by Lyka Calingasan
Often, art is viewed, admired, and appreciated. It is seen for its beauty; stared at out of curiosity. It is praised for the talent it represents, and critiqued for the technique it demonstrates. Art can outlive its creator and grow with time. It is immortal as it is powerful, and yet, often, its potential remains dormant because our perspective continues to be superficial. We view, admire, and appreciate, and while those are just as important, they are not the limit to what art can be.
Linguistics, technology, mathematics — they are considered to be powerful weapons of society. Who’s to say art cannot be the same? Art can create movements, recreate history, and destroy ideas. It can teach a great expanse of knowledge, if only one dares to look deeper. It can bridge people and communities, if only one takes a willing step.
In the 14th run of the Lasallian Arts Month, an annual celebration of the prosperity of art within the Benildean-Lasallian community, the Office of Culture and Arts intends to represent the industry as more than the visual and the aesthetic. We transpire to enlighten the audience to the possibilities that art can reach, including its prospect as media to showcase current and pressing societal issues in the same honesty but in a different light. This year, we hope to increase the awareness of art and its many forms and encourage the community to not just wake up to art but also to awake in art.
