MADE IN BAGUIO

The Ibagiw Competitions in Crafts & Folk Art

From the iconic Barrel Man, the pasiking, handwoven tapestries depicting traditional symbols of the Cordilleras to silver jewelry, Baguio’s crafts & folk traditions have long contributed to the city’s unique cultural identity. And with “Made in Baguio: The Competitions in Crafts & Folk Art,” this year’s staging of the Baguio Creative City Festival aims to encourage innovations in four major categories: Back-strap Weaving, Basketry, Woodcarving and Metalcraft and at the same time inspire a new breed of designers and artisans.

Sponsored by HABI: The Philippine Textile Council, the weaving competition will have contestants creating tapestries using traditional back-strap looms. For the woodcarving and basketry categories, the participants will be required to use bamboo as the main raw material, an effort of the festival to advocate the use of more sustainable and environment-friendly materials in the production of crafts. And while Baguio has been known primarily for its silver craft, in recent years local designers have been experimenting with and introducing other metals in the production of jewelry and other decorative artifacts. In the metalcraft category, local smiths will be creating wearable jewelry using metals of their choice.

Interested participants, who may enter as an individual or a collaborative effort of two or more persons, must pass an audition process which includes the submission of a concept paper detailing their proposed piece for the competition and a skills demonstration. Eight finalists shall be chosen for each category who will be working on their entries on-site and open to the public for a total of seven days, from November 11-17, 2019.

The finished entries will be featured in an exhibit and silent auction from November 18-24, 2019, during which a panel of judges will determine the winners of the competition. The top entry for each category will earn the creator/s P50,000.00, while the 1st runner-up will be awarded P30,000.00 and the 2nd runner-up, P20,000.00.

More details and the rest of the mechanics for the competitions are available HERE, or inquiries may be sent to the secretariat via email at ibagiw.festival@gmail.com.