Here is an activity which we hope our readers will go to.  It is art for those with different interests. It is also an activity wherein partnerships are in order.

Manila’s top private museums are joining forces for Zero In: Open Call, an art festival opening on September 15 at 6 pm at the SM Mall of Asia (SM MOA) atrium and will feature a collection of art in its different forms - visual arts, culinary arts, film and fashion, sound, and dance.

The art experience promised by Open Call features lively and festive activities including live dance (by Escola de Samba, Nyko Maka and Batang Ramon Obusan), sound art performances (by E.X.I.S.T. or experimental in sound art), a cosplay parade, gaming demonstrations, on-the-spot-painting (by visual artists Baldwin Kho and Con Cabrera), culinary treats and the unveiling of the freedom wall.

Open Call is the 10th anniversary offering of Zero-In, the annual collaboration of the Lopez Memorial Museum, Ateneo Art Gallery, Ayala Museum, Bahay Tsinoy, and Museo Pambata. It aims to expand and deepen the people’s appreciation of art and the country’s rich cultural heritage.

This year’s Zero-In collaboration seeks to break barriers by literally bringing art closer to the public through a mall exhibit, and showing art in its different forms. Efforts were made to provide more varied experiences with art for audiences within and beyond the art circle.

To set off the festival, the five museums each had an open call for concepts from artists last year (hence the name of the exhibit) within the genres of cuisine (Ateneo Art Gallery), Japanese form manga and cosplay (Ayala Museum), visual arts (Bahay Tsinoy), sound (Lopez Museum), and dance (Museo Pambata) all to be included in the SM Mall of Asia show.

The results of these open calls will also be presented running parallel to the MOA show, in individual exhibits in each of the museum’s respective sites. The Lopez Memorial Museum in Pasig will feature a sound art installation called “Reverb” to add to the treasure of paintings, rare books and manuscripts, artifacts, and Filipiniana already seen in its galleries.

Sound art is a contemporary art that involves use of traditional and modern instruments and state-of-the art software to create a fusion of beats, melodies, and effects. To demonstrate this in the Lopez Museum exhibit, which will run until April 3 next year, are homegrown sound artists including filmmaker Tad Ermitaño, Lirio Salvador’s multidisciplinary art collective ELEMENTO, musician Jon Romero aka Aurora Borealis, and multi-instrumentalist Stanley Castelo aka Washing Machine.

The Ateneo Art Gallery in Quezon City, will focus on the art of cuisine and will hold an interactive food themed-game called Crafty Critters Munch Up until December 22, 2011 while the Ayala Museum in Makati will expose the fascinating world of manga with an exhibit called “World of Manga in Manga Realities: Exploring the Art of Japanese Manga Today.” This will run until October 2, 2011.

Bahay Tsinoy in Intramuros, meanwhile, will push for the visual arts by showcasing an installation by artist Con Cabrera called ‘Kasama’ until October 10, 2011. Museo Pambata in Manila completes the five-museum collaboration by sharing to the public the memorabilia of National Artist for Dance Ramon Obusan. People can also expect live performances in this exhibit, which will run until October 6, 2011.

Open Callis just one of many projects lined up by the Zero-In consortium to make art more engaging and relevant. It also spearheads art workshops and talks to bolster art education and will participate in the Department of Education’s National Teachers’ Month Campaign.

Experience Zero-In: Open Call from September 15 to 24, 2011 at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium and the individual exhibits at the Lopez Memorial Museum in Pasig City, the Ateneo Art Gallery in Quezon City, the Ayala Museum in Makati City, and Bahay Tsinoy and Museo Pambata, both located in the City of Manila. For more information on the event, visit http://www.zeroinmuseums.org/ or call my long time friend Fanny at (02) 631-2417. I would also like to mention that the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library is also the repository of more than 10,000 Filipiniana rare and contemporary books, a haven for scholars and researchers.  This is a must visit for all Filipinos and tourists.