FEU’s artistic heritage:
Renewing a sense of pride
2009 Outstanding published feature article
on youth and education in a school organ
Hazel Joy Galamay
FEU Advocate
Far Eastern University
Frescoes. Murals. Sculptures. Art Deco. A number of national treasures dwell within the University. Yet, these priceless pieces are unknown to outsiders and to some students and alumni.
FEU is truly rich in terms of architectural designs and artworks. In fact, the entire campus is considered a tourist landmark. Two years back, FEU is the proud recipient of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2005 Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage award. UNESCO Commissioner Augusto Villalon, in his blog entry on September 15, 2005 on the the Heritage Society – FEU’s UNESCO award, says: “The University (FEU) art collection is outstanding.”
FEU – A CAMPUS MUSEUM
“Postwar FEU was a beacon for a culture-hungry populace,” describes Azucena Grajo-Uranza in FEU Arts and Culture. Dr. Nicanor Reyes, Sr.–FEU founder and the very first Filipino to receive a Ph.D. in Accounting– envisioned an academic institution that would not just excel in academics but also in arts, culture, and sports. His vision came to reality, with a community of learners and professors working hand in hand to ensure that thousands of students whose schooling had been interrupted by three years of war would continue studying.
FEU, then situated at Quezon Boulevard, was rebuilt at Calle Azcarraga, Quiapo, Manila. This started the long tradition of upholding excellence.
From the time of war up to this date, FEU continues to undergo campus maintenance. This is evidently reflected on the numerous classic masterpieces and structures housed and taken care of by the University. What were considered as mere restorations have now become historic landmarks and priceless works of art.
FEU’s Auditorium is designed by Pablo Antonio Sr., National Artist for Architecture in 1949. It is the first Cultural Center of the Philippines, and also, the very first fully air-conditioned auditorium in the Philippines which can accommodate 1000 spectators.
The Auditorium was home to renowned orchestras. It featured dances from Manila Ballet Academy, New York City Center Ballet, and Martha Graham – an American dancer and one of the twentieth century revolutionary artists. It also became the venue of major theatrical productions like Bastien and Bastienne – created by two National Artists, Nick Joaquin (on words) and Cesar Legaspi (on scenic designs).
In addition, it was in FEU where Sarah Joaquin–actress, writer, director, and former Head of the Drama Department–showcased her talents through presentation of classic and contemporary plays. To this date, the auditorium upholds this legacy by accommodating more notable performances from artists here and abroad.
Another masterpiece is within the Student Council Association (SCA) Chapel. Inaugurated on the 8th of December 1957, the SCA Chapel is where religious activities of faculty, personnel, and students are held. Its interior features a mural by Carlos “Botong” Francisco, proclaimed National Artist in 1973 and discoverer of Angono Petroglyphs (which is the oldest known work of art in the Philippines). His painting 14 Stations of the Cross encompasses 260 degrees of one’s visual range. SCA Chapel’s façade is the richly colored tile mosaic of Our Lady of Fatima by Vicente Manansala, also a National Artist who developed the transparent cubism technique apparent in this piece of art.
Nicanor Reyes Hall (NRH) is the oldest and most valued structure on campus, for it is a remnant of the original architectural design back in FEU’s founding years. It contains several masterpieces like Nicanor Reyes, Sr.’s memorial in front of the building and the painting of Simeon Saulog, father of Filipino Madonas (which he introduced in the 40s) and a National Artist mentored by Amorsolo.
Also, Science Building, formerly a seven-storey high structure reduced to five floors by the 1990 earthquake, now stands as one of FEU’s pride in Art Deco expression. The entire building was designed by Pablo Santos Sr., National Artist for Architecture who led the development of Art Deco buildings in the Philippines.
Most notable is the Administration Building which was designed and inaugurated on the same date as the Auditorium. This is where notable masterpieces are kept. The Administration lobby has floor tiles made of Carrara Marble, the same material used by Michelangelo in his mother and child sculpture La Pieta and also used in New York’s Grand Central Station.
From that same area, four murals of Francesco Monti, an Italian painter of the late-Baroque periods, can be seen. At the left side facing the entrance of the Administration Building is a fresco which speaks of Religion; the right side fresco speaks of Entrepreneurship. At the further back are murals which depict innovation and technological progress and Filipino festivity.
The second floor hallway is lined with FEU Institute Logos, each drawn and designed by Gallo Ocampo – another National Artist who is known for his design of the Coat of Arms of the Philippine Republic. Also on the second floor, great works of two National Artists adorn the walls. These are Pista sa Angono by Carlos “Botong” Francisco and the FEU Administration Building Mural by Antonio Dumlao – a conservative painter from Ilocos Norte in the 1950s. In Dumlao’s work, there are farmers tilling the land and scientists with viewing lenses. A young woman in native terno represents the nation and holds the University – FEU’s side facing Quezon Boulevard, saying that the mission of the University is to train the youth for progress.
The well-known treasure of the University, located around the flagpole near the Pavilion, is Vicente Manansala’s sculptures of welded sheets. These sculptures standing at roughly five feet are clustered into four groups. The first cluster represents the value of learning the sciences: a doctor, a nurse, a patient, workers, and builders. The second group depicts people’s love of God and country. The third group reflects pre-Hispanic laws and mores. Lastly, the fourth group represents government and democracy.
HERALDING THROUGH TOURISM
Featuring FEU in his tour business ‘Old Manila Walks’, Ivan Man Dy, a professional streetwalker who organizes heritage tours said, “The Far Eastern University, located in Manila’s chaotic and overcrowded University belt, is the proverbial rose in a sea of thorns.” With UNESCO’s recognition, FEU Chair Dr. Lourdes Reyes Montinola together with former Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Elizabeth Melchor, in collaboration with the President’s Committee on Culture (PCC) and Tourism Management Society, designed a program that would boost pride to the alma mater. They conceptualized a project similar to Ivan Man Dy’s tours. “Instead of outsiders doing the walk tour for us, why not have it done by people who already know the University by heart,” said PCC Head Martin Lopez.
FEU Walk Tours had its premiere on October 16 and 17, 2007 – during the third Pinoy Media Congress (PMC) held in FEU. Four tourism students, Rey Oli, Simonette Chang, Stephany Bautista, and Dominique Soriano, supervised by the Tourism Management Society Adviser Ronald Manzano, toured congress participants, students, teachers, advisers from different schools, and ABS-CBN staff around the campus. According to Soriano, it had a favorable response because most visitors and guests admired FEU after joining the tour. One faculty member from the University Asia and the Pacific stated, “FEU is a fantastic university! FEU has such rich cultural heritage.”
The program has two categories. The first is the Professional walk Tour, which is conducted by Institute faculty members. This specifically caters to VIPs and other special guests. The second category, which is the Student Walk Tour handled by Tourism Students, is for interested enrollees, transferees, and parents. Initiating the project early in the second semester of AY 2007–2008, the organizers have handled a few groups. According to Lopez, there were five tours which were conducted by appointment and accommodated every first week of the month.
With minimal frequency of Walk Tours, head of the Admissions and Placements Office (APO) Dr. Albert Cabasada proposed to have it conducted everyday. However, this particular program is yet to be accredited by the school. “Officers of the Tourism Management Society have plans to make it more formal, and make it an organization open for recruitment,” Soriano stated. “But recruitments are limited to Tourism students only kasi sila ‘yung merong Travel and Tours subject. This will enhance both their skills and experience not to mention uplift the University’s name even more,” he added.
In a tour conducted on the 8th of February 2008, docents from the National Museum and Editor Patricia M. Laurel from Arts-in-Site – a quarterly publication of the Manila Center for the Arts – were surprised by the architectural designs and artworks in FEU.
The walk promotes not just the priceless pieces housed in the University but also how cleanliness on campus should be maintained. “Manila has really faded but [it’s different] when you come inside. And it’s good to know that the [FEU] Administration is doing something like this [walk tour],” Carmen Perez of National Museum said.
FEU is an eye-opener according to Armando Fabia, an Interior Designer from University of Santo Tomas: “It is my first time to enter FEU and I am astounded of how alive the culture here is. I love the Auditorium but most especially how the performing arts were sustained over years.”
CHANGING PERSPECTIVE
FEU has truly become a tourist spot in the middle of Manila’s urbanite streets. With the Walk Tour Program, FEU now opens its doors for more cultural appreciation. The murals and priceless pieces housed in the University are often ignored and this particular service offered will generate delight to outsiders as well as to the entire studentry.
It is very disheartening, though, that these national treasures–opportunities for understanding art and culture– are, more often than not, taken for granted. “We want to give you [FEU students] a renewed sense of pride. We want to prove that this University is the oasis of the U-belt, that we find respite here,” says Lopez.
A brief journey of art along the campus will give spectators a sense of patriotism as the University reflects historic accounts of our motherland–the Philippines. From traces of war to pieces of arts, from the founding father’s vision to an existing reality, FEU has these artworks to be proud of.
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