ARTIST representation, as well as plans to make the annual flower festival attune to culture and creativity is being planned by the newly formed Creative Cities Council.
Department of Tourism–Cordillera Director Marie Venus Tan with University of the Philippines Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos convened the first technical working group meeting gathering artists and artisans to rally the implementation of an action plan for the next four years.
Plans include a unified creative cities arts festival, hosting international events and a souvenir redesign project, as well as creating a line of wearable items that will represent the city.
The creative economy of the city is also being studied, with plans to measure the economic contribution of the creative industries under arts and crafts and set an agenda for growth.
The group was facilitated to choose sectoral representatives, which include Laida Lim for the weaving industry, which includes cloth and basketry; Gilbert Gano for the carving and sculpture sector; and Rommel Marcelo for metal crafts.
National Artist for Visual Arts Ben Cabrera leads visual artists with international filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik, while Alec Mapalo represents performing arts and Dumay Solingay represents literary arts.
Tan said an existing action plan was sent to the Unesco as part of the application to become a Creative City Network (CCN).
The plan calls for the identification and nurturing of the creative spaces in Baguio City, as well as the development of a creative map.
The CCN plan includes the continuous implementation of “Project Puraw” in Quirino hill, which aims to paint all rooftops white in a bid to combat climate change and removal of unused electrical and telephone wires in the city, as well as the declaration of all wooded areas as heritage zones, the enhancement of streets, pedestrians and walkways and pursue a forest bathing area in the city.
Baguio is now among 15 cities in the world recognized in the field of craft and folk arts.
The Unesco Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
The city was included in the CCN network for local works of crafts, and folk arts of the Cordilleras inspired the various interplay of architecture, parks, textile, fabrics, furniture, and furnishing fashion accessories, paintings, sculpture, homes and building designs in Baguio City.
Under Unesco, all creative cities commit to develop and exchange innovative best practices to promote creative industries, strengthen participation in cultural life, and integrate culture into sustainable urban development policies.