MFA Thesis: Art and Civic Practice- Building a Garden of Native Trees

MFA THESIS PROJECT: Art and Civic Practice- Building The Children’s Play Garden

Bayanihan from bayan (country) is a value commonly shared among Filipinos. It is a way of being in the world where sharing and participating in collective efforts strengthen bonds and help make communities adaptive and resilient. This project is guided by this Filipino bayanihan spirit.

The Children’s Play Garden was opened to the public on November 17, 2023. It is an 800 square meter space in a corner of Burnham Green, in the western side of Rizal Park fronting the Quirino Grandstand. The Children’s Play Garden is a Philippine native tree garden and playground where children can play in nature while learning about our indigenous and endemic native trees and plants.

I undertook this project as part of my MFA thesis at Lesley University School of Art and Design, Cambridge Massachusetts (2021-2023). In the first term of the program, A teacher, Alex Jackson, asked the class to draw the answer to the question ‘What is your best art in life?’. We had ten minutes to answer in the form of a drawing. I began to draw quickly and to my surprise, the answer was not a painting in a gallery or museum. It turned out to be a park with flowers and trees and a playground! Perhaps deep in my subconscious, being an artist is mostly about a shared experience and service to the community. Having felt the anger of many Manila residents on the total lack of urban parks during the pandemic, in a way the drawing was not a complete surprise.

So my MFA turned out to be all about integrating a painting practice and this special project. I realized that I was most interested in the idea of an artist who integrates a life in community as well as the studio.

The Children’s Play Garden is a project in collaboration with Architect Alfred Andrew Tan, who co designed the play structures with me, made of metal and about 1 ton of recyled plastic waste; the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) under the Philippine’s Department of Tourism, Jaton Zulueta, Landscape Architect Tovie del Rosario, Lydia Robledo and Rose Policarpio. We planted some 30 native Philippine trees for this mini arboretum. Care was given in choosing appropriate trees suited to an urban setting. We planted Aherns Balok, Alibangbang, Ardisia, Aunasin, Bagawak Morado, Balitbitan, Banaba, Banai-banai, Bani, Bantolinao Bolon, Gatasan Dagat, Kahoy Dalaga, Kamuning, Katmon, Labayanan, Lagundi, Lamog, Malak-malak, Mali-Mali, Maritima, Palawan Mangkono, Pamitoyen, Philippine Teak, Salimbobog, Tagpo. This project is fully funded by Piandre Salon, Rosalinda Francisco and family.

Collaborative Project

The Children’s Play Garden supports the idea that artists can carry the role of instigator and conduit between communities, government institutions, non-profit groups, private corporations, and in this case- architects, landscape designers, environmentalists and volunteers in projects that move beyond gallery and museum spaces.

The pandemic showed us how a disconnection and an oppressive stance towards nature has brought the world to a precarious state of climate chaos, disease and tragedy. It also showed us the dire need of Metro Manila citizens to have access to parks for their own wellbeing, especially the children.

Rizal Park Luneta

Rizal Park is one third of the remaining 12 percent green open space in the city of Manila, the most dense in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. It is the Philippine’s National Park, a memorial site of our national hero Jose Rizal and other Philippine martyrs. It is 58 hectares of gardens, memorial spaces, picnic areas, gardens as well as an auditorium. There are about 4,000 trees in the park, half of which are exotic trees, 400 of which are the invasive Mahogany. Planting more native trees in our public parks and city streets helps cool our cities and bring back the wildlife in our urban areas. Planting only native trees protects our country’s rich biodiversity. There is an estimated 3,200 native tree species in the Philippines.

The Children’s Play Garden is an artistic gesture, a living art form that hopes to reconnect park visitors, especially children to nature and to our ecological inheritance.

– Aina Valencia, January 2024