Award-winning visual artist Carlito Camahalan Amalla, a member of the Agusan Manobo tribe, will discuss the rich history and culture of their very own suyam embroidery and the wisdom of women weavers in a free online webinar.

The pioneering initiative was organized by the University of the Philippines (UP) Baguio through CordiTex, a multidisciplinary research that taps various approaches in the study of Luzon textiles.

Amalla, founder and leader of the Agusan Artists Association in Butuan City and the Balangay Artists Association in Manila, will deliver an in-depth look at suyam as a tangible art and a marker of creativity and identity.

He will walk the participants into the different geometrical designs, embellishments, and beadworks that have become an extension of the body and a form of universal art grounded on ancient rituals, belief in unity and the many aspects of life.

“Suyam is a living tradition – shared from generation to generation by the cultural masters,” he explained.

In his well-documented presentation, the Design Foundation assistant professor from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Arts, Culture, and Performance (SACP) will likewise shed light on the significant role of the understated genius of women weavers in creating the patterns that symbolize status and power.

Amalla is a performer, puppeteer, dancer, chanter, musician, ceramist, and researcher, who participated in exhibitions in Belgium, England, Wales and the USA.

He holds a bachelor in Fine Arts Major in Sculpture and a Master’s Degree in Art History, both from the University of the Philippines.

His Agusan Manobo embroidery art thesis, paintings, and puppetry in Sinuyaman: Awit ni Baylan were part of the Mindanao: Cartography of History, Identity and Representation presented at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in 2019.

He is a recipient of the 2021 Asia Pacific Luminare Award and 2020 Outstanding Leadership in Culture and the Arts in New York City.

He was likewise lauded with the 2016 University of the Philippines Alumni Association-Distinguished Alumnus in Community Empowerment, 2015 The Outstanding Butuanon Award, 2012 Polytechnic University of the Philippines- Gat Apolinario Mabini Award, 2009 United Nations Outstanding Youth Service Award, and 2008 National Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Early this year, the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi of the University of the Philippines Diliman recognized Amalla as one of the Promising Young Artists of the Triennium for his contribution in championing the Philippine visual arts and the Agusan and Manobo Culture in Dance, Textile, and Sculpture in the global scene.

The lecture will be conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/CordilleraTextilesResearch.