MANILA, PHILIPPINES — What better way to celebrate International Women’s Month than by empowering young women through education? With the online auction “The Gallery of Giving,” art gallery Galeria Paloma aims to raise donations to the Ayala Foundation to support U-Go, a scholarship grant for deserving but underprivileged young women. To date, U-Go has awarded scholarships to 410 women and aims to add more to that number with Galeria Paloma’s support.
“As a gallery run by three women directors, whose mother was once a gallery director herself but found her calling as a steadfast educator, U-Go was a cause that we knew we could champion from the start,” said Kimberly Rocha-Delgado, Co-director of Galeria Paloma. “We are very grateful to U-Go for giving us the opportunity to make a contribution to the cause by doing what we do.”
“The Gallery of Giving” will auction pieces of both physical and digital art, including works by notable artists such as National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, Bjorn Calleja, Julie Lluch, Ernest Concepcion, Soler Santos, AJ Dimarucot, Luis Buenaventura, and many, many others.
Also on auction is the collaboration “Plenteous,” a fully handmade chair made from vintage and recycled materials, including vintage beads, fully handmade as a collaboration between the respective ateliers of Vogue Italia talent Ken Samudio and Seph Bagasao, a designer also known for his concern with environmental and ethical issues within the fashion industry.
Fine jewelry by noted designer JJ Jiao will also be auctioned. Each piece showcases her signature filigree patterns and intricate detailing.
“The Gallery of Giving” will have an onsite exhibition from March 13 to 26 at ArtistSpace, Ground Level, Ayala Museum Annex, Makati. The auction itself will run online from March 16 to April 10.
At the launch event held last March 06 at Benjarong, Dusit Hotel, Makati, Galeria Paloma Co-director Georgia Rocha Chu shared that, unlike some scholarships, those awarded by U-Go don’t necessarily have to go to the most academically promising students. Instead, the student’s personal circumstances are taken into account. What’s more important is how badly the scholarship is needed and how likely it is for the student to want to complete her studies.
In many Filipino families, women are the lynchpin of the household, and empowering them through education has a direct impact not just on their personal situations but on those of the people around them.
“I have been asked, ‘Why U-Go, and why education?'” shared Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Senior Vice President for Leasing and Hospitality of Ayala Land and Global Board Director of U-Go. “I really believe–and am very much aligned with the Ayala Foundation’s vision–that access to education could be a meaningful equalizer for Filipinos. I’m excited by the possibilities of what quality education can bring, not just for women in the country, not just for their families and communities, but also in bringing the most empowered economy forward.”
“The Gallery of Giving” is currently on exhibition at ArtistSpace until March 26 and on auction at Galeria Paloma’s website until April 10.
