An Unexpected History Lesson

By Kyra Vashlie G. Cue

         Museums are probably not the first thing that comes to mind when spending the weekend, but the Ayala Museum might just surprise you. A museum of history and fine arts, it is known for its huge collection of pre-hispanic gold artifacts and dioramas depicting the Philippine history. It is indeed a real feast for the eyes. It was originally visualized by Fernando Zobel de Ayala, founder and a famous Filipino painter, to be a museum of history and iconography. Built in 1967 as a project of the Ayala Foundation, it was dedicated as the Ayala Corporation’s gift for the Filipinos. If you are to drop by a museum in the Philippines, the Ayala Museum should definitely be on top of the list.

Fourth floor: Gold of Ancestors

         The museum consists of four floors of galleries. “We recommend you to start exploring the museum from the top floor.” The staff of the museum suggested. “To have the best experience, it is best to go through the floors from top to bottom.” A massive collection of more than a thousand pre-colonial gold pieces and artifacts are displayed at the fourth floor of the museum. The “Gold of Ancestors” exhibit contains priceless relics from the Philippines before the Spanish colonization dating back to the 10^th – 13^th century. Majority of the gold are jewelry from the elite individuals and deities of the ancient Filipino civilization. An exhibition of five hundred ceramic items from China and other Southeast Asian countries can also be found in this floor. These ceramics tell the story of how the Philippines established social and commercial connections with its neighboring countries. It serves as the proof and evidence of the trading that happened between the Filipinos and the Chinese. The displays of both exhibitions are very exquisite and the museum provides extensive information of each piece. The experience is enhanced when the intricate details and designs of the pieces are closely examined using the built-in magnifying glasses within the glass displays. The museum also provides a viewing area where they show informative videos about the displays. In this floor, the importance of archaeology is emphasized and its role sheds light on the reformation of the past.

        

Third Floor Gallery: Philippine Art Exhibitions

The museum’s galleries on the third floor are designed to accommodate the changing exhibitions showing the Pioneers of Philippine Art, Images of Nation, New Frontiers, and Collector Series. It exhibits works from young visual artists, or major art works borrowed from the private collections of some foreigners. For the month of July, the museum featured contemporary inspirational works of talented local artists. The current socio-economic and political struggles of the Philippine society are being remarkably presented through different kinds of artworks. In the same month, the museum also had a major exhibition called Journey Into Space: The Visual Odyssey of Fernando Zobel. “The Ayala Museum set up this exhibition to pay homage for Fernando Zobel.” The curator of the exhibit says. “His artistic gifts and his vision for art, history, and iconography has built the foundation for the renaissance of Philippine art.”  A wide array of not only paintings, but drawings, prints, photographs and letters from the life Fernando Zobel were displayed beautifully. Even the interior and layout of his studio was recreated. In this part of the gallery, we are given a glimpse of what it was like for the Fernando Zobel.

Second Floor Gallery: Dioramas  

Learning about the history of the Philippines seems more interesting with the Ayala Museum’s Diorama Exhibition. It comprises of sixty handcrafted dioramas depicting the major historical events of the Philippines, beginning from the Tabon man in Palawan until the recognition of Philippine Independence in 1946. Crafted from wood, the intricate details of each piece from the diorama show the impeccable skills of the artisans from Paete, Laguna. Each diorama is crafted and decorated so beautifully that it makes visualizing historical events a lot easier. A brief overview of each diorama is provided for the viewers to have a better understanding of what took place although stories are already told just by looking at each one of the pieces. “It managed to capture the authenticity and the essence of Philippine culture and managed to instill it by means of dioramas—a slice of the past.” says Annilene Barlin, a student who visited the museum on a field trip. “Ayala managed to create a clever spinoff between the old and the new given the admirable modern architecture the building possesses.” For over 30 years, the famed dioramas have been attracting both children and adults even from other countries.  Another highlight of the exhibition is the multimedia presentation that shows the important events that led to the first People Power Revolution that happened in 1986. Besides the dioramas, the museum also has a collection of finely crafted models of Maritime vessels that shows in great detail how the boats contributed to the development of Philippine trade.

Ground Floor Gallery: Jana Benitez      

Contemporary artworks by Filipino artists are exhibited at the ground floor of the museum. The most recent exhibition features the paintings of prodigy Jana Benitez. Going back to where she had her first solo exhibition back in 1998

when she was just twelve years old, Jana Benitez shares thirty five of her paintings in the Jana Benitez: Life Force exhibit. “Jana Benitez’s works are abstract painted with vivid colors, which produces certain feelings and emotion that is relative to any individual observer.” Darren Mackun, a student who has seen the exhibit, shares. “However, what really caught my attention were the ubiquitous handwritings on the walls surrounding the artworks.” The layout of the exhibit provides a very compelling encounter with art. Phrases such as “Courage is contagious” and “The adventure of being alive” give the viewer insight of the life that Jana Benitez lived, and how she was most likely inspired to make art. The artist herself wrote them on the gallery walls. The gallery dedicated to Jana Benitez works is but merely a small piece of her imagination and creativity. To top the experience, the museum has a little café for the visitors to relax. Just outside the museum, The Museum Café, also known as the M Café, serves broad selections of dishes ranging from contemporary Asian to Western cuisine.

         The Philippines actually has many great pieces of history, and the Ayala Museum is most definitely the best place to find it. The beautiful layout, informative markings, neat interiors and modern features makes the experience of visiting a museum more enjoyable and pleasant. The museum’s exhibits are all stunning with complete information. The portraying of history in the most modern and interesting way possible grabs the attention of viewers from all around the world. The Ayala museum gives you a history lesson that you wouldn’t want to miss.