Women and Nature: PANCIT Art Exhibit at 5050 Joyce

Women and Nature, a group exhibit by the community artists of the Philippine Artists Network for Community Integrative Transformation (PANCIT) Art Collective, opens on Tuesday, October 3, at 5:00 pm at the Still Moon Arts Studio/Gallery at 5050 Joyce Street, a quick walk across from the Joyce Sky train Station. (Supplied)

Women and Nature, a group exhibit by the community artists of the Philippine Artists Network for Community Integrative Transformation (PANCIT) Art Collective, opens on Tuesday, October 3, at 5:00 pm at the Still Moon Arts Studio/Gallery at 5050 Joyce Street, a quick walk across from the Joyce Sky train Station.

The exhibit will feature not only artworks by girls to young women to mothers, but also by Migrante’s Bert Monterona, cultural educator and internationally-awarded muralist, who has been mentoring these art enthusiasts in many Sunday art workshops organized by Migrante BC.  The exhibit is also a timely celebration to mark Canada’s Women’s History Month in October.

The community artists are Alda de Aza, Alex Lawal, Hessed Torres, Marella Nanodiego, Lorie Riego O, Iris O, Maylene Maranoc and Bert Monterona. At least 35 artworks are on exhibit and more than the majority are up for silent auction.

The exhibiting community artists brought their experiences and dreams onto their canvases using the images of women and/in nature. With Monterona’s guidance, these artists have discovered gifts that they thought they never had or thought were not good enough – the gifts of using paint and colour and of wielding a brush to transform empty canvases into their masterpieces.

The exhibit of artists in “Women and Nature” is a must-see.

Community artist Lorie comes to the workshops with her daughter Iris and says, “Painting helps Iris focus and concentrate; she enjoys doing art and brings out the patience needed to paint.” The workshops were originally for Iris but mother Lorie has also discovered the therapeutic results of the painting sessions.The same sentiment is echoed by Alda de Aza who comes to the workshops to paint together with her son Alex who has” learned to focus” from these sessions.

The public will get a chance to meet the community artists on the first opening day and on the closing day. Some art pieces will be on silent auction.

Viewers will get the chance to bid on the artworks that they wish to own by entering their bids on the sheets posted beside each artwork in the gallery. Bidding will close before the end of the exhibit and fundraiser on Saturday, Oct 7th. Successful bidders will be able to bring their artwork home on the last exhibit day.

The exhibit is open at these hours:

October 3 – 1:00pm to 8:00pm

October 4 – 5:00pm to 8:00pm

October 5 – 1:00pm to 8:00pm

October 6 – 5:00pm to 8:00pm

October 7 – 10:00am to 8:00pm

The final day of the exhibit, Oct 7, will feature the Fundraiser organized by the Women’s Organizing Committee; a night of songs, music and poetry. These are young, strong Filipino-Canadian women committed to organizing a group of their own. Tickets will be $20 and $10 for seniors and students. Proceeds go to the Women’s Committee’s organizing and programming work. See Facebook event page of Migrante.

Come to support community artists of PANCIT and the Women’s Committee of Migrante. For more information, call 778-317-1051 or visit Facebook page of Migrante.