04/12/2025
Artisans Commune: BlazOn!! came alive last November 24 at Miriam College’s SMT Building, Lecture Rooms 1 and 2.
The event brought together passionate artists, students, and creatives for a meaningful exchange on the challenges, identity, and ever-evolving landscape of Filipino art. From conversations on community and culture to urgent questions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) presence in art, commercialization, and authenticity. Every dialogue was eye-opening and empowering.
The roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Robert Frederick Hayden Jr. (Chairperson of the Miriam College Global Affairs and Diplomacy program) involved an engaging conversation by Benedicto Modesto (Co-founder, Silaw Artist Collective), Eghai Roxas (Artist; Honorary Member, Silaw), and Lin Bajala (Co-founder, Odangputik Art Space) who shared powerful insights on how art shapes and reflects our identity as Filipinos, reminding us that “your art is your identity.” Challenging everyone to rethink the romanticization of struggle, to examine whose interests Filipino art sometimes serves, and to embrace the artist’s responsibility in uplifting society.
The afternoon continued with engaging workshops at the SMT viewing rooms 1 & 2, led by Benedicto Modesto for the Digital Drawing and Aurelio Castro III for the Art Journaling session, where participants explored new mediums, expressed themselves freely, and created meaningful works that capped off the day.
BlazOn became a safe, vibrant space for artists to connect, reflect, and engage with the needs of the art community, while also taking the time to have an avenue for relaxing, creating, and simply enjoying art.
We would also like to extend our special thanks to our partners , Odangputik Art Space, Arterion Philippines, and to our sponsors Kriselda Freedom and Celanià Macrame for making this event possible.
Here’s to more spaces where creativity thrives and Filipino art continues to shine. Let’s keep blazing on! ✨🔥
Caption and Layout by: Eunela Rain Ayop
Photos by: BDES and BAGD sophomores (BlazON Organizing Team)
