DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 2 Oct) — Local artists from different fields here have been continuously battling for funding and marketing of their crafts.

In a culture, arts, and heritage summit held at the Holy Cross of Davao College last week—the first of its kind in 30 years—musical, dance, film, and visual artists in the city shared their everyday battles, including finances, government support, and community recognition.

The gathering was the initiative of the newly established Office for Culture and the Arts (OCA), which initiated the summit in celebration of the Philippine Creative Industry Month.

Oscar Casaysay, head of OCA, said that the summit was aimed at hearing the situation of the culture and arts sector in the city.

Davao folk musician and cultural icon Joey Ayala talked with fellow local musicians and choir conductors where he shared their struggles in finances to purchase musical instruments.

Ayala said that this may have stemmed from the poor marketing of their music as a result of the dominance of modern pop music.

“If you art does not have popular appeal, then you can’t live on ticket sales. But if your pop is easy to sell, then the challenge is for you to reach many people,” he told participants.

Another local singer, Praise Varian, lamented on the lack of funds for local singers, which he said could have been caused by the shortage in platforms for exposure.

On the dance scene, the same challenge in recognition and acknowledgement from their target audience continue to hurdle local choreographers.

Koryo Dabaw vice president Pipoy Magpatok said that because of the lack of recognition, choreographers are not given the chance to institutionalize their groups.

According to Magpatok, this is a challenge because some other traditional and festival dance choreographers are not well aware of the culture and tradition in the city, which are central themes of their dance choreographies.

He explained that recognition of their sector would lead to institutionalization of groups, and would further lead to education efforts.

“So they need to be inside the program so can provide education and awareness to all choreographers,” Magpatok said in Filipino.

At the same summit, local filmmakers expressed the same sentiment.

Franky Arrocena, a local filmmaker and film educator, said that there are many award-winning filmmakers and talented film enthusiasts in the city that are not acknowledged.

He noted that other local governments would reach out to their local filmmakers to connect them with other industries like food and fashion designers for their wardrobe.

Arrocena added that the local filmmakers in Davao are divided that resulted in the decentralization of the local film industry.

“It lacks centralization. We don’t have what we can call an official film group.

Result: we go our separate ways,” he said in the vernacular.

Visual artists in the city are also in a continuous longing for exposure for their works.

Wilfred Dexter Taneda, a gallerist in the city, said the general community and the government need to work together to develop deeper appreciation for the arts.

“’We appreciate schools who let their students visit us,” Taneda said. He said he appreciates professional organizations, too, whose members visit galleries and interact with the exhibiting artists.

This support is vital to the success of the local visual arts industry as local painter Addai Joaquin said many artists lack the ability to personally connect with and keep their audience.

‘”It is something not natural to many people. More so for artists who are generally introverted,” Joaquin said.

These concerns will be gathered and analyzed by the newly-established Office of Culture and the Arts (OCA). Its office Head, Oscar Casaysay said they will start their future programs on the issues raised at the summit. (Daniel Jamito / MindaNews)