City gov’t looking for more blank walls to serve as mural canvasses

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

As part of its efforts to promote the local art scene in the metro, the Iloilo City government is looking for additional blank walls and vacant spaces in the metro to be transformed into meaningful street art.

Executive Assistant (EA) Francis Cruz said they plan to put up additional mural art in the streets of City Proper district.

“We will be putting some more in other areas along Muelle Loney and we have also identified a wall in Ledesma Street. We will continually look for blank walls that the owner will allow us to use for murals,” Cruz said.

What started out as an initiative of Mayor Jerry Treñas has now evolved into an art movement that has successfully promoted the culture and arts in the metro.

“The first mural started in Brgy. Sambag in Jaro district and the outcome was aesthetically amazing. And so Mayor Jerry decided to put murals around the city; making the walls attractive. It’s infusing the culture and arts to the bloodstream of the city and into the community,”

Treñas inaugurated the first mural project in Brgy. Sambag where local artists painted a mural featuring key attractions in the city such as the City Hall, the public jeepney and a warrior of the Dinagyang Festival.

The initiative inspired other artists from Manila and Panay and even private sectors to volunteer and help in promoting the public art in Iloilo City.

Since then, local and national artists collaborated to ramp up the local art scene in the metro by painting more meaningful murals in the city streets.

The murals in Muelle Loney in City Proper district and in San Pedro Street in Molo district paid homage to the historic Panay Bukidnon tribe.

Meanwhile, other murals located at Muelle Loney reflected the contributions of the Chinese community and the city’s vibrant history through a mural painting of the Panay Railway.

The military leader of the Panay-based Visayan arm of the Katipunan Teresa Magbanua and revolutionary journalist Graciano Lopez Jaena became the inspirations of the mural paintings along Muelle Loney area.

In his previous statements, Treñas has expressed his dream for Iloilo City to be recognized as the country’s art capital.

“It is my personal dream to make Iloilo City the ‘Art Capital of the Philippines’ through the installation and promotion of public art. A few weeks after I assumed office, I met almost all of our Ilonggo artists and asked help on how to make my dream possible,” he said. (with a report from the Iloilo City PIO)