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## National Artists of the Philippines ### Leandro V. Locsin (Architecture, 1990) Locsin's largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of Brunei. ### Vicente Manansala (Painting, 1981) Manansala's paintings are described as visions of reality teetering on the edge of abst...

## National Artists of the Philippines ### Leandro V. Locsin (Architecture, 1990) Locsin's largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of Brunei. ### Vicente Manansala (Painting, 1981) Manansala's paintings are described as visions of reality teetering on the edge of abstraction. His talent was revealed through the copies he made of the Sagrada Familia and his mother's portrait that he copied from a photograph. ### Amado V. Hernandez (Literature) Hernandez is a poet, playwright, and novelist, who practiced “committed art." ### Honorata "Atang" Dela Rama (Theater and Music, 1987) Dela Rama was formally honored as the Queen of Kundiman in 1979. She was already 74 years old singing the same song ("Nabasag na Banga") that she sang as a 15-year old girl in the sarsuela *Dalagang Bukid*. ### Francisca Reyes Aquino (Dance, 1973) Aquino is acknowledged as the Folk Dance Pioneer. This Bulakeña began her research on folk dances in the 1920s, making trips to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon. ### Levi Celerio (Literature & Music, 1997) Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer. He effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional melodies: "O Maliwanag Na Buwan" (Iloko), "Ako ay May Singsing" ## National Living Treasures/ Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan The National Living Treasures Award was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is the highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the State. ### How does one become a Manlilikha ng Bayan? * They must be an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community anywhere in the Philippines that has preserved indigenous customs, beliefs, rituals and traditions and/or has syncretized whatever external elements that have influenced it. * They must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in existence and documented for at least fifty (50) years. * They must have consistently performed or produced over a significant period, works of superior and distinctive quality. * They must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by the art, and must have an established reputation in the art as master and maker of works of extraordinary technical quality * They must have passed on to other members of the community their skills in the folk art for which the community is traditionally known. ## Other Filipino Artists ### Uwang Ahadas (musician) Yakan musical instruments are not the easiest or most affordable to maintain, but Uwang Ahadas made it his life's work to master them. He broke tradition by reaching excellence in playing the *kwintangan*, an instrument typically played by a woman. ### Magdalena Gamayo (textile weaver) Based in Pinili, Ilocos Norte, Magdalena Gamayo uses bamboo for accents and usually takes seven days to finish a hat. ### Lang Dulay (textile weaver) In Lang Dulay's family, the weaving of the *t'nalak* (a fine abaca cloth) took place before or after farm work, when the weather was cool and the conditions were better for the product. She knew around a hundred different patterns, including *bulinglangit* (clouds), *kabangi* (butterfly), crocodiles, and flowers. She valued purity, so much so that she never washed her *t'nalak* with anything.