The Art Association of Bacolod (AAB) : Catalyst To The Creation of The MassKara Festival

Mayor Digoy Montalvo, Councilor Romeo Geocadin, Artist Ely Santiago,
George Macainan, and the AAB were instrumental in the inception phase
of the MassKara Festival.

By now, the fame of Bacolod's MassKara Festival has spread far and wide.  The replication of its street dances have conquered parts of the globe such as New York and Hong Kong.

Every year, thousands of tourists come to visit Bacolod and join the festivities and various events alongside the main parade and the search of the MassKara Queen.  Through it all, there is one group which should not be forgotten in the midst of the revelry.  The group is no other than Art Association of Bacolod.

The Art Association of Bacolod was founded in 1975 with Bacolod visual artists being fired up due to the visits of well known Manila based artists such as Jose Joya and Ding Roces.  From 1975 onwards, numerous activities were carried out by the AAB including an annual art caravan which brought artists across the island of Negros to do on the spot sketching and painting of the unspoiled landscape.

After the M/S Don Juan tragedy in 1980, and the ongoing sugar crisis, the idea to cheer up the city came about via a casual meeting for conceptualization over coffee at Tita's Restaurant, beside the old gallery of the Art Association of Bacolod at the Seawall fronting the public plaza.  The drawing board -- a tissue paper -- was handled by artist , Ely Santiago, and city councilor Romeo Geocadin, writer George Macainan, and another AAB artist Joemar Suanico Sanchez.

An idea came from a Kiwanis Club parade presentation in one of the Bacolod Charter Day celebrations wherein the Kiwanis Club used a few latex masks of Dracula, Frankenstein, and Chewbacca the Wookie of Star Wars.

To give the festival a local flair, Ely Santiago introduced painted masks made of paper mache. He and his fellow AAB artists Maowi Palacios, Lor Sumagaysay, Orville Visitacion, George Macainan, Marcial Buelba, Rodney Martinez, Rafael Paderna, Jecky Alano, Fred Juson, Belding Familiaran, Fred Escaran, Roy Aguilar, Joemar Sanchez, and Nunelucio Alvarado then taught the mask-making craft to the different barangays for them to create as a seasonal source of income.

So was born, the MassKara Festival.  A festival which was more than just about what we know it for today - street dancing with masks.  It was an endeavor to bring out the artists among Bacolod's  barangays to come up with their fun masks.

The original slogan, "Kari sa Bacolod, dala ka maskara!" Was a tourism tag line encouraging visitors of the city to come join the fun and to bring home as souvenir masks made by the locals to pump up the local economy. Ely Santiago designed the first logo with the correct spelling of the festival with the capital K to emphasize the marriage of the two words.

Today in 2016, the Art Association of Bacolod celebrates the 41s year of its existence.  The AAB is now under the able and insightful leadership of well-known Negrense artist, Rodney Martinez. 

The celebration of AAB's 41st year includes an exhibit which opens on July 16, 2016 at the Negros Museum.

Do come and visit the AAB show at the Negros Museum.  You will surely appreciate Masskara much, much more.




The writer, Lloyd Tronco, is from Bacolod, a chicken inasal lover and addict who always eats inasal with garlic rice and a stick of baticolon (chicken gizzard). 

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