May 26, 2008

WS #38: Stairway


stairway

I forced myself out of bed earlier than usual last Saturday morning so I could make it to Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park by 10 am. I've been to the Louvre, the British Museum, many other museums in foreign lands, even the Egyptian Museum! But I had never, in my 34 years as a Filipino, ever been inside the galleries of our very own National Museum. I know, right? Sad! It boggles my mind that this was never included in any of our field trips in school.

Well I'm proud to say that this photo I'm submitting above for WS#38 was taken inside the National Gallery of Art, one of the two main buildings that make up the National Museum (the Museum of the Filipino People is the other). I joined John Silva's tour together with about thirty or so other people, and I'm really glad I did. It was a very entertaining and educational 3 hours well spent. If you're interested, he has more tours scheduled in the month of June. (see blurb below). Proceeds from tour fees fo to John's I Love Museum foundation whose goal is to educate Filipino students about the importance of the arts by bringing public school teachers to the National Museum and to their local museums.

Morning tours of the National Museum in Manila are being offered in the coming weeks. Led by the museum’s senior consultant John L. Silva, the three-hour tours encompass the 15 galleries of the Museum of the Filipino People where a highlight is the collection devoted to the Spanish galleon San Diego and its treasures; and the National Gallery of Art with its massive original of the “Spoliarium” by Juan Luna.Remaining tour dates are June 7, 11, 21 & 25. They start at 10am and end at 1pm, priced at 700 pesos for adults and 500 pesos for children up to 18 years. Information: John Silva, phone +63926 729 9029, email jsilva79@mac.com.

19 comments:

abie said...

i would never thougth that this was taken inside the national museum. the las time i was there was when I was in college and I think that's a couple of years ago already.

mine is up too. hope you can check it out:

http://www.myplanetpurple.com/2008/05/weekend-snapshot-6-philippine-eagle.html
http://howellabie.blogspot.com/2008/05/weekend-snapshot-4-father-daughters.html

Oggi said...

Beautiful!!

I wish I could see the original Spolarium up close.

Anonymous said...

I like visiting museum too. Happy WS!

Anonymous said...

Yay, you went already! Funny, we've been trying to get you to go with us, and now you've actually gone before we have! ;-) I'm excited to do this tour in a couple of weeks. By the way, M and I are planning to go to the Ayala Museum soon too, for the Pre-Colonial Gold and the Bohol "Kisame" exhibits. Join us? :-D I'm also asking our friend B to come along.

Isn't it sad that we make sure to include foreign museums in our trips, yet don't make the time for our own? It's the same everywhere, I guess -- we take for granted what's right in front of us. That's why I'm determined to correct this flaw in myself. :-)

Pretty Life Online said...

nice catch for WS! mine's up too hope you can visit.

Jeanne said...

great shot

check out my ws entry here

Socky said...

Schools bring their students to the malls! We see busloads of them! What a pity.

When I went there for a couple of special exhibits some years back, hardly anyone went. Then when I came for the Kalaw-Katigbak commemorative, it was practically a ghost town - on a weekend! I'm glad someone's spearheading this movement for us to rediscover our heritage through our museums.

christine said...

Hi Abie, at least you went when you were in college! This was my first time inside the galleries. :)

Oggi, it was an awesome site. It's massive (like 23 x 13 feet thereabouts) and so intense and compelling upclose.

Thanks Genny, same to you! :)

Katrina, I would have so preferred to go with you guys but you planned it on a weekday which is difficult for me since I'm saving up my leaves. Sayang nga eh. And since my weekends can turn hectic overnight, I took advantage of this free Saturday to go. I want to do the Kisame exhibit! I saw it on the timeoutph site too. Let me know whe you go , thanks! :)

Thanks pretty life online and jeanne, I'll swing by your places too. :)

Schools bring their students to the malls! That is EXACTLY what John is trying to change. By educating the teachers on arts appreciation, he hopes they would bring their students instead to the museums instead of the malls. By the sound of it, the galleries are filled with students on the weekdays now, which is great! But I also wish parents would make it a family thing too. Because they're also guilty of just taking their kids to the malls every weekend to keep them occupied.

Anonymous said...

this picture is absolutely amazing!!!!

TBM said...

Beautiful shot!

Unknown said...

such a beautiful shot!!

Didi said...

I remember going there years ago, field trip in grade school! I wanna go back nga to see what its like now.. :)

christine said...

Thanks, kosenrufu mama, just a plane ride away, and ginny! :)

Didi, buti ka pa you were taken there by your school. :) I wish we were, but I only have memories of Nayong Pilipino, some other museum along Roxas Blvd, I don't even remember anymore.

ChichaJo said...

Gorgeous photo of the stairway Nens! I love it -- so classy and elegant looking :) I must do this tour soon!

bearbricklove.com said...

Love the pic! You make me wanna go there, too!

christine said...

Thanks Joey and BBL! Try and catch John's tours. Otherwise just go in your own time and stroll the galleries. It's a really nice way to spend an afternoon. :)

Anonymous said...

What an incredible shot. I describe the stairways as sensual and it sure is. Thank you for spreading the word about my tours. My blogsite shows my June and July schedules.

Cheers

John

Gemma Wiseman said...

Love the swirl of the stairs! Quite magical!

christine said...

Hi John! So nice to hear from you. I truly enjoyed the tour, so it was my pleasure to share the experience. Thank you for that. :)

Thanks greyscale territory. :) I'm glad you like it.