Exhibit of Fil-Am artist’s works opens at Sentro Rizal DC

Guests admire the works of Nilo M. Santiago. Nilo Santiago has said that he prefers subjects that are “interesting, colorful and at times, thought-provoking.” CONTRIBUTED

WASHINGTON, D.C.– An exhibition of the recent works of renowned Filipino American artist Nilo M. Santiago opened at the Philippine Chancery Building, in commemoration of the 157^thBirth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal.

Sentro Rizal Washington DC and the Philippine Arts, Letters and Media Council, Inc. (PALM) inaugurated the exhibit on 20 June 2018.

A graduate of UST Fine Arts School in Manila, Nilo M. Santiago has been working for the past 20 years as an artist in the metropolitan Washington area – as a creative designer, commercial printer, and painter in various media. He is a winner of numerous awards in national competitions in the United States and served as the official illustrator of the US Air Force for many years. For this exhibition, he is showcasing his works on Philippine Historic Churches and Women’s Fashion at the Turn of the Century.

Sentro Rizal Washington DC gratefully receives ten portraits of great Filipinos from Project Saysay, a youth-led advocacy with a mission to spread the ideas and values of great Filipino forebears by generating relevant, useful, and inspiring quotes and other information sourced from Philippine history. CONTRIBUTED

“I wanted to preserve the look of those old churches in my mind and in my paintings which led to my Series on Historic Churches,” Santiago explained during his presentation.

“I am also glad to show the progression of women’s fashion through the ages in the Philippines. I am amazed by the materials like piña cloth and the incredible weaving and embroideries which took hours, days, or even weeks to accomplish,” he further said.

From left, Darell Artates, public diplomacy officer of the Philippine Embassy and Sentro Rizal Washington DC Administrator; the artist Nilo M. Santiago; Dr. Bernardita Churchill, member of PALM Steering Committee and President of the Philippine National History Society; Mencie Hairston, community leader and artist, and founder of Mabuhay, Inc.; Rosalinda Yangas, member of PALM Steering Committee; and Jon Melegrito, community leader and one of PALM’s founders. CONTRIBUTED

Nilo Santiago’s drawings of Women’s Fashion at the Turn of the Century are enhanced by the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino (Textiles of the Filipino People) exhibition featuring piña-seda cloths, which debuted in the United States on 10 June 2018.

The launch of Nilo Santiago’s exhibition is a result of the tireless efforts of PALM’s Steering Committee, which is composed of history professor and culture enthusiast Dr. Bernardita Churchill; Lyta Sese; Arabella Harmon Horwitz, who turned over books to the Sentro Rizal Library; and Rosalinda Yangas, who introduced the artist at the exhibit launch.

PALM Steering Committee member Arabella Harmon Horwitz turns over books to the Sentro Rizal Washington DC Library.CONTRIBUTED

In her remarks, Darell Artates, public diplomacy officer of the Philippine Embassy and the administrator of Sentro Rizal Washington DC, outlined the upcoming activities of the center, including a possible film-showing in August, and the launch of the book, The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Around the Globe on September 27, 2018 at Kramerbooks and Afterwords in Washington, D.C.

The exhibition of Nilo M. Santiago’s recent works and the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino piña-seda displays are open for viewing at the Philippine Embassy Chancery Annex until July 16, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except on weekends and holidays.