The UP Visayas MACH will feature the works of Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, and Fernando Amorsolo, among other masters, as part of their collaborative engagement with the Lopez Museum and Library.

This is a major cultural project of Iloilo’s art and culture champion, former Senator Franklin M. Drilon, whose initiatives started years ahead of the pandemic through the Iloilo Heritage and Urban Renewal Project. The efforts of Drilon led to the restoration of key historically significant buildings in Iloilo, most of which now serve as museums, including the UPV MACH.

Drilon sustained his focus on arts development for Iloilo by bringing art engagements for art appreciation and educating the public despite his retirement from national politics. He brought the Manila Symphony Orchestra in 2017, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018, and the Philippine Madrigal Singers in 2019.

Last January, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra came back to Iloilo for a pre-Dinagyang Festival performance.

The efforts of Drilon ushered in the rebirth of Iloilo’s arts and culture, which is considered one of the most dynamic in the country today.

Once again, by linking the Lopez Museum and Library with UPV MACH, Drilon brings a rare exhibition to Iloilo through a series of activities that will commence in October this year and stretch up to February 2025.

The exhibition will be curated by Prof. Patrick D. Flores, a respected art curator, critic, and professor who is currently the Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Singapore.

Accordingly, the education component will use complementary educational modules that will be prepared by Prof. Martin Genodepa, director of the UP Visayas Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), the office that manages the University of the Philippines Visayas Museum of Arts and Cultural Heritage (UPV-MACH).

Genodepa is also the curator of the museum, along with a team.

Learn about UPV MACH here: INSIDE the UP Visayas Museum in Iloilo

Former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim is the project liaison, and she brought the officials of the two reputable institutions together on February 6 to discuss and finalize preparations for the project, and to meet Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas.

The Lopez Museum and Library were represented by Ms. Mercedes Lopez Vargas, Executive Director, and Ms. Marga Villanueva, Manager of Conservation, while Prof. Genodepa led the team of UPV MACH.

The project has received initial support from the Iloilo City Government.

Initiative in arts and culture are a priority program for funding by the Treñas administration. Like Drilon, the Treñas couple are strong advocates of arts and culture development.

Read: ILOILO ART BOOK to reveal why Iloilo possess the heart and soul for the arts

The UPV MACH was officially opened in October 2022 after five years of restoration work with funding support of P44 million from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in 2017 and P15 million from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2019 to develop the building into a museum.

The art and cultural heritage museum has seven galleries and a performing arts hall.

The Lopez Museum and Library, on the other hand, was inaugurated in 1960 and is the oldest privately owned and managed museum and library that specializes in Philippine material. It holds sixteenth-century maps and books of Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, as well as personal effects of Jose Rizal (https://lopez-museum.com/about-us).