Baguio City Hall could become ‘creative city museum’

The Baguio City Hall, a heritage building, was one of the first structures put up when the summer capital was designed and built in the 1900s. Photo by EV Espiritu

BAGUIO CITY –– The Baguio City Hall could be designated as a museum and art gallery for the city’s “creative community.”

The corridors of the government facility, which was recognized as a heritage building during the summer capital’s centennial celebration in 2009, could display local masterpieces and open access to the art market, according to a City Council measure presented at a public consultation on Friday (Dec. 6).

The proposed ordinance penned by Councilor Lilia Fariñas takes its cue from Baguio’s selection in 2017 as the country’s first city to join the Creative Cities Network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

But the city must put up art centers because woodcarvers, traditional weavers, basket makers, and silversmiths need more people to buy their wares, according to a survey of Baguio craftsmen and artisans.

“As the seat of government … there can be no better declaration of support for Baguio artists than allowing them to exhibit their works at the lobby of City Hall, where public halls [would serve] as viewing galleries for the public and interested buyers of art,” the measure states.

The proposed law will create a committee that would curate the art, establish rules about the displays, set gallery prices, and oversee the security of these pieces.

A creative city master plan designates the Dominican Heritage Hill and Nature Park as a hub where craftsmen and artists can work and display their art.

The Maharlika Livelihood Center near the Baguio public market, where woodcarvings and woven garments are being sold, has also been classified as a creative center in the masterplan./lzb