Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc.

📣 PANAWAGAN PARA SA MGA LAHOK para sa 2026 Gantimpalang Purita Kalaw-Ledesma para sa Kritisismong Pansining ✍️

Sa ika-13 taon ng Gantimpalang Purita Kalaw-Ledesma para sa Kritisismong Pansining, bukas itong tumatanggap ng mga lahok na nakatuon sa temang 𝙃𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙥.

𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗴𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮 go.ateneo.net/PKL2026Mechanics
𝗜-𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗴𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗵𝗼𝗸 𝘀𝗮 go.ateneo.net/PKL2026Entry 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝟯𝟬 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘆𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝟭𝟭:𝟱𝟵 𝗽𝗺.

“Nagdaan tayo sa isang digmaan, subalit tila kakaunti lamang ng ating mga pintor ang malay dito.” Ito ang naging tugon ni Purita Kalaw-Ledesma sa kolumnistang si IP Soliongco noong 1950, nang tanungin siya tungkol sa kaniyang pananaw hinggil sa mga pintang tanawin (landscape paintings). Limang taon pa lamang ang nakalipas noon nang matapos ang Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig.

Para sa atin sa kasalukuyan, anim na taon na ang nakalipas mula nang hinarap natin ang isang pandemyang pandaigdigan. Kamakailan lamang, ginunita natin ang ika-40 anibersaryo ng EDSA People Power Revolution, na humubog sa pamahalaang Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng kolektibong pagkilos. Ngayon, kapwa sa loob ng bansa at buong daigdig, patuloy nating kinakaharap ang mga kaguluhan at digmaan, pati na mga napapanahong talakayan tungkol sa AI na bumabagabag sa ating pag-unawa sa pagiging tao at iba pang katulad na isyu. Kasabay ng lahat ng ito, patuloy rin ang pagsisikap nating payak na mamuhay.

Sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, makahaharaya pa rin ba tayo ng mga hinaharap—isang kasaganaan ng mga maaaring hinaharap—sa gitna ng mga nagaganap sa kasalukuyan?

Marahil, ang kagyat na gampanin ngayon ay hindi lamang ang pagharaya ng magaganda o perpektong hinaharap, kundi ang pagpananatili sa kakayanang makapagharaya.

—

Ang Ateneo Art Awards - Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism ay magkatuwang na inihahandog kasama ang Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc., sa pakikipagtulungan ng The Philippine Star, ArtAsiaPacific, Katpunan: Journal ng mga Pag‑aaral sa Wika, Panitikan, Sining at Kulturang Filipino, Orange Project Naranja Writer’s Residency, The White House Writer’s Residency, at ang Indeks.

Para sa mga karagdagang katanungan, mag-email sa [email protected].

📢 PKL CENTER ADVISORY:
UPDATED OPERATING HOURS

In response to the National Energy Emergency, the PKL Center is now operating on a modified schedule.

We are now open Monday to Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and closed on Fridays.

We will also suspend opening the PKL Center every first Saturday of the month.

In observance of Holy Week, the PKL Center will be closed starting March 31, Tuesday and will reopen for regular operations on April 6, Monday.

Thank you.

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🖼 The exhibit "imposed imperative, archival insistence : Brenda V. Fajardo in the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma scrapbooks", co-presented with Tin-Aw Art Management, is still on view at the PKL Center. The show runs until May 8, 2026.

💻 For research appointments, kindly visit this link for more information:
https://klfi.ph/visit-us

Our Study Guide for the exhibition "Leaps, Changes, Conditions" is now available!

👉 You may view it here:
bit.ly/KLFI-Leaps-StudyGuide

Our Study Guide is developed as an educational tool for our exhibitions, inviting visitors to reflect before, during, and after their visit. It is designed for audiences from a broad range of backgrounds with an interest in the arts.

This study guide was prepared by KLFI Intern, MJ Barrientos.

📢 We are currently accepting a new batch of interns! Tasks include assisting with exhibits such as preparing a study guide. Our call for interns closes today. Apply here:
bit.ly/PKL-Intern2026

📢 "Leaps, Changes, Conditions" is a curatorial project by Yuji de Torres, supported by KLFI Research Grant 2025. Our Research Grant is now open for applications, deadline on May 1, 2026 11:59 PM PHT. You may send your proposals here:
bit.ly/PKL-ResearchGrant2026

We are sharing a reflection essay by Emman Baldonado, our PKL Center Intern from April to September 2025.

"The power of art to both express and inform is nowhere as evident and as useful as in the social spaces that gather and weave together knowledge and memory to tell us the colorful stories and infinite creative potential of humankind. My internship in the Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Center has given me the wonderful opportunity to bridge art and information together to improve our access, understanding, and use of Philippine modern art [...]"

You may read the full piece here:
https://bit.ly/PKL-DrawingConnections

Emman is a 4th-year Library and Information Science student from the UP School of Library and Information Studies in UP Diliman. Pursuing a multi-track program focusing on the interweaving of library and archival work, information organization and behavior, and cultural heritage, he strives to apply the theories, concepts, and ideas from the field of LIS into the crafting of helpful, effective, and inclusive programs and practices for libraries, archives, and other information centers and memory institutions.

We’re opening applications for our internship program this 2026! For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/PKL-Intern2026-Info

The Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Center invites research proposals that explore PKL archive, art collection, and library for an onsite project at the PKL Center.

The Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Center is an art research center managed by the Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc. The Center houses the library and the digitized scrapbooks of art patron and Art Association of the Philippines Founder Purita Kalaw-Ledesma (PKL). Since the PKL Center opened its doors in 2016, it has accommodated local and international researchers on Philippine art and culture for their individual studies as well as engaged audiences through its public programming, both onsite and online. These gatherings include exhibitions, talks, and workshops that aim to foreground the legacy of Kalaw-Ledesma in a new light for wider publics.

Researchers, curators, writers, and artists are invited to submit an initial research idea engaging/exploring our archives, art collection, and/or library. The proposed research project is expected to culminate in a public program, such as exhibition, talk, or workshop, at the PKL Center in October 2026.

The successful applicant for the 2026 cycle will be provided with:
• research assistance
• basic equipment/exhibition systems in the venue
• curatorial assistance for the culminating public program
• event promotion
• production budget of ₱5,000.00

Everyone is welcome to visit the Center for preliminary research in preparation for their application. To schedule an appointment, you may go to this link: https://klfi.ph/visit-us

For interested applicants, kindly prepare the following:
1. Initial research idea (max 500 words, can include images)
2. CV/resume
3. Character reference/s
4. Cover letter addressed to Ms. Anne Marie Ozaeta, KLFI President

Entries should be submitted no later than May 1, 2026 11:59 PM PHT through this Google Form: https://bit.ly/PKL-ResearchGrant2026

Applicants will be notified of the results by the end of May 2026.

For inquiries, please email [email protected].

Photo: Installation view of “Scores of National Democracy” by Donna Miranda. Part of Leaps, Changes, Conditions project by Yuji de Torres, 2025 PKL Research Grantee.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the People Power Revolution, we remember the series of events that inspired the nation and its people to collectively take a stand and fight for freedom and justice. Today, we remember that the virtue of hope is powerful. It propels people to act in the face of despair, endure while in the midst of a struggle, and look forward to the future.

In this work titled Bagong Umaga by Edgar Talusan Fernandez, the artist transforms the colors of the Philippine flag—red, yellow, white, and blue—as a powerful symbol of hope. In the center of the composition is a figure of a woman cradling a child in her arms. Representing Inang Bayan, the woman is wearing a white baro (top) and red saya (skirt). These colors stand out against the yellow base that stretches to a white rectangle with a blue arch hovering. It appears to be a portal to a brighter place that blocks off that all-consuming darkness of the black background.

This painting was completed in 1982, years before the People Power Revolution took place. The work may well remind us of the pivotal role of art during a crisis. Hope exists even in dire conditions and it is more than enough to inspire a nation to action.

About the artwork: Bagong Umaga. Edgar Talusan Fernandez. 1982. Pastel on paper. 51 x 71 cm. KLFI Collection.

This post was prepared with KLFI intern, Janine Bernardo.

📢 KLFI Call for Interns: April - June 2026

The Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Center is excited to announce the opening of applications for our Internship Program from April to June 2026. Undergraduate and graduate students from Art Studies, Arts Management, Library and Information Services, and Archives Management are encouraged to apply.

Interns will gain hands-on experience in:
• Exhibit support, including ingress, egress, creating study guides, and taking documentation photos
• Event assistance, such as assisting guests, handling registration, and event documentation
• Social media content creation for the Center’s programs and events
• Library/archives support, such as helping in cataloging, assisting in retrieving and handling archival items

The internship requires a minimum of 100 hours, which may be negotiable based on school requirements. Tasks may be completed in person or online, depending on the nature of the work. Transportation allowance worth Php 2,500 will be provided.

For interested applicants, kindly prepare the following:
1. Resume/CV
2. A signed letter of recommendation from a professor/mentor
3. Cover letter explaining motivations for applying. It may also include preferred area/s of involvement based on the applicant’s skills and interests. Kindly address the letter to:

Ms. Anne Marie Ozaeta
President
Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc.

Kindly submit your application by March 15, 2026 11:59 PM PHT through the QR code in the photo or through this Google Form: https://bit.ly/PKL-Intern2026

For inquiries, please email [email protected].

Photo: Ingress for “Leaps, Changes, Conditions” project by Yuji de Torres at the PKL Center last Oct 2025.

Since 1978, the Kalaw Ledesma Foundation, Inc. (KLFI) has been dedicated to safeguarding the post-war collection of our founder, Purita Kalaw-Ledesma.

Today, we continue to build on this legacy by fostering a vibrant community of artists, writers, and scholars through our programs in art criticism, conservation, and research.

We are pleased to share a message from our President, Ms. Anne Marie Ozaeta, regarding our recent accomplishments and our ongoing commitment to the Philippine art community.

We invite our friends and colleagues to read the letter in full and learn more about how to join us in sustaining our future initiatives.

🔗 Message from the President:
https://klfi.ph/2026/01/12/message-from-the-president

🔗 Support KLFI:
https://klfi.ph/support-klfi

Celebrate National Arts Month with us at the PKL Center with our ongoing exhibit “imposed imperative, archival insistence: Brenda V. Fajardo in the scrapbooks of Purita Kalaw-Ledesma”, co-presented with Tin-aw Art Management.

Exploring the legacies of Brenda Villanueva Fajardo and Purita Kalaw-Ledesma, this exhibition traces the well-worn paths of women who sought to historicize art in the Philippines, through tarot cards, texts, scrapbooks, and organizing. Guided by Fajardo’s lens: “nothing in excess, working creatively with what we have.” (Quote from the exhibition text “In Adequate Time” by Eya Beldia)

The exhibit runs until May 8, 2026.