Internationally acclaimed Filipino contemporary artist Leeroy New visited the School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) and the Philippine Studies Group (PSG) at 91亚色 on 26 September 2023. His visit included studio visits with students of the Graduate Program of Visual Arts, a lunch with PSG members, and a public artist talk.

Known for his large-scale immersive environments, costuming, collaborative performances and video works driven by world building, myth-making and social change, New was in Toronto for two high-profile artistic interventions. For Nuit Blanche, the all-night contemporary art event, the artist crafted et, a series of large vessels woven from strips of bamboo and adorned with recycled plastics, which were suspended from the ceiling of the Scarborough Town Centre. At The Bentway, the artist also constructed , a sprawling architectural installation that resembled tentacles writhing under the Gardiner Expressway.    

The Manila-based artist conducted one-on-one studio critiques with current MFA visual art students. Andria Keen benefitted from New鈥檚 feedback: 鈥淟eeroy shared insights around how climate and the collectivity of Philippine culture has influenced his artwork,鈥� said Keen, a first-year MFA student and sculptor. 鈥淭his resonates with how my sculptural practice questions ideologies of rugged individualism.鈥�

鈥淟eeroy鈥檚 visit is an example of how our graduate students are not only conversant with the local and national art scenes, but also engage with contemporary artists at the international level,鈥� states Nina Levitt, the Graduate Program Director of Visual Arts. 

In his artist talk, provocatively entitled , Newrecounted his early years as a creative child growing up in the Philippines, his love for science fiction, and provided an overview of his stunning projects that embody his futurist imaginings. Using natural materials, found objects and assorted discards, the artist鈥檚 speculative futurist aesthetic engages with Filipino contemporary life, pre-colonial mythology, and environmentalism. New鈥檚 talk was attended by over 100 people, including art students, artists and members of the public who were mesmerized by his presentation.  

Since 2008, New has exhibited across North America, Australia, Europe and Asia. He has shown at the Palais de Tokyo, Biennale of Sydney, Honolulu Triennale, Somerset House, and was selected to build an installation for Burning Man 2020. He has won numerous awards such as the Ateneo Art Awards in 2008, the Cultural Center of the Philippines 13 Artists Awards in 2012, and Asian Cultural Council arts grant in New 91亚色 in 2015. In 2011, his sculpted silicone bustier was featured in Lady Gaga鈥檚 鈥淢arry the Night鈥� music video.        

91亚色鈥檚  brings together faculty and graduate students with an interest in the Philippines and/or Filipino migration and diaspora who come from disciplinary backgrounds including anthropology, dance, education, environmental studies, fine arts, geography and political science.

鈥淎rtists such as Leeroy New inspire our students to exceed disciplinary boundaries, to engage meaningfully with communities, and to envision alternative futures through their art,鈥� explains Visual Arts and Art History professor and PSG member, Marissa Largo. 鈥淭his is the kind of border-crossing, critical thinking, and research-creation that we want to cultivate at 91亚色.鈥�  

Photo Credits: Revill Villanueva

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鈥淥ne of the core principles of the PSG is supporting community-engaged and community-grounded work. We are delighted to support exciting and innovating research creation projects from community organizations with a track record of working with the Filipinx community in Canada and beyond,鈥� said Politics Professor

The community-engaged research grants are one of the PSG鈥檚 2023 activities, which are supported through funding from the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto.

(CPO) is a non-profit, community-based and youth-centred organization established in 1985 in order to preserve Filipino cultural heritage by providing music, dance and performing arts instructions to children in Canada and share it with the community. The aim of CPO鈥檚 funded project, Enhancing our Representation of the Philippines, is to extend our knowledge of the stories that represent the Indigenous tribes of Mindanao. CPO will use the grant funds to invite and collaborate with Victoria-based dance artists, Jean Graciela Pe帽ola and Geoffrey Pe帽ola as well as host a dance workshop focusing on dances of the island鈥檚 Indigenous tribes.

鈥淎s an organization dedicated to preserving the Filipino heritage, we want to continue strengthening our understanding of our heritage and the significance of folk dance to our cultural identities, so that we can wholly represent the Filipino community within Canada and the Philippines,鈥� said CPO in their application.

Each grantee is supported by a PSG faculty member. Dance Professor will work with CPO in support of the organization鈥檚 success.

This grant is a huge boost not only for CPO but also for the Philippine folk dance community in the Greater Toronto Area, said Alcedo. 鈥淭he dances they will teach from this southern region of the Philippines will deepen the embodied understanding and practice of Philippine folk dance by CPO members and those who will participate in the planned workshops.鈥�

The 鈥檚 (FC-WJNet) project responds to the need of youth, the Filipino Canadian community and others wishing to learn about Philippine history and culture. The group is developing accessible, shareable and user-friendly educational tools: resource materials in poster format and a website with a modified version of the posters with resources and references focusing on the Filipino people鈥檚 continuing struggle for independence. This project expands on the organization鈥檚 development of a poster鈥擳he Filipino People鈥檚 Continuing Struggle for Independence鈥攖hat covered the period from the Spanish colonization of the Philippines to the declaration of 鈥渋ndependence鈥� in 1946.  

FC-WJNet is committed to advancing Filipino-Canadian literature and journalism. Its members include writers, journalists, playwrights, screenwriters, book authors and others who aim to serve the community and larger society by writing about the important issues of the day that affect a significant sector and their long-term interests.

habi po, a collective of Toronto-based Filipino/a/x artists focusing on building community through traditional textile art practices to preserve Philippine cultural heritage and revive ancestral connections, received funding to co-create historical, material, and embodied knowledges about sustainable Philippine textile/weaving traditions with GTA-based Filipino/a/x youth.

The group and its youth participants will consider the challenges that Filipino/a/x-Canadian youth experience when called to support sustainable, ethical and authentic Philippine textile practices and local businesses, and how can collaborative zine research-creation bridge the gap between the knowledges of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines and diasporic Filipino/a/x youth in Canada on the preservation of sustainable textile traditions.

鈥淲e strongly believe in the urgency of sharing these knowledges in a zine as a political strategy of resistance against 1) the devaluation of weaving as a commodity and its disappearance as a 鈥渄ying鈥� tradition and art practice, 2) the erasure of culture, community and livelihood for Indigenous and working class Filipino/a/x artists, artisans, and garment workers, and 3) the whitewashing and cultural appropriation of sustainable textile practices,鈥� said habi po members in their successful application.

is using its grant funds to identify gaps in its programming/service delivery to queer and trans Filipino/a/x via an assessment of queer and trans Filipino/a/x youth鈥檚 needs through an environmental scan of their service areas. This grant allow the organization to continue to be a supportive space for Filipino/a/x youth to connect with their community and culture, form meaningful relationships, gain mentorship and develop a sense of belonging, said Tungohan.

Kapisanan is a queer-led grassroots organization that has provided arts programming to Filipino/a/x youth in Toronto and the GTA for the past 20 years.

Seafarers鈥� Stories: Understanding the Realities of Filipino Seafarers is the funded project that /Scarborough is undertaking this year. They are developing consolidated, free and accessible information materials about the current situation and challenges that Filipino seafarers face. The research team will engage in a series of one-on-one conversations and collective discussions to document the experiences of seafarers that dock in Hamilton weekly before vessels move on to their final destinations. Ultimately, they hope to use this information to help build a campaign and/or recommendations for policy changes that could improve the work and living conditions of seafarers.

Founded in 2018, Migrante Ontario is a grassroots organization of Filipino migrants and their families with the goal of advancing the rights and welfare of Filipinos in Ontario within the framework of people鈥檚 struggle for national liberation and genuine freedom in the Philippines.

Professor (Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change) will be the 91亚色 liaison with Migrante and will support their work. 鈥淲e are delighted to be working with Migrante,鈥� says Kelly, 鈥渨hich is an advocacy organization with global reach in the Filipino diaspora. The plight of Filipino seafarers is an especially important issue as their work is so often 鈥榦ut of sight, out of mind.鈥� The 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research-based Work at Sea project is pursuing some similar questions around migrant labour rights at sea, albeit in the context of global fishing fleets.鈥�

(MRCC) has been supporting migrant workers with labour and immigration issues since 2017. Over 60 per cent of their clients are from Filipino communities and in the literature, several barriers to Filipino migrant workers鈥� help-seeking of mental health support are revealed. Through their funded project, MRCC is conducting an environmental scan and literature review of existing resources targeting mental health for migrant workers as well as consulting with local experts. Their findings will be shared through Tagalog and English information pamphlets, social media posts, and a Tagalog information session focused on mental health. The outputs of this research will help the organization to strengthen their core services on education and training, information and referral, and research and advocacy, said Tungohan.

鈥淭hese projects will contribute to our knowledge base on the Filipinx community鈥檚 experiences, and will, more importantly, support the important work that community organizations are doing. I can鈥檛 wait to learn more about the results of these various projects,鈥� Tungohan concludes.

Representatives of the recipient organizations will share their projects and research findings as part of the PSG鈥檚 research celebration symposium at 91亚色 in early December 2023.

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鈥淚t is very exciting to read about 91亚色 students鈥� projects, which range from in-depth fieldwork examining the gendered dimensions of the Mindanao peace process to intensive language study and cultural immersion in the Philippines. These students collectively received $32,000 in funding in support of their work. Their ground-breaking projects promises to make an important contribution to the field of Philippine Studies,鈥� said (Politics). 

Professor Tungohan is a member of the (PSG) at the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research (YCAR), which brings together faculty and students with an interest in the Philippines, Filipinx migration and diaspora, and Philippine Studies. PSG鈥檚 activities in 2023, including this student funding, is made possible by the support of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto.

The PSG awarded C$25,000 for fieldwork in the Philippines and the Diaspora to six students in Geography, Politics and Music.

Myla Chawla鈥檚 research examines women鈥檚 roles and experiences during the Moro conflict and Mindanao peace process in the Philippines. The project seeks to not only make visible the work women have performed during conflict and peace times, but to further unpack how diverse perspectives from Moro, Indigenous and Christian communities have shaped their experiences and visions of peace.

鈥淢y time conducting in-person fieldwork in the Philippines has elevated the project with a richer data sample. I have had the ability to speak to both local and professional women on the ground and have been able to witness women鈥檚 work in action. Additionally, I have taken part in events pertaining to peacebuilding efforts in Mindanao led by government agencies, NGOs and local women led grassroots movements,鈥� said Myla.

A doctoral candidate in Political Science, Myla completed her BA in Political Science and Equity Studies at the University of Toronto, and her MA in Globalization Studies at McMaster University.  

Informed by a political economy of local urbanization and feminist political ecology scholarship, J is examining how urban flooding results from political decisions, economic interests and power relations; and the ways in which intersectional axes of gender and class shape differential impacts of flood disasters. 

鈥淢y goal is to strengthen the understanding of the causes, mitigation and experiences of flood disasters in rapidly urbanizing and industrializing coastal cities.鈥�

Ria is a second-year doctoral student in Geography and a Graduate Associate with the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research. Before joining 91亚色, Ria worked as a science research specialist on climate-smart agriculture and mining impact assessment projects at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), and as a lecturer at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at Cavite State University. She holds MS in Environmental Science and BS in Human Ecology from UPLB.

Dani Magsumbol is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Politics. Her research is an examination of the political economy of emotions, and the affective relationships of citizen/ship & nation/alisms; her dissertation focuses this analysis on the multigenerational experiences in families of the Filipino labour diaspora in Canada. 

鈥淚n my project, I seek to examine not only at the immediate effects that being an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) has on the individual, but also the long-term after-effects of how employment and residence outside of national borders alters the experience of citizenship and national membership for members of the Filipino labour diaspora.鈥�

Dani says that fieldwork is vital to this research endeavour; in seeking out Filipino immigrants and members of their family in order to interview them about their individual and familial migration stories, the research actively foregrounds the voices and stories of the migrants who have experienced the disorientation and reorientation of migration and settlement. To this end, she will be collecting data in the form of interviews and focus groups, in areas in Canada where Filipinos have chosen to settle in large numbers, such as the Greater Toronto Area, Winnipeg and Vancouver as well as areas less spotlighted in the literature, such as Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. 

Nikki Mary Pagaling鈥檚 research examines the labour market transitions that Filipina women make after completing Canada鈥檚 temporary foreign caregiver programs. 

鈥淚 will deploy an intersectional feminist framework to investigate the extent to which immigration to Canada through a temporary foreign caregiver program shapes Filipina women鈥檚 entry into the personal support worker labour force in Toronto.鈥� Nikki is a master鈥檚 candidate in Geography. 

Romeo Joe Quintero is a doctoral student in Human Geography. He holds an MA in Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies at Carleton University and a BSocSci Hons in International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa. His research interests lie around questions of protracted situations of forced displacement and placemaking practices among internally displaced persons in the Philippines. In particular, Romeo will examine the economic and livelihood practices of communities in Mindanao that have been displaced to settlement sties in urban areas by a legacy of violence in the region.

Antoniel Roca is researching the impact of Filipino-North American diasporic identity on the thought and composition processes of musicians in the Manila metropolitan. 

鈥淎s a Filipino immigrant, I believe in the importance of the study of diaspora.鈥�

A doctoral candidate in Ethnomusicology, Antoniel鈥檚 previous fieldwork in the Philippines touched on the music genre kundiman, and the

ways in which it was utilized as propaganda during both the Spanish- and American-Filipino revolutions. This provided the historical background needed for his primary thesis.

Antoniel holds a BA in piano performance from Burman University and a MA in music specializing in composition and piano pedagogy from Andrews University. Formerly, he was a member of Patrick Alcedo鈥檚 (Dance) exhibition as part of Toronto鈥檚 interuniversity CRAM festival. Antoniel has worked in many music disciplines, including classical and gospel choral ensembles, Filipino rondalla and angklung groups, as well as jazz/alternative bands.  

Kad Marino and Genevi猫ve Minville received support for their Tagalog studies. 

鈥淟anguage training is an essential part of long-term, field-based and people-oriented fieldwork. The Philippine Studies Group was therefore pleased to provide support for students who are committing themselves to learning the Filipino language and/or regional dialects in the country, says Philip Kelly (Geography), who served on the award adjudicating committee. 

Kad Mariano, a doctoral student in Political Science, believes that learning Tagalog is an important step towards his doctoral research goals. Working with the Filipinx community requires one to navigate the multiple worlds that Filipinx migrants regularly traverse and intersect, says Kad.

鈥淎n integral part of this research is interviewing and communicating effectively with members of the Filipinx community. Learning and employing Tagalog will grant access to experiential and community knowledge regarding Filipinx migrants鈥� perceptions of reconciliation, understandings of colonial relations in the Philippines and Canada, and (non)mobilizations of memory.鈥�

Kad intends to focus on the Filipinx diaspora and its role in the memory dynamics of reconciliation, assessing migrants鈥� perceptions of and participation in reconciliation, such as cross-cultural coalition-building. 

Genevi猫ve Minville鈥檚 research in the Philippines will benefit from the language skills that she will gain this summer, thanks to the Language Subsidy.

鈥淗aving language knowledge is essential for me to connect with my research participants and the communities as well as to give me more confidence to undertake my fieldwork in 2024.鈥�

A doctoral student in Critical Human Geography, she intends to adopt a participatory approach with communities and engage with local experts and NGOs around issues of forced displacement related to disasters and climate change. Genevi猫ve holds a Master鈥檚 degree in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa and a BSW from Universit茅 Laval.   

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聽On March 20th, Dr Saguin joined a roundtable of faculty and students at 91亚色 to discuss current issues in Philippine Studies, political ecology and Southeast Asian urban studies. Dr Saguin also met separately with Dr Shubhra Gururani, Director of the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research, to discuss common research interests and future collaborations.

On March 21st, Dr Saguin gave . The lecture examined urbanization through the example of Metro Manila and its adjacent resource frontier, Laguna Lake. The lecture provided an urban political ecological understanding of urban metabolism to track two resource flows with particular resonance for Manila鈥檚 20th century urban environmental trajectory鈥攆ish and floodwaters. In this way, Dr Saguin provided a critical analysis of the actors, practices and material substances that are brought together to deliver vital resource flows for the city. The lecture was attended by faculty and undergraduate and graduate students from 91亚色, as well as researchers from the University of Toronto and Syracuse University.

Dr Saguin also met separately with students in the Graduate Program in Geography at 91亚色 whose research is focused on the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora.

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The grant the at 91亚色 received made it possible for Leo Lorilla and Pamela Corales, core performing artists of and faculty members of the Philippine Women鈥檚 University (PWU) in Manila, to be artists-in-residents in the Department of Dance at 91亚色 from 10 to 21 February 2023.

In this capacity, they accomplished the following:

• during the Department鈥檚 Annual Showcase, , at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre from 15 to 17 February;
• delivered a in the Greater Toronto Area at the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre on 13 February;
• gave a courtesy call to Consul General Orontes V. Castro at the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto on 13 February; and
• assisted in organizing a choreographic dialogue with members of the Benguet diasporic community at the Accolade East Building, Studio E at 91亚色.

To enrich their transnational cultural exchange, Lorilla and Corales participated in a series educational activities and exposures that would benefit both the Bayanihan as a professional dance company and PWU as an institution that is known for its dance education. These activities were: an educational tour with cultural anthropologist on how to care for fragile costumes held at the Textile Museum of Canada on February 12; observation of studio dance classes in and the auditions process of 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Dance from February 16 to 17; and another educational tour this time with archivist Amy Bowring on best practices in preserving dance on video, stills, and print at the on February 21.

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