Kulintang Arts, Inc.
Pilipino arts and culture
Founded in 1985, Kulintang Arts, Inc. (Kularts) presents contemporary and traditional Pilipino arts in the United States. Their mission is to inform and expand the understanding of American Pilipino culture and preserve the spirit and integrity of ancient Pilipino art forms. They produce and present innovative artistic works; foster mentorship among emerging and established artists, facilitate local and international collaborations; design and implement educational outreach programs for elementary through college age students; lead cultural tours to the Philippines; and more.
In 2009, Kularts received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program to produce the Parol Lantern Festival, a collaborative project with their long-term partner, Filipino American Development Foundation. Funds were used for expenses associated with workshops and festival activities at St Patrick’s Church. This project consisted of parol lantern-making workshops at Bayanihan Center as well as other sites in the Bay Area, and a grand culminating festival at Jessie Square and the Pilipino Parish St Patrick’s Church in the Soma neighborhood in San Francisco, reaching over 5,000 people each year.
As a grantee in ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program in 2007, Kularts received supprt to host the first-ever US visit by an indigenous Ifugao performing group, The Ifugao Music & Dance Ensemble of Banaue. As the builders of the famed rice terraces of Banaue, the ensemble’s rousing performance included the himong, a powerful and communal trance-inducing dance, that calls for both the living and the dead to rise up for justice; interlocking rhythms of the gangha ensemble; playful competition of native games such as fighting spinning tops and wrestling; and the melismatic melodies of the alim and the hudhud, capturing the beauty and power of Ifugao culture.