Lewanda's Fiber Art works will be exhibited at the Anne Smith Gallery located at the Follen Community Church, 755 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA from December 8th - January 24th.
Opening Reception will follow Sunday morning worship at Follen Church, December 8th.
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Thank you to Mass General Hospital and The Equity and Community Health Team for sponsoring the exhibit “Telling Our Story” in honor of Filipino History Month. The show was on display in the main MGH lobby from September 30 to October 14, 2024. The reception celebrated Filipino-American representation with traditional dances performed by the UMASS HoyPinoy student group, insightful discussions led by veteran artist Lewanda Lim, and contributions from the Filipino-American community at MGH. A special thank you to Pearl Brault for making it all happen. Maraming salamat! Lewanda's latest creation, "Oil Spill". 2024. Fiber Collage. 42” x 31”. "There have been several oil spill disasters in the world. This piece was inspired by the Exxon Valdez oil spill many years ago. I chose to depict the incident through a caricature style using fabrics, yarn and thread."
What an incredible day! It was a bright, crisp, and slightly windy fall New England day that unfolded into a vibrant celebration of community, family, and love. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello and learn about the indigenous tribes of the Philippines, particularly the T'Boli.
Harvard Square was alive with enthusiasm, pride, and the unique rhythms, dances, crafts, and cuisine of the Philippines. We had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people within the local Boston Fil-Am community. One woman approached us at the MgaKwento booth, her face filled with wonder, and said, "I've lived here for 22 years, and I've never seen so many Filipinos in Boston." Her smile spoke volumes—she felt a sense of belonging and a taste of "home." We'd like to extend our gratitude to everyone who supported local artists Lewanda and Zoe. Zoe made her debut with her handmade ceramic pendants inscribed with Baybayin script. Thank you for being a part of this beautiful day! Tindahan "store"MgaKwento Pop Up Store will be featured on October 8, 2023 in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA! Join us at the 2nd Philippine American Festival from 11 AM- 6 PM on Church St, Harvard Square. Lewanda will be selling original T'Boli weavings called, T'nalak. In early 2023, Lewanda visited the T'boli tribe in South Cotabato, Philippines and met the weavers that make this beautifully handcrafted fabric. MgaKwento will be selling decor, wall hangings, hand-beaded tribal jewelry, baybayin jewelry, artwork and more.
In March 2023, Lewanda went back home to visit her ancestral and family land in Mindanao. She hopped on a local "habal-habal" and ventured out to visit the T'boli people and meet the dream weavers that make the handcrafted T'nalak cloth. ![]() T'nalak weaving is part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Tboli people,[1] an indigenous people group in the Philippines whose ancestral domain is in the province of South Cotabato, on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. T'nalak cloth is woven exclusively by women who have received the designs for the weave in their dreams, which they believe are a gift from Fu Dalu, the T'boli Goddess of abacá. Thank you to Unbound Visual Art and ArtHaus Gallery for hosting "Fiber of Concern," featuring the stunning fiber art of Lewanda Lim. We appreciate everyone who came out to support and experience the exhibit. The opening reception on January 14th was a fabulous success! Lewanda's latest painting "1904 World's Fair"
1904 World's Fair. 2021. Acrylic. 36” x 48” Just a few years after the Philippines was annexed by Spain to the US, it was represented in the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. In an extraordinary and sprawling manner, the fair was a venue to showcase an American achievement and entry into the world stage as an imperial power. The ethnic tribal character of the newly acquired colony was prominently displayed in simulated settings. Certain tribal practices were featured and attracted huge audiences because of the sensational ways they were shown. Over-all, the idea was to represent the Philippines as a backward and less civilized country that needed to be educated and modernized by a benevolent colonizer. This lop-sided presentation of the Philippines angered some people but their protests were drowned out by the prevailing big brother sentiment of the public and government. On August 24, 1934 my Lolo, delegate Pedro D. Melendez addressed the Constitutional Convention. Here is his original speech. He was an advocate for the native peoples and tribes of his region, Bukidnon. He notes the North American's subjection of its' indigenous people and parallels that atrocity as insight to the importance in preserving the "non-Christian" Filipinos and other vibrant tribal communities. "You will note that our non-Christian territory can constitute a kingdom by itself. The importance of conserving our non-Christian regions cannot be under-estimated." #familyhistory #filipino
I'm currently attending my first PoCC (People of Color Conference) hosted by NAIS and my eyes have been filled with tears. The conference's title, "New Decade, New Destinies- Challenging Self- Changing Systems- Choosing Justice" hold the surface of this magically elevating experiences as a POC in a PWI. It's been my first experience sharing space in a micro-affinity group with other 1st generation Filipinx professionals. Wow. So many beautiful brown faces illuminated my screen. Attending this conference virtually because of the global pandemic has some advantages. One is the accessibility it creates for it's attendees- there are over 2,000 BIPOC professionals in attendance. In the AAIP Affinity space there were over 250 members in "room". In the micro-affinity space Filipinx identifying folx held 8 break out rooms (80?). Second, I get to see all the faces on my screen- a mosaic of humans from all parts of the US and internationally.
A pivotal session during this conference titled, "Island Womxn Rise, Walang Makakatigil: Collectivist Cultural Approach For Healing, Sustaining, and Inspiring" discussed the meaning of "Kapwa" . According to Professor Virgilio Enriquez, founder of Sikolohiyang Pilipino. “Kapwa is a recognition of a shared identity, an inner self, shared with others. This Filipino linguistic unity of the self and the other is unique and unlike in most modern languages. Why? Because implied in such inclusiveness is the moral obligation to treat one another as equal fellow human beings. If we can do this – even starting in our own family or our circle of friends – we are on the way to practice peace. We are Kapwa People.” This term, "We are Kapwa People" will reside within me now. I'm truly grateful to have found this space of unity, acceptance and belonging. |
AuthorMgaKwento is a storytelling collaboration exploring the intersection of art , ethnic identity development and experiences of the Filipino diaspora. Archives
December 2024
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