The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) recognized this year’s Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) awardees through a virtual Awarding Ceremony & Exhibit Opening held on September 16, 2021. On its 37th year, MADE adopted the theme “Spectrum: The Art of Possibilities” inviting every Filipino artist to tap into the expansive realm of creativity and transpose their spectrum of ideas into works that mirror the human experience and reshape the world anew. This year, MADE received the highest number of entries in the last 10 years with a record-breaking 701 entries.
“The hundreds of entries submitted across the country are a testament to our local artists’ passion to create. They convey visually the heartbeat of a people facing a global disease, the fears, the anger, the sadness and loss, but also the hope, the courage and the tenacity to fight this enemy with kindness, generosity and compassion,” MBFI president Aniceto Sobrepeña said in his welcome remarks.
Out of these entries, eight Filipino painters and sculptors emerged as this year’s batch of MADE awardees. Two Grand Awardees for the Painting Recognition Program and one Grand Awardee for the Sculpture Recognition Program received a prize of PhP 500,000.00. Three artists for the Painting Recognition Program and two for Sculpture Recognition Program were conferred with the Special Citation, with each given a prize of PhP 100,000.00.
The Final Board of Judges was chaired by well-known painter, installation artist, art educator, and sculptor Toym Imao. Members of the Board included Art Fair Philippines co-founder Dindin Araneta; product designer and metal sculptor Daniel de la Cruz; Cultural Center of the Philippines Visual Arts and Museum Division officer-in-charge Rica Estrada; intermedia artist Mark Salvatus; and interdisciplinary artist Josephine Turalba. The late visual artist Leo Abaya also served as a part of the board of jurors until his passing last May.
In his message, Imao said that “Our participants created awesome, honest, and powerful works that win or lose, have become an important part of history: of how this generation of artists imaged the spirit and the essence of these challenging times. Of how their narratives and stories can help all of us find the light again.”
“This year’s selection does not disappoint in the array of styles and themes depicted. We see paintings that show sophisticated use of color and works that require a high degree of technical skill. Figurative works still dominate much of the selection, as do works that present social plights and the harsh realities of daily life,” shares juror Rica Estrada in her curator’s note.
More than just a pioneering corporate social responsibility (CSR) program for the arts, MADE has evolved to become a development program that facilitates the generation of ideas promoting social development, appreciation and preservation of our cultural heritage, as well as making art accessible to the many through its various art education activities and events.
To affirm its commitment, MBFI remained a supporter of local visual artists who were constrained by the challenges of these unusual times. A cash assistance program dubbed as MADE-CARES (Community Aid and Relief for Emergency Situations) was implemented last 2020, benefitting over 200 artists from the PhP1 million financial aid.
