24 May 2016 – The Philippine Embassy highlighted its engagement with the Filipino and Filipino-American community and public school students through a series of cultural events at the Romulo Hall last week.
An evening reception was held on May 19, for the opening of the annual “Brown Strokes on a White Canvas” exhibit which featured the works of 19 artists who showcased their various paintings and sculptures at the Romulo Hall from May 17 to 20.
Now on its 14th year, Brown Strokes is a joint project of the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC), Inc. who also celebrated its 20th anniversary on the exhibit’s opening night.
This year’s line-up of featured artists included Laurie Barton, Evelyn Bunoan, Isabel Castañeda, Gabriel Riego De Dios, Gloria Federigan, Mencie Hairston, Ramon Carlos de Jesus, Philip Lopez, Nabil Makar, Marielle Mariano, Zarily Mojika, Tanya Owens Nuchols, Alfonso Ong, Julian Oteyza, Kevin Owens, Marco Cuba Ricsi, Nilo Santiago, Alice Santos, and Marvin Santos.
“Cultural diplomacy is an important component of the broader public diplomacy. It allows us to promote the Philippines and our culture to a wide range of audiences,” Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Minister Patrick Chuasoto, said in his opening remarks.
Thirty 6th grade students from Jefferson Academy were also able to see and appreciate the Brown Strokes exhibit at the Romulo Hall during their visit to the Philippine Embassy on May 20.
Jefferson Academy’s visit to the Embassy is part of the Embassy Adoption Program (EAP), a partnership program of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the Washington Performing Arts. EAP exposes DCPS students to international perspectives and cross-cultural lessons through direct interactions with embassies and other global entities.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. welcomed the students from Jefferson Academy in a short program that included a presentation of the student’s mask-making and street dancing activities as well as a lecture on the Philippine coconut and coconut products.
The students also performed a short dance number to the tune of “Da Coconut Nut,” an original Filipino song, and enjoyed Filipino lunch of pansit, chicken lollipop, lumpiang shanghai, turon, coconut ice cream, and juice.
“This kind of exposure is so good for them so that they could learn a lot about other cultures. That is why I really wanted to be in the program so that I could help them learn about diversity,” Ms. Brandie Crump of Jefferson Academy said about the whole EAP experience.
Both the Brown Strokes and EAP form part of the Philippine Embassy’s Cultural Diplomacy activities for the month of May. END