FORMER Cultural Center of the Philippines Board of Trustees member and art patron Teresita Ojeda Luz passed away on April 28, 2019. She joined the CCP Board in July 1999 and ended her term in 2007.
Tessie, as she was fondly called, acted in numerous plays directed by Fr. James Reuter during her heydays. She was remembered for being a highly principled person and possessing the discipline of a performing artist. She likewise helped in managing the Luz Gallery in Manila, which they established, featuring exhibits of up and coming Filipino artists.
“It is a great feeling of fondness and admiration that I have for Tessie Luz,” according to former Chairman of the 1995 CCP Board of Trustees Chingay Lagdameo. “We were casual friends when we were appointed to the Cultural Center Board of Trustees, 1995, and we became true friends as we bonded together to work on saving the land that we felt was rightfully owned by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Our work mandated addressing the charter of the CCP, and safeguarding its heritage, ownership, and the protection of its work force as it was dangerously threatened, for over twenty years by a contesting party, for decision in the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Together with other committed members of the Board of Trustees, we worked cohesively, from research to countless meetings with concerned artists and professionals in various areas, oftentimes assuring one another that this was a battle, not for ourselves, but for the Filipino and his cultural heritage. Throughout all this time, Tessie was always present, her heart and mind always in true spirit of courage and determination. To me, Tessie, is more than a friend. She will remain in memory as a noble patron and an icon and defender of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, a major repository of the Filipino’s cultural heritage.”
She is survived by her husband, National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz and three children.
