Philippine International Cartoons, Comics and Animation (PICCA) Festival 2010

The Philippine International Cartoons, Comics and Animation (PICCA) Festival is all set in inviting members and the public to join the PICCA main event on October 22 to 25, 2010 at the SM City North EDSA.

PICCA will have rundown of activities and showcases like cartoon and comics exhibits, comics drawing contests, animation creation contests, talks by local and foreign guests, book launches, workshops for children, caricature sessions, game demos and animation showing.

PICCA will also hold a trade exhibit and showcase at SM City North Annex. Participants will be comics publishers, content creators, animation studios, mainstream and indie comics artists, gaming producers and multi-media schools. Booths and displays will also be set up in the CyberZone floor.

The four-day event is open to the public except the talks and the showings where PICCA members will have the reserved seats. In addition, PICCA members will be have draw of raffle tickets, awards night party and discounts on special skills training.

The annual event is dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of creative content generation in the Philippines, particularly in the fields of comics, animation and also gaming.

Resource persons will come from the US, Canada, China, Japan, Israel, Singapore, Australia and Pakistan. PICCA members are expected to benefit from the talks.

PICCA is presented by Mango Comics and SM malls. Partners include Japan Foundation, CITEM, Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas, Cosmopolitan International Institute of Technology, Seventoons, UP College of Fine Arts, Creative Media Professionals Guild of Asia and the Pacific, Holy Cow Animation and Design Plus Printers, Panda Travel Service and Derwent Art Supplies.

For details, contact PICCA Secretariat at (632) 403-8681 or log on to www.piccafest.com.

4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit

The Zamboanga Bloggers Community is already preparing for the 4th edition of the Mindanao Bloggers Summit on October 29-31, 2010 in the Asia’s Latin City, Ciudad de Zamboanga.

The event will carry the theme – THE MINDANAO PROJECT: Weaving Voices Online. This year’s summit aims to create a venue for Mindanaoan bloggers to discuss issues affecting them and formulate strategies to help reach their common goal of creating a brighter Mindanao.

The summit will be kicked-off by a Blogging Seminar on October 29, 2010. It aims to give newbie bloggers and blogging enthusiasts some tips on how to create successful blogs.

The summit proper will be held on October 30, 2010 at Zamboanga’s finest hotel – the Garden Orchid Hotel. Top blogging personalities and guests have already confirmed their participation as speakers during the summit. Registration fee for the summit proper is P500.

Blogs and bloggers from Mindanao will be awarded on the same day during the Philippine Blog Awards – Mindanao.

Zamboanga City has many sights and things to offer to its visitors. The organizers invite participants to visit historical and beautiful spots of the city on October 31, 2010. Partnering for the city tour are the local tourism department and the Committees on Tourism and Science and Technology of the City Council.

For more information, contact Ryann Elumba at (63927) 477-1210 or Yolynne Medina at (63916) 152-4811. Email bloggerssummit2010@gmail.com or visit http://www.mindanaobloggers.com.

Job Fest Career Fair, Super Kids 2010, and Best of Anime 2010

Primetrade Asia Inc., showcased three events in four consecutive days at the SMX Convention Center last September 16-19.

The first event is the Job Fest Career Fair 2010 presented in cooperation with Jobsdb.com, Studio 23, and the Manila Bulletin. The Career Fair opened September 16 and concluded with hundreds of jobs provided on the second day.

Meanwhile, the second event is in partnership with Maximus Inventus and Promil Nurture Network which set foot from September 17 to 18. Super Kids 2010 aims to support creative learning and champion minds to excel in their chosen endeavor. The event was supported by Johnson’s Pure Essentials, Johnson’s Baby, Junior, and the Manila Bulletin.

The last event, moreover, is an extravagant anime expo entitled The Best of Anime 2010, which was conducted in cooperation with Hero. The event showcased the best of anime movies, trends, and costumes on its one-day event last September 19. Tie-Up organizers of the said event include Japan Foundation, Cosplay.ph, Creativoices, and Society of Young Voice Artists of the Philippines (SYVAP). Sponsors of the successful expo were MSI-ECS, Suspended Animation Media, Yoshinoya, Netopia, GAME, ClicktheCity, Tempest Films, and the Manila Bulletin.

For more information, contact Primetrade Asia Inc., at (632) 896-0661, 896-0682 or visit http://www.primetradeasia.com/

Tattoo Artists Unite at Dutdutan X

Tribal Gear Philippines presents Dutdutan X, the country’s biggest and grandest annual tattoo exposition on Sept. 24 and 25 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The ultimate tattoo event will once again create history to celebrate 10 years of art and ink.

Tribal Gear sets the bar even higher at this year’s event where the finest tattoo artists, enthusiasts and supporters will huddle to meet, compete, get inked and marvel in skin artistry at its best. Once again, Tribal Gear gathers not only the country’s best tattoo artists, but also acclaimed inkers from all over the world. Participants from France, Guam, Singapore and Korea are flying in.

Guests from Tribal Gear San Diego, California, representing Tribal’s West Coast lifestyle, where tattoo is very much a part of one’s existence, are also coming. Bobby Ruiz, founder/owner of Tribal Gear, Wuv, drummer of POD and OG Abel, street/graffiti artist, Franco Vescovi, renowned inker and Willie T., multimedia artist, will be celebrating art and ink with local counterpart.

Tribal Gear, the lifestyle brand that represents the hardcore, underground and alternative street scenes, continues to live up to its roots with Dutdutan X.

Dutdutan X’s highlights include exhibition fights of professional URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championship) fighters, Tribal Gear’s sizzling Bikini Open contest, a music fest featuring many of our hottest local bands and crews, and a new addition to grab the spotlight is the Drum Duel — a search for the best amateur drummer in town.

Dutdutan X is presented by Tribal Gear; co-presented by Colt 45, Skinworkz, PHILTAG, and brought to you by Kenny Rogers, JB Music, Jack TV, Magic 89.9, NU 107, UR 105.9, U 92.r and Sidetrip Travel Magazine.

Tickets are on sale at Skinworkz and all Tribal boutiques. Trade in 12 Colt 45 crowns and get P100 off the ticket price.

For more information about the event, contact Tribal Gear at (63917)859-3759, email q@dutdutan.com.ph. For Tattoo Competition/Convention Inquiries, contact Skinworkz Body Piercing & Tattoo Shop at (632) 834-5001, (63927) 980-1009 or visit the official website at http://www.dutdutan.com.ph/

ManilArt 10 Contemporary Art Fair

More than sixty of the country's most prestigious art galleries gathered together at the SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Metro Manila via ManilArt '10 last July 30 to August 1 and staged what promises to be the Philippines' biggest art fair.

Now on its second year, ManilArt aimed to paint a broad mosaic of the Philippines' visual arts landscape by showcasing a wider spectrum of creative works, ranging from paintings and sculptures by up and coming artists to rare masterpieces by esteemed national artists.

The annual art event was also aimed to make Philippine art more accessible to the general public. Serious art collectors and ordinary art lovers are in for a visual treat as the country's major art houses put their collections of the best in contemporary art on view.

The list of returning exhibitors for ManilArt '10 included 1/Of Gallery, Art Asia, Art Circle, Art Informal, Art Verite, Artes Orientes, Artis Corpus, Blanc Gallery, Boston Gallery, Choice Expression, Finale Art File, Galerie Astra, Galerie Francesca, Galerie Joaquin, Galerie Raphael, Galerie Stephanie, Galerie Y, Galerie Duemila, Galleria Nicolas, Galleria Quattrocento, Gallery BIG, Gallery Genesis, Gallery Nine, Kaida Gallery, Kulay Diwa, Manila Contemporary, Pablo Gallery, Paseo Gallery, Phinma, Renaissance Art Gallery, Ricco Renzo Galleries, Silverlens, Tam-awan Village, Village Art Gallery, and Whitewall Gallery.

On the other hand, new exhibitors that joined the event were 19B, Art For Space, Art Kratochwill, Britania Art Projects, Cebu Art Group, Circa Gallery, Galerie Anna, Galerie One Workshop, Gallery Medusa, Gallery Leon, Gallery of Davao, Gallery Orange, Gresytone Gallery, Mendez Big & Small Art Co., Nova Gallery, Tala Gallery, Talambong Gallery, The Drawing Room, and West Gallery.

ManilArt '10 is a project of the Bonafide Art Galleries Organization (BAGO) and co-sponsored by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and the Department of Tourism.

For inquiries, contact BAGO at (632) 531-6231 or (0917) 851-1333, email info@manilart.com or visit http://www.manilart.com/

UST National On-the-Spot Painting Contest

The University of Santo Tomas held its Annual Inter-School On-the-Spot Painting Competition last February 25 at the Benavides Garden fronting the UST Main Building. This year’s theme is “Mag-ina: Larawan ng Yaman ng Kultura at Kalikasan” (Mother and Child: Portrait of Natural and Cultural Heritage).

Organizer of the event Fr. Isidro Abano, OP, director of the UST Museum noted that this year’s contest seeks to dramatize the important role of the Filipino mother and her children in today’s changing society. He specifically noted that the theme encourages among the youth a return to the values that the concepts of Mother and Nature instill in us.

This year’s judges were architect-interior designer Jonathan Matti, gallery owner and art leader Silvana Diaz, and actress Candy Pangilinan.

Among the universities and colleges participated were Adventist University of the Philippines, Bulacan State University, College of the Holy Spirit, Far Eastern University, Philippine Women’s University, Technological University of the Philippines, and the University of the Philippines.

For more information about the event, call The Varsitarian at (632) 406-1611 loc. 8235, (63916) 550-4395 (Mr. Alphonsus Luigi Alfonso), (63905) 243-4808 (Mr. Mark Andrew Francisco) or visit their website, http://varsitarian.net/