When the pandemic hit, no one was spared from its impact. Some suffer physiologically, while others have psycho-social challenges. There are those who were hit financially. Some were more affected than others and in different levels and capacities.
Working in the art and culture sector, I perceived how the effects have been more direct and deep on the performing artists, especially the freelance and/or independent artists.
I’m not a performing artist, but I can relate to their anxiety. The lack of consistent income and limited access to affordable healthcare showed a vulnerability among our artists.
For years, these artists have been rehearsing year-round for their performance seasons and suddenly the pandemic put a brake on it and everything went to a standstill. For someone who was always somewhere doing a performance and what have you, being stuck at home with uncertainties on when they could return to the stage, could make anyone anxious.
Some coped well with the changes. Others found different ways to survive. There are those who have a hard time adapting and thought this would be the end of their artistic career.
But we have to look at this global health situation as a mere pause, and not the end. Sometimes, it’s all about perspective.
Not sure if it is an aftermath of COVID or a mid-career moment, but I’ve been thinking recently about a sustainable way of working and living. More than just maintaining a life-work balance, I was questioning how I can keep improving, or whether there is a new skill I can learn to complement the current skill set that I have at the moment. Or maybe a new purpose in life.
I’ve been joining webinars on different topics, engaging in various new hobbies, and attending workshops such as the Upskilling in Performing Arts: Arts and Wellness workshop, held recently in Iloilo.
Organized by the CCP Arts Education Department (CCP AED), the Upskilling in Performing Arts project is a series of workshops that aims to provide performing artists with additional skill sets focusing on art and wellness, festival management, and performance curatorship for 21st-century museums.
The Upskilling in Performing Arts: Arts and Wellness kicked off in Iloilo, followed by the NCR leg on October 25 to 29 at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute; and culminating in Zamboanga City in November.
The workshop is in partnership with the Office of Rep. Toff de Venecia, who heads the Creative Industry block in the House of Representatives, and Bereber Sayaw for Parkinson’s Disease.
The Upskilling workshop in Iloilo focuses on harnessing the power of art in healing and wellness. Because they couldn’t quantify or gauge its core value and how much art can affect their lives, this concept of art for wellness seems vague to most people.
For the participants to really understand the concept, the people who created the module for the workshop pushed for a holistic approach. They tapped Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, a medical doctor, to explain the physiological benefits of engaging in art-making. They also engaged Yeng Gatchalian, a psychologist, to provide a psycho-social reckoning on art and mental well-being. Tracey Santiago, art trainer, and life coach moderated the discussions.
It is science meets arts—two totally different fields that you actually marry, as Santiago puts it.
With the Upskilling workshop, it is like hitting two birds with one stone. The team provided a safe space for the artists to share their stories and their worries about the pandemic, and life in general. While at the same time, they learn how to maximize their art forms for possible economic opportunities.
The ultimate goal of this workshop is to train artists they can tap. As much as they want to provide art for healing and wellness in all the disaster-stricken places, they have limited artists we can tap. By doing this upskilling workshop, the community will grow. The participants in Iloilo can be the support group for Visayas, or can be deployed anywhere they are needed.
In recent times, there has been a call to action for artists and art organizations to work with health professionals in times of global crisis, whether it is natural disasters or man-made situations.
This is something that the CCP has answered even before the call came through its Sining sa Eskwela (teacher training in the arts) and Sining Galing (art-based psycho-social activities).
Sining Galing started in 2005 when Fernando Josef called CCP AED manager Eva Salvador to do an art healing intervention for the disaster survivors in Quezon. It was followed by a series of interventions they did in calamity-stricken areas.
“The Philippines experiences disasters all year round. We are hit with about 20 typhoons every year. Not to mention volcanic eruptions, flooding, landslides, and other natural disasters. There are also insurgencies and conflicts. When this happens, we are often called to respond. After the basic necessities have been met, that’s when we come in. We provide healing through art,” shared Salvador.
Culture should be the first offense during disasters because it doesn’t have colors. It is fundamental to our society; it is our way of life.
Salvador concluded: “We create modules that are culture-based. We do in-depth research and create modules that are appropriate for the locality.”
Why use art as a tool for healing? The healing power of arts comes from telling stories, expressing themselves in a safe environment, and connecting people with their community.
Why deploy artists? Because artists are flexible and creative. They can adapt to any situation and make the best out of it.
Facing the challenges of this unprecedented time, artists have to be quick on the uptake. They innovate and adapt to the new normal. Their arts become their strength and power.