HISTORY speaks of a wonderful narrative of masterpieces collected throughout the years. For the Fine Arts Program of the University of the Philippines College Cebu, history started in 1975 when the university became the only art school outside Manila at the time. Ever since the establishment of the Fine Arts Program, it has been producing outstanding Cebuano visual artists that are continually excelling not only locally but internationally as well.
However, history could not have begun for the university in the first place if not for the efforts of a few people who helped establish the program. So as the university’s Fine Arts program turns a new page this year with its newly refurbished gallery, the university decided to pay tribute to the most important person who has helped not only establish but also encourage the molding and honing of outstanding Cebuano talent, the late National Artist Dean Jose Joya who initiated the Joya awards that has been recognizing the talents of UP Cebu Fine Arts students every academic year ever since 1976.
“The program was founded in 1975, through the efforts of Cebuano artists and professors Martino Abellana and Julian Jumalon with the assistance and support of Professor Jose T. Joya who was then the Dean of the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman. A year after the program was established, the first Joya Awards were given. Up until 1995, the Jose Joya Awards were presented for winning entries in different categories:
representational, figurative abstraction and the non-objective abstraction. In the awarding ceremony that year at Ayala Center Cebu, Dean Joya decided to do away with the different categories for the upcoming competitions and give the awards instead to the crème de la crème of UP Cebu Fine Arts students every academic year. This change was implemented starting in 1996. However, Dean Joya was no longer around to witness it since two months after his last visit to UP Cebu he passed away on May 11, 1995,” said Prof. J. Karl Roque Jr., UP Cebu Fine Arts professor and gallery director of the newly opened Jose T. Joya Gallery.
Despite Dean Joya’s death in 1995, the annual Jose Joya awards continued and for 2016 last Feb. 24, the 40th awarding was done in UP Cebu’s little gallery for the first time before the gallery was officially launched as a tribute for the late Dean Jose Joya.
On Aug. 24, the university officially unveiled its marker for the gallery which was then named after the late National Artist, Dean Jose T. Joya in recognition of his support and contribution to the university. Together with the unveiling of the marker the gallery also launched an exhibit entitled Gawad Joya which features the artworks of over 40 Jose Joya awardees over the past 40 years since the annual awarding started.
“Four decades have passed since the first Jose Joya Awards were given. It is fitting to recognize Dean Joya’s contribution not only to the university but also to the nation by naming UP Cebu’s gallery in his honor. It is also fitting to gather the Joya Awardees for the past 40 years and pay tribute to him through Gawad Joya, an inaugural exhibit at the Jose T. Joya Gallery,” said Roque.
The Gawad Joya exhibit is open to the public until Sept. 16. And the 40 artworks of different artists will continue to provide an insight into the varying skills and techniques of different people coming from different generations.
“Despite the late Dean Joya’s physical absence, his desire to motivate and inspire students to achieve excellence in the field of visual arts continues today through the efforts and support of his family. It is his family’s hope as well as the Fine Arts Program’s that the Jose Joya Awards continue to encourage the younger generation of artists to pursue excellence in the field of arts and ultimately help achieve their dreams through perseverance and hard work,” said Roque.
The Jose T. Joya Gallery is located on the second floor of the Undergraduate Building near the Humanities Division Faculty office of UP Cebu on Gorordo Ave., Lahug, Cebu City.