WITH THE THEME of, “Kapantay ay Langit: Pagpapahayag ng Pananampalataya mula sa Tao at Lupa,” the Social Sciences and Humanities Association (SSHA) conducted a Museum Tour last May 24.
The week-long event celebrated arts, faith, and literature through activities such as the submission of literary arts, performing arts, visual arts, photography, and the most anticipated Museum Tour.
The tour explored two museums; the National Museum of Anthropology which showed the historic indigenous practices and Islamic faiths and the Museo de San Agustin which tackled the artifacts of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines.
According to Shie Ann Gabriel, president of SSHA and the Activity Chair, the event was traditionally held as an annual activity through an art display at Pamanang Bedista that highlighted works by the Bedans during pre-pandemic.
“Pinagsama namin iyong virtual art exhibit ng mga amateur artists mula sa partner orgs namin at off-campus museum tour para ipakita iyong framing ng ‘local faith vis-a-vis Filipino culture and society’,” Gabriel shared.
Despite the lockdown, the organization continued its advocacy through an online exhibit or gallery. As the face-to-face setting was implemented, they came up with the idea to conduct a religious activity in a hybrid setting.
Aedan Dinoso, the co-activity chair of the event, shared that the pressure was on them not because this was their major face-to-face event that the organization handled after the pandemic, but it was also a pressure for him as this was his first time handling a major event.
“So kailangan hands on talaga sa planning and coordinating, and mas lalo na sa execution. Pero as we said, it was a fun learning experience din and we’re glad we were able to pull it off,” Dinoso said.
Dinoso emphasized how the online exhibit and museum tour were the highlight of the event. He witnessed the preparation and the challenges all throughout the event and in the end, it all paid off as he saw how attentive his colleagues were.
On the other hand, the organization had a hard time with the schedules as they wanted to cater to a lot of participants in order to have an engaging and meaningful event for the students. Moreover, the organization had to make a lot of adjustments and planning in order to have a successful museum tour.
According to Sean Audric Uy, another co-activity chair, the participants had a memorable moment in both museums because of the different historical craft works that they explored.
“So, it’s really mostly what we learned by conversing with our guide that gave the ‘wow factor’ to the event,” Uy said.
As for their future plans, Gabriel assured that the organization has something big in store for the university next academic year. She added that despite being a small organization, they have a big obligation to the university and that is to continue to foster the essence of the Filipino culture and to conduct activities that shape the personality of a Bedista.
Additionally, SSHA gave recognition to those who submitted their masterpieces in literature, visual arts, performing arts, and photography.
The organization expressed gratitude for those who had worked to preserve historical artworks as they made their way from the National Museum’s indigenous and regional Islamic galleries up to the Museo De San Agustin’s Catholic halls.
Lastly, “We look forward to an even more enriching practice of faith and spirituality that links what transcends to what is on Earth. True inclusivity, compassion, and good faithful praxis can only be achieved in this regard,” the activity chairs stated.
