Faustino Caigoy: Filipino Artist, Author and Honoree for the 20th annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture

Who: Faustino Caigoy

Hometown: Ilo Ilo

Current Residence: Tahuenga

Occupation: Multidisciplinary Artist, Poet, Author of
Bittersweet Chocolate Meat. 

2011 marks the 20^th anniversary of the Festival
of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC), a tradition that brings together
Filipinos from across California to celebrate community and heritage.  In anticipation of the milestone 20^th
anniversary, each week we are highlighting the different people and events that
have added to FPAC’s colorful legacy.   This week we are featuring Filipino artist
Faustino Caigoy, who has been involved with FPAC since its start in 1992.  Faustino has illustrated children’s books,
published his own book of poetry, and teaches classes in baybayin and other
traditional arts.  The Festival logo, now
an iconic emblem, is one of the many works of art Faustino has created for
FilAm ARTS.  FilAm ARTS, the non-profit
organization that organizes the festival, is honoring Faustino this year for
his contributions to Filipino art and community. 

Around since the very beginning, Faustino still remembers when
friends were talking at a party and had the idea of starting a Filipino festival.   Those initial conversations started the
movement to build a community tradition that would last for two decades.  The first festival took place during Mother’s
Day weekend just one week after the LA Riots. 
“You could still smell the smoke and flames,” Faustino recalls, “and
then you had all these folks in their Philippine costumes walking down the
streets.” 

Friends of Faustino and founders of the Festival approached
the artist to design the logo for FPAC. 
Faustino took inspiration from the Festival’s date, Mother’s Day, and
blended it with indigenous and Catholic Filipino influences.  His design is a representation of a Filipina
mother and her child.  The tall figure in
the center of the logo represents the mother, to her left is the silhouette of
her Maria Clara style “butterfly” sleeve, and to her right is the shape of an
infant in her arms.  Aside from being an
artist, Faustino is also committed to spreading awareness of Filipino culture
and history.  Through the FPAC logo, as
with most of Faustino’s art, young Filipinos can learn something about Filipino
tradition.  “Traditionally we’re a very
matriarchal society,” says Faustino, “The nurturing person, the one who keeps
the household together is the mom.”  Indicative
of both pre-Spanish matriarchal society and the Catholic depiction of the
Virgin Mary with Jesus, Faustino’s representation of mother and child is an
“indigenous type of symbolism and integration of the Christian Catholic faith
that we have.” 

Like Faustino’s art, FPAC strives to capture the vast
mixture of influences that make up Filipino culture and nation.  According to Faustino, “The beauty of FPAC is
that wherever you are from California or some other state, when you go to FPAC
we’re all there.  This is a
representation of who we are, this mixture, this complexity, this color.  It’s beautiful.”

Faustino and other artists are at the heart of FPAC because
through their art they express the diversity of the Filipino experience.  For Faustino, his cultural heritage is
inherently tied with his art.  Filipino
art is “a preservation of things that are indigenous to our people.” “I can’t
deny who I am,” Faustino explains, “I’m Filipino. We have this uniqueness about
us that we feel.   It’s in the
genes.  We know it internally and through
our arts we can express it.” 

Each year FPAC features up to 500 multidisciplinary artists
in visual, literary, performance, traditional, and contemporary arts.  FilAm ARTS welcomes all artists to join its
Pilipino Artist Network and participate in the 20^th anniversary of
the Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture on September 10 & 11.  Applications can be found online at  www.filamarts.org.

Written By: Justine Calma

Source: Asian Journal