‘Ningning sa Dilim’: Overcoming grief and finding purpose
I used to love September because it heralds the beginning of Christmas in our neck of the woods, when you can feel in your bones the beginnings of balmy weather.
When my daughter Maningning, a prized visual artist, trilingual poet in Filipino, English, and Chinese, and art teacher fell from the seventh floor of the Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts of Far Eastern University on Sept. 29, 2000, the month took on a different hue.
Just like the heartbreaking song, “September When It Comes,” sung by Rosanne Cash with her famous father Johnny Cash, which was the final track that the two of them recorded together and released in 2003.
Singing about loss and grief, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Rosanne’s father passed away in September of that year: “When the shadows lengthen/And burn away the past/They will fly me like an angel to/A place where I can rest/When this begins, I’ll let you in/September when it comes.”
Fast forward, the past two decades and more have been a long journey of overcoming grief, of finding strength and purpose in life.
Awards and creative programs
In honor of this 28-year-old artist-poet who left behind a legacy of excellence in her chosen fields, my family and friends founded the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation Inc. (MMAFI) in April 2001 with a mission to encourage creativity and recognize, nurture, and promote poets and artists 28 years old and below through awards and creative programs.
On her first death anniversary, “Beauty for Ashes: Remembering Maningning” (Anvil Publishing), an anthology of poems and prose by top poets and writers, was launched. The following year, in 2002, her 44 ft x 8 ft mural, “Soliloquy,” first exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1994, was reexhibited under the curatorship of Maningning’s professor and thesis adviser at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, dean Nestor Vinluan.
A hardbound edition of her trilingual book of poetry, “Voice from the Underworld,” which was first launched five months before her passing, was launched at the same time.
“Soliloquy” was exhibited again at the GSIS Museum in September 2003 together with the winning poems of the 1st Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Awards. Henceforth, the biennial Poetry Awards would be held during odd-numbered years while the biennial Art Award, which started in 2004, during even-numbered years.
Meanwhile, benefit concerts are held during poetry awarding not only to support the Foundation’s activities, but also to contribute to promoting art, music, and poetry in the country.
Most outstanding of these is the concert and performance art titled “Ginugunita Kita,” which showcased 11 poems of Maningning set to music by composer Jesse Lucas and sung by Banaue Miclat with the accompaniment of Jesse Lucas on the piano and Renato Lucas on the cello.
Last year, an anthology of 10 collections of poems by the winners of the biennial Maningning Miclat Poetry Award from 2003 to 2021 titled “Ningning at Liwanag” was launched during the 2023 Maningning Poetry Awards held at FEU.
The book, with an introduction by National Artist Virgilio Almario, foreword by this writer who was also the book consultant, and cover and book design by Fidel Rillo, was edited by Eilene Narvaez. The beautiful book with cover artwork by Maningning and 10 colored photographs dividing the 10 poetry collections by her father, dean Mario I. Miclat, has been declared a finalist for this year’s National Book Award for anthology.
Free symposium
This year, in lieu of the Maningning Art Award, the Foundation, in collaboration with the Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG), will hold a free symposium titled “Ningning sa Dilim: Usapang Sining at Lusog-Isip” (Light in the Darkness: A Conversation on Art and Mental Health) Sept. 26, 2-4 p.m. at the 2/F AAG, Ben Chan ArtSuite, Soledad V. Pangilinan Arts Wing, Areté, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, QC.
The resource speakers are experts in their fields of work.
Yasmin Almonte, educated at UP and University of Northern Iowa, is a retired professor at the UP College of Fine Arts. A cancer survivor of many surgeries, she is a visual artist who continues to paint despite numerous challenges.
Cathy Sanchez Babao, a grief, loss, and transitions coach, is author of four books, two of which are on grief.
Dr. Dinah Pacquing Nadera is a psychiatrist and adjunct faculty member at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. She and her husband Vim founded the Advancing Wellness, Instruction, and Talents, or Foundation AWIT, an action group that advocates for mental health, in honor of their son Awit who died at the age of four in 2006.
The event will also honor one of the founding trustees of MMAFI, Herman T. Gamboa, who served as president for many years. Gamboa, chairman and CEO of Data Center Design Corp. and one of the four founders of Systems Technology Institute (STI), died last year. He’ll be presented with a Julie Lluch sculpture trophy of appreciation for his lifelong service to MMAFI.
Indeed, September has taken on another hue after my long grief journey. The 13th century poet Rumi wrote that “Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom.”
And that’s how precisely we can move on. Do join us as we lessen our grief.
Register to this free symposium via maningningfoundation@gmail.com; or call/text 09189057311.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, contact: NFG Mindstrong 0918-8734673, 0917-5584673; Hopeline 02-88044673, 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673; or National Center for Mental Health NCMH Crisis Hotline 0917-8998727, 0908-6392672.
