery were RAFE handbag executive Tesa Totengco, Chris Collins of Bloomberg News, fashion designer Suzanne Rae, book authors Mia Alvar and Jenny Santi. The gallery opened at 6:30 p.m. by which time a long line had snaked around the block of 26th Street and 10th Avenue.
Other partners that supported the event are Elemental Interiors who designed the classroom furniture, NYC-based leading food and beverage companies like Brooklyn Lager, Michael Riahi Wine Selections and Gramercy Tavern.
It was a night full of love, community and uplifting spirit and attended by Filipino Americans of all ages and, as Alan Calpe said, “those who love them.” It brought together people from various industries including art, design, literature, tech, law and finance.
Ayesha expressed how she is “humbled by the breathtaking art and the incredible generosity of the artists” to help raise funds for the project to furnish the three classrooms to benefit 100 kids.
“A chair, a table to lean in on, and a door to get them closer to their future,” that’s what the exhibit is about, she said.
The artists’ artwork and the collaboration is still up for investment until November 30th, 2016 on ARK’s event website.
About the artists, Alan Calpe is a video and animation artist. His video production has elements of performance, animation and sculpture, emphasizing bodily labor as both material and subject. His work has appeared at The Getty Museum, New Museum, The Kitchen, Danspace Project, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, and LAXART. He received his MFA in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. He is originally from Florida and currently lives in NYC.
Maia Cruz Palileo is a painter, printmaker and installation artist. She is a recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Award, and Astraea Visual Arts Fund Award. She received an MFA in sculpture from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and a BA in Studio Art from Mount Holyoke College. Maia has participated in residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, the Lower East Side Print Shop in New York, as well as the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. She has taught at the Joan Mitchell Foundation, Brooklyn College, and Rutgers University in Newark. She is represented by Taymour Grahne Gallery.
Sara Jimenez, a painter, sculptor and performance artist, received her MFA from Parsons New School of Design and her BA from University of Toronto. Her work has been shown at FiveMyles, Wayfarers, Phillips de Pury, The Brooklyn Museum, Noguchi Museum, Newark Liberty International Airport, and the BRIC Biennial in New York. She currently teaches at Parsons.
David McQueen is a sculptor/installation artist. He is a 2011 NYFA Fellow in sculpture and received an MFA in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA from Oberlin College. His work has been shown at Socrates Sculpture Park, Wayfarers, Plane Space Gallery, The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, The Bronx Museum of Art, DUMBO Arts Center, and Wave Hill.
Paintings by Maia Cruz Palileo (top) and David McQueen (above)
