Meet Mimi Centino, the coordinator behind this year’s edition of “Art for Everyone”.  The exhibition opened July 13 and will run until July 31, 2026 at the Lower Ground Floor, Northpoint of SM City Iloilo. 

Midway through its three-week run and now entering its final week, Art for Everyone continues to celebrate Ilonggo creativity, connection, and artistic expression, drawing a growing number of visitors, artists, and art enthusiasts into a shared space for appreciation and dialogue.

Guests continue to explore the diverse exhibits throughout the weekend, engage in meaningful conversations with participating artists, and reflect on the stories and inspirations behind the featured works.

The impact of the annual event is evident in the artworks acquired during the opening, the sales steadily generated as the exhibition progressed, and the opportunities it has created, fostering connections that now extend beyond the exhibition space.

Also read: What Art for Everyone Means to Guimaras Artists

The 2026 edition has fulfilled its purpose of bringing together artists from across the region—Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo—and promoting an environment where they can exchange insights and receive valuable feedback from audiences and written reviews. This exchange highlights public accessibility to creative works and demonstrates that art has a meaningful place in everyday community spaces.

Yet behind the seamless presentation of artworks and the welcoming atmosphere of SM City Iloilo lies a complex process that required months of planning, coordination, and collaboration. Mall management, participating art groups, artists, service providers, and support teams worked together to ensure that every detail was carefully executed and that the exhibition came to life as envisioned.

At the center of this achievement was Mimi Centino, the exhibition and art fair coordinator whose vision, dedication, and understanding of the creative community helped bring Art for Everyone together.

Centino is an Ilonggo visual artist and an architecture graduate of the University of San Agustin-Iloilo, specializing in figurative realism and exploring the delicate layers of human experience. Beyond her own artistic work, she is committed to empowering the art community by creating inclusive and nurturing spaces where fellow artists feel recognized and supported.

Her perspective as an artist and community builder was further shaped through her participation in Linangan sa Iloilo, where she was among the artists who completed Batch Samo-Samo, a mentorship program for emerging Visayan artists.

A localized offshoot of the Cavite-based Linangan Art Residency, Linangan sa Iloilo was developed through partnerships with the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA), the Iloilo City Government, local art groups, and facilitated by Hiugyon. The program served as an alternative art school that provided emerging artists with mentorship, career guidance, and opportunities to develop community-engaged practices.

Through months of workshops, creative exchanges, and mentoring, Centino and her fellow Batch Samo-Samo artists explored not only artistic techniques but also the broader responsibilities of artists in society, the importance of sustaining an art practice, and the challenges of navigating the local art ecosystem. Under the mentorship of renowned Filipino painter Emmanuel Garibay, the program encouraged artists to view their work not only as a personal expression but also as a means of connecting with communities.

Centino is currently a member of Creative Block, a curated art and culture hub based in Iloilo that showcases local creators through merchandise, exhibitions, and creative experiences.

These experiences shaped Centino’s understanding of art not only as a creative practice but also as a collaborative process rooted in community. This perspective became central to her role in Art for Everyone 2026, where she moved beyond being a participating artist to becoming one of the people responsible for creating a space where artists could connect, exhibit, and engage with the public.

 A conversation with Mimi Centeno

In this conversation, Mimi Centino shares her experience in coordinating the exhibition, her approach to bringing artists and art groups together, and her vision for building a more inclusive regional art community.

Iloilo Art Life: How would you describe your role in Art for Everyone 2026?

Mimi Centino: I served as the event organizer and coordinator, overseeing the overall preparation, coordination, and execution of the exhibition and art fair.

IAL: Is this your first time taking on the role of coordinator?

MC: Not the first. My experience in event coordination started when I was part of the Little Theater Production Design team of the University of San Agustin, where I gained training in managing events and production work. From there, I became involved in various projects, including the 120th Anniversary Art Exhibition in 2024, where I served as project manager.

Likewise, this is not my first time being part of the organizing team of Art for Everyone. I served as coordinator last year as well, although we had a shorter preparation period compared to this year.

IAL: This year’s edition saw wider participation from artists and art collectives. How were you able to bring together different groups, galleries, and artists?

MC: My coordination strategy followed a hub-and-spoke approach. It relied heavily on trust, personal relationships, and direct communication. I reached out to fellow artists through phone calls, online messages, and personal visits to invite their participation and discuss the vision for the event.

I coordinated directly with the designated representatives of each group, giving them the flexibility to manage their internal selection process and determine which members would participate in the exhibition.

Many of the participating artists were peers from previous exhibitions, while others were introduced through recommendations from mutual connections within the art community.

Photos of the ingress at SM City Iloilo by Mimi Centino. See exhibition photos here: Art for Everyone 2026 

IAL: Can you share a specific example of how those collaborations came together?

For example, the strong representation of Guimaras artists this year was made possible through the guidance of their curator, architect Frank Alexi Nobleza. These initial connections helped us identify and finalize participants, followed by a formal online registration process.

IAL: What is your curatorial concept for this edition of Art for Everyone?

MC: The curatorial direction centers on regionalization, highlighting our shared visual arts culture and the connections that bring artists and communities together. The exhibition aims to bridge the gap between metropolitan and municipal centers by providing provincial artists with a platform to reach wider audiences and build collaborative networks with fellow Ilonggo artists.

IAL: This year’s Art for Everyone introduced a three-zone structure representing different sectors of the regional art community. What was the vision behind this format?

MC: It is intentionally structured into three distinct zones, each representing a unique ecosystem within the regional art scene. Zone A celebrates established Iloilo art groups, Zone B highlights the diverse voices of independent artists, and Zone C expands the exhibition’s reach by welcoming artists from neighboring provinces and municipalities.

To bring a focused vision to each section, we invited three curators to lead the respective zones: Marrz Capanang of Kikik Kollektive for Zone A, Orland Espinosa of Hiugyon for Zone B, and Architect Frank Nobleza of Subli Artists Guimaras Inc. for Zone C.

IAL: How does Art for Everyone contribute to the idea of democratizing art and supporting artists and creative spaces?

MC: Bringing artists together in one space is about strengthening our art community. By sharing our artworks, we are able to exchange stories, ideas, and cultures from different backgrounds in an environment free from judgment.

We want to break the barrier created by traditional gallery spaces and show that art is not only for a selected few—it belongs to everyone. Art for Everyone is a platform where artists can gain confidence, feel valued, and recognize that they have a place in the creative community. It gives us hope and reminds us that artists have a space they can call home.

IAL: Looking back at this year’s edition, how would you describe the overall experience of organizing the event?

MC: I would describe it as successful. My approach to organizing the event proved effective because it helped distribute responsibilities and made coordination more manageable. By building a network of trusted people and allowing each group to contribute, the process became more efficient while strengthening collaboration among the participants.

The opening of Art for Everyone 2026. (L-R) Artist Rain Dumagat, Arch. Frank Alexi Nobleza of Subli Artists Guimaras, Inc.; Arch. Mimi Centino; Artist Marrz Capanang of Kikik Kollektive; Ms. Leny Ledesma, Executive Assistant for Special Projects of Iloilo City Mayor and focal person for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network of the Iloilo City Government; and Ms. Angel Galera, SM City Iloilo’s Assistant Mall Manager. Photo from SM City Iloilo.