The Pelikula Lektura: UP Film Institute Philippine Cinema Centennial Lecture Series supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines continues this August 27, 2019 (Tuesday) 2-4 PM with Professor Emeritus Grace Javier Alfonso, Ph.D. at the Film Studio, UPFI Media Center, College of Mass Communication Complex, UP Diliman.
Admission is FREE and open to the public. Certificates will be given to non-UP Film Institute students and only upon request.
For interested participants, you may register at
www.tinyurl.com/PelikulaLekturaGJA
TITLE: Perspectives On Film Education: The UP Film Programs From 1984 To The Present And Beyond
BIONOTE:
Dr. Alfonso is a multi-awarded artist, a painter, sculptor, filmmaker, director for television, film researcher, a multimedia artist, a film critic, teacher, and communicator. All her works have been for sending a thought, sharing insights, and telling stories. She is a true advocate for life long learning and Technology Mediated Education particularly Open Distance eLearning. Now, as a multimedia artist, she is creating hundreds of materials as oral histories of thought leaders for Open Educational Resources in the Sciences, Social Sciences, and in the Culture and the Arts for TVUP, the internet television network of the University of the Philippines. TVUP (tvup.ph) is a production center, an open educational resources repository and a multimedia publication system.
As a painter and sculptor, she participated in numerous group shows and has had eight solo exhibits. Among her recent exhibitions included the Siningsaysay: Philippine History in Arts, Women Empowerment in the Philippines (2014-on going) at the Araneta Center, Quezon City, Hilom: An Art Exhibit (2014) at the Glorietta 2, Makati City. Ïmages of Three Women: Claiming Space” (2014) at the Sandbox, UP Open University; and 2 Women Voices: Visual Conversations Multiplied at Philippine Center (2012) in New York.
Her solo art exhibits include the following: Tibok ng Kalikasan (2011) which was shown at the National Computer Center in Diliman, Quezon City, Trimate Gallery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Lulan ng Sining at UPOU Open University is Los Banos, Laguna; Kababaihan at Kalikasan: Ang Papapalawak ng Puwang (2004) at the SSS Gallery; Babae sa Tag-ulan at Tag-araw (2002) at Vargas Museum, Diliman, Quezon City; Dahon at Damo (2000) at National Computer Center, Diliman, Quezon City; The Third Image (1986) at Vargas Museum, Diliman, Quezon City; Bartolina, Preso, Hawla at Iba Pa (1985) at Pinaglabanan Galleries (painting and sculpture); Gigi Javier Alfonso’s Latest Works (painting), at the Cultural Center of the Philippines; and Sulyap (1982) at Gallery One.
Dr. Alfonso is one of only two artists that have been permitted by the University of the Philippines to cast and create the iconic UP Oblation. She had the privilege to be the artist/sculptor for the UP Oblation for the UP Open University 2005, UP Manila 2008, UP School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte 2008, UP School of Health Sciences in Koronadal 2011, South Cotabato, UP Diliman Extension Program in Clark 2015, Pampanga, UP SHS in Baler 2011, Aurora, UP Cebu, Professional School Campus 2015, UP Bonifacio Global City 2016 and the UP Cebu main campus 2018. Other works as: Sculptor, “Republica” awards, Commission on Higher Education 2011; Sculptor, Diwata awards, Women’s Film Festival; Film Institute 2013-2015; Sculptor, “Outstanding Faculty Award”, Commission on higher education 2010; Sculptor, Glory awards, College of mass Communication Alumni Association 2017; and Sculptor, ASEANnale Awards, 2018.
As a film academic and researcher, she has written treatises on film education and the state of the Philippine movie and television industries in both local and international publications. Dr. Alfonso has written on film for Film Journal of the International Filmoche, Mannheim and Cinemaya, an international publication. She wrote the column called “Sights and Sounds” for the Daily Tribune. She likewise wrote the “Kultura Popular” column for Sunday Malaya. As a film critic, she has been an active member of the local film critics group Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino since 1991 and of which she has served as Chair in 1996-1998, 2002-2003, 2011-2013 and 2015-2016.
Dr. Alfonso is a professor of the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies of film and Professor Emeritus teaching at the Film Institute of College of Mass Communication. She is the Founding Chair of U.P. College of Mass Communication Film and Audiovisual Department. She taught in College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman for five years. She served as Chairperson of the Film School Board of the Philippines and member of the Film Committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 1989-1991.
She has participated in various seminars and workshops on the art and technique of film since 1985. She was a delegate to the Women’s International Film Festival in Seoul, Korea in 2003 and at the International Film Festival in Mannheim, Germany in 1987-1989. She chaired the U.P. Film and Video Festival and the annual Women’s Film Festival of the U. P. Film Institute’s Cine Adarna.
Dr. Alfonso’s visual medium extends to film and video. She has acted as writer and director in more than a hundred television dramas, talk shows, mini-series, tele-cines, narrative features, documentaries, and educational videos. She likewise served as member of the board of directors of Channel 9 from 1993 to 1998. In addition to these, she has directed numerous open educational resources that are used in a range of courses at the UP Open University and other higher education institutions.
In recognition of her contribution as an artist at the university, the UP bestowed upon her the honorific title of UP Artist I from 2009 to 2011 and 2012-2014 and recently awarded UP Artist II from 2015-2017. She was recently awarded The “Excellence in Communication Award” by the Philippine Communication Society 2018. Dr. Alfonso is an awardee of the 2014 Concepcion Dadufalza Award for her Distinguished Achievement and also awarded as Professor Emeritus in 2015. She was also an awardee of the 2018 UPAA Distinguished Alumni for Culture and the Arts and Recipients of the 2018 Dakila Awards. She was awarded also the 2018 PAASE Distinguished Vanguard Award of Philippine Science. Among her other awards include winning at the Shell On-the-Spot Painting Competition in 1971 and receiving in 1988 the Second Grand Prize at the Tamtam Video Festival in Turin, Italy.
Dr. Alfonso served as Chancellor of the UP Open University from 2007-2016. She became involved in distance education and open learning and served her first administrative duty as the UPOU Dean of the School for Distance Education in 1995. In 1999, she became the director of the UPOU Audio-Visual Teaching and Learning Laboratory. Her exemplary talent in multimedia and arts led her to become the Director of the UPOU Multimedia Center in 2004 before she served her first term as the UPOU Chancellor in 2007. And she is now the Executive Director of TVUP.
For her vision of what education should be in the 21st century, she led the UP Open University to offer its programs completely online and pioneered in developing numerous Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). She has been invited to sit in governing boards and technical panels and had been consulted, in aid of legislation, on various issues and strategic directions for the education sector. Among her major engagements were as Chair of the CHED Technical Panel for Transnational and Distance Education; former Executive Board Member of Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and she now serves as its Secretary General and former President of Asian Association of Women Studies (AAWS).
She earned her PhD in Communication in 1990, her MA in the Humanities (Art History) in 1980, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1972, all from the University of the Philippines.
