How arts pull us

This time of the year, I wish I were home. It’s National Arts Month and the emails I’m receiving and the articles I’m reading about the ongoing celebration make me long for our country.

- By DOROTHY DELGADO NOVICIO

I feel fortunate to be currently based in the most vibrant cultural capital of the world where venues for appreciating the arts thrive. The plentiful medley of art forms – from performing to visual – ancient, sacred, contemporary – all that our senses could ingest are always gratifying, at times outrageous but never uninteresting.

On one hand, I wish to celebrate the festivities of home and imagine how it is like to bask in the high points of the month-long event. The truth is I am jealous of the exciting activities I am missing. When I received info about Art Fair Philippines, I imagined the Ayala Triangle Gardens and nearby venues glowing with exhibits, talks, films, tours with the audience luxuriating in works not only of our own artists but like-minded painters, photographers, sculptors from Asia, Europe or elsewhere in the world. I read about young and debuting artists and contemplate on how their works and inspiring presence influence or motivate aspiring artisans or simply delight, surprise, intrigue, provoke or perhaps comfort the audience. That’s how arts pull us.

And because I wrap myself with that spirit these days, I was pleased to have read about one of our exemplars in the field of performing arts, Lea Salonga, featured in