At the Gateway to the Creative City! Anniversario's Resort

At the Gateway to the Creative City!

By: Nonnette C. Bennett

Artist Clinton Aniversario opened the Aniversario Art Gallery/ Clinton Museum on July 14 at Upper Palina boundary which marks the entry into Tuba, Benguet from Pugo, La Union. Perhaps a great motorist stop-over before the ascent to Baguio City, the two - hectare property is not just a woodcarver’s workshop and showroom but also a walk to stretch stiff limbs.

There is a growing fascination with eco-tourism and agro-tourism among local and foreign tourists. This is a perfect stop, a visual and physical exploration of art in different forms. There are different galleries to explore: woodcarving, antique heritage, photography, art, and camera museum. There is also an open space for performances or just to gather around.

Along the road, one sees the massive woodcarvings and the workshop where the wood is cut and carved. A coffee shop welcomes the travel weary with local coffee and cakes. This also serves as the photographs exhibit area of Clinton’s works with his camera. Outside the coffee shop is a garden cum gathering place where one can have a workshop/seminar for artists or other appropriate activities.

The main building is the display center for contemporary woodcarvings and handcrafted items for souvenirs and collections. The garden is a workshop of bonsais done by the Aniversario matriarch for the plant enthusiasts. There are swimming pools converted into tilapia ponds by the family. The fish can be served for lunch in the future. Different fruit trees are found in the different areas of the property: dragon fruit plants, jackfruit, balimbing or Averrhoa carambola, rambutan, and mangoes, among other endemic fruit trees. Perhaps, the family can include fruit picking for a fee.

The basement of the main building is the heritage gallery that displays a collection of Cordillera costumes and accessories. Antique and contemporary cultural pieces can be seen here which fits the essence of Baguio as a creative city for indigenous crafts and culture.

Beside another pond is a camera museum. Camera enthusiasts can

see the evolution of the camera through the decades. Set up like a photo studio, one can feel like one is being photographed by different cameras of different film eras. One can poke at the cameras collected by Clinton and those donated by friends and family to fill all the shelves on the walls of the gallery.

Taking a hundred or so steps down the side of the gallery, Clinton has aptly constructed a small dark room in the shape of a camera. One can climb the camera or go into the dark room through the door shaped like a lens. A work in progress, the landscaping of the area has a metal sculpture and a walk with interesting ornamental plants.

A path behind the coffee shop leads down to the art gallery. The art gallery hosts contemporary works done by different artists. On July 14, Clinton whose art uses syringe as a tool, Jordan Mang-osan who uses the magnifying glass for his solar paintings, Juan Elani Tulas using styrofoam as a medium, Augusto Endrina Elopre using feathers as his medium, and Carlo Villafuerte with needle as art tool opened their art exhibit. That was a very interesting exhibit where the artists did not use paint to express their art, a first.

Outside the gallery is a garden of sculptures too. A chess board with Cordillera icons can be a game with movable pieces. A garden stroll turns into an art landscape too. More stairs down the slope leads into an amphitheater where performances can be done surrounded by trees and plants.

As an adventurous traveler and eager stroller/hiker, this Aniversario Art Gallery is a perfect introduction to the Creative City of Baguio for indigenous crafts and culture. This is a must visit place to introduce the city as creative hub for indigenous art and culture.