BenCab MUSEUM : A CULTURAL IMMERSION ALONG THE ASIN ROAD, BENGUET

It's time for another bucket list adventure. This time I will be visiting a museum in the outskirts of Baguio.  This will be quite a different experience because I will be infusing a little bit of culture and the the arts.  So let us now enter the BenCab Museum for another different Baguio adventure to excite you.

The day was great for roaming the outskirts of Baguio and I got a shot of a rain cloud forming not far from wehere I stood.  So I have to cover as many  places as I can before the rain comes in the afternoon.

Before we enter the museum, let me give you a crash info about BenCab "The Artist" (drawn from the Bencab website)

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera — or BenCab, as he is more popularly known is widely hailed as a master of contemporary Philippine art. He was born in Manila on April 10, 1942. BenCab began carving a niche for himself in Manila’s art circles shortly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1963.  Has three children: Elisar (born in 1971), a filmmaker based in London; Mayumi (born in 1973), a model and actress currently living in Los Angeles; and Jasmine (born in 1977), a fashion stylist working in London. The artist lives and works in Baguio City.

A painter and printmaker, he has exhibited widely in the Philippines and in Asia, Europe, and the United States. He has won several major art awards in a career spanning four decades. In 1992, he received the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Cultural Center of the Philippines Award for the Arts).

 

In 2006, he was conferred the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanan Palace. His works have been the subject of three books, Ben Cabrera: Etchings (1970-1980) by Cid Reyes; Bencab’s Rock Sessions by Eric Caruncho; and BENCAB by Alfred Yuson and Cid Reyes.

 

The museum is perched on a cliff along the Asin road in Tuba, Beguet so not only will you be given a treat of art and culture inside the museum but you will also be able to enjoy a picturesque view of the Benguet countryside on several of the museum's balconies.

The museum is composed of several galleries that house the permanent collection of Philippine National Artist Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab), his paintings, his collections of indigenous Cordillera art and the works of Filipino masters and contemprary artists.

The different areas of the museum are the BenCab Gallery, Cordillera Gallery, Erotica Gallery, Sepia Gallery, Philippine Contemporary Art Gallery 1, Philippine Contemporary Art Gallery 2, Maestro Gallery, Print Gallery, Patio Salvador and Larawan Hall.

When touring the BenCab Museum, visitors will also  view the artist's personal collection of rice gods, known in the vernacular as bul-ol, and other examples of indigenous art & crafts of the northern Philippine highlands such as lime containers, tribal weapons and native implements that evidence the rich culture and traditions of the Cordillera region that have intrigued the artist since the 1960s, and one of the reasons BenCab took up residence in the City of Pines in the mid 1980s, upon his return to the Philippines from London in 1985.

 Lounge at the coffee shop called Cafe Sabel and also enjoy the museum's garden with a duck pond, the organic farm with an aviary of local and imported fowl, plus a mini-forest with an eco-trail.

Souvenir items, artbooks, paper products, wood carvings and textiles are for sale at the Museum Shop.  The museum is also being offered up as a new venue for art shows and exhibits Baguio City.

The granary gods, lime containers, native implements, weapons and other outstanding examples of indigenous arts and crafts of the Cordilleras are also highlighted – a reminder of the rich material culture and traditions of the northern Philippine highlands that has fascinated BenCab since the 1960s, and part of the reason why he has made Baguio home since the mid-80s.

With its vision of bringing arts closer to the people, the museum houses the artist’s collections of his own works, as well as those of acknowledged Filipino masters and rising contemporary artists.

The Bencab Museum is committed to the promotion of the arts, and the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment, as well as the culture and traditions of the Cordilleras, as an expression of the artist’s gratitude to the country that nurtured and inspired an artistic career that continues to grow, mature and fascinate.

The BenCab Museum is on Km. 6 Asin Road, a brief 15-minute drive from the center of Baguio City. Built on a promontory, the museum commands a breathtaking view of the adjacent garden, farm, hill and mini-forest, the surrounding mountains, and the South China sea in the distant west.

Well, so much for the basic info about the man and the place.  What has this visit contributed to my health?  Not all that the body needs are physical requirement that nourish our systems.  Food gives us the sustenance to carry out all our life functions, but food for the mind is essential as well.

In an era where Alzheimer's disease is fast rising in our society today, we need to occasionally sit back to nourish our neural functions.  And the best way is to constantly immerse our ever consuming brain to many countless stimuli to ensure that they never decline in function.

As the saying goes, " a part of the body that is not being used will eventually shrink in size and evolution causes it to disappear in time.  So as not allow this to happen, one has to continuously use and exercise every part of the body for it to be of use to the person. And appreciating art for its extrinsic and intrinsic values help stimulate your senses which exercises our brain.

 When the plan to go to Baguio was 100% certain, I began to research for places to go aside from the typical tourists spots of Baguio where I have already countless pictures and redundant memories.  I advised my friends that we should have our own vehicle because commuting via public transport will limit our movement around Baguio.

 

When I didn't get the consesus of the group, I decided to bring my car so I get proceed with my plans of touring these unsual places.  True enough, I wasn't disappointed because BenCab Museum is indeed one place in Baguio you should definitely visit.

 I am not really an art afficionado  but the different art collections and creations of  BenCab truly is an amazing exhibit.  There are ancient, colonial and the contemporary art that clearly describes the Filipino race as unique. With so much artworks and so much pictures, I can no longer post each and everyone of them so I enjoined you to visit this art haven in the fringes of the City of Pines.

But since this is a private museum, I just felt sorry for the masses that flock to Baguio who don't have the resources to visit this far-flung place.  It is indeed very educational for young and old and I feel that there should be efforts made in making this place more easily accessible.  Planners just have to make sure that environmental impacts by tourists should be minimized to the fullest to preserve the integrity of the Benguet landscape.

 In many of the museum's outdoor veranda, one can enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery of the Benguet countryside at its best.  On a clear day, you can even see as far as the West Philippine Sea.  I believe that it is our sea and our territory to nurture and not for others to plunder.