Ongoing at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, California, is an art and photo exhibition entitled “Gilas, Puso, Buhay” by the Magilas Art Group, an association of doctors from the University of Santo Tomas Medicine Class of 1981. The show is being organized to raise funds for the UST Hospital Clinical Division Surgery Indigency Program.
Photo by Jacinto Tee
Featured in the exhibit are works by Magilas members Marie Josephine Han-Valera, Jose Leonardo V. Mejino, Angela Manansala, Angelita Andaya, Mary Paz Balanagay, Minda Marie Cabrera, Perla Deveza, Wilma Dumlao-Olson, Eileen Navarro Almario, and Robert Ang, with pieces by guest artists Augusto Agoncillo, Yeye Calderon, Reynaldo Caluag, Merlie Alunan, Ruby Silvious and Celeste Lecaroz.
Dr. Minda Marie Cabrera, a specialist in Rehabilitation Medicine and a portraitist, steered the founding the group in 2020. The members—who live in various parts of the world —honed their skills through online classes.
Their first webinar was with physician, expert watercolorist and UST Fine Arts graduate Dr. Reynaldo Caluag. Group member Dr. Jose Reynaldo Mejino recalls, “Dr. Caluag shared his artworks with us and talked about techniques. More importantly he also talked about his experiences and delight in doing art, how much fun and relaxing it is to do art.”
The group also had an intensive session with pastel and spontaneous realism artist Celeste Lecaroz. Member Onard Mejino recounts, “Ms. Lecaroz revealed insights on developing the artist’s eye in order to acquire both the visual and perceptual feeling needed to render an image into a piece of art.”
Dr. Minda Cabrera, herself, gave a talk on art as a healing tool. Dr. Mejino elaborates, “She wanted to introduce a productive and creative activity outside of medicine. One that would relieve stress and provide recreation and relaxation. Many embraced the idea… Soon, some of our classmates were immersed into doing art. It is most gratifying to see them metamorphose from the uninitiated into bona fide artists.”
Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer formally opened the “Gilas, Puso Buhay” exhibit and delivered the Keynote Address. The show runs until November 3, 2023.
