Looking for an affordable living space for students complete with amenities, artists’ hub and food joints in Talamban, Cebu City area? This may be good stuff for you!
The first dorm and art hub community in Cebu opened its doors last Oct. 13. Grid Pad and Creative Campus located in Nasipit in Barangay Talamban is a living space for students and professionals who want a clean, safe, and affordable home. Instead of a conventional building, Grid uses container vans for its rooms and offices. It has several amenities, including restaurants, convenience stores and laundry shops.
The Grid opening was a week-long event with art workshops, art exhibits, food festivals, acoustic sessions, spoken word, game nights, and merchandise, and ended with the awarding of the Container Van Painting Contest, whose participants were art students from the University of San Carlos Talamban Campus.
After the awarding ceremony, there was an acoustic night performance featuring artists like Raine Colubio and Keith Ayuman and an art exhibit by Queva, showcasing works by local artists. A Parkour beginner class also took place during Grid’s opening.
Evangeline Marie Hayco, co-owner and operations manager of Grid, was thrilled with the crowd turnout on opening night.
“What was supposed to be a test run for all our equipment and facilities became a party of 350 people, enjoying the music and appreciating the art exhibits. Most of them saw the Facebook posts and were intrigued by this innovative concept,” she said.
Evangeline has big plans for Grid Pad and Creative Campus.
“We want to provide a venue for students, artists, musicians, and art enthusiasts to interact, find common interests, and build a network. Grid is a platform for creatives to express their art through exhibitions, workshops, art events and craft markets. In the future, I hope for Grid to be Cebu’s Art Hub, one complete community to live and study in, and connect with other people,” she added. (Evonne Valerie Hayco)