Gateway Gallery celebrates Araneta as Heritage Town

Gateway Gallery observes the summer month of May as Heritage Month. To celebrate this theme, Gateway Gallery will open the exhibit Araneta: Heritage Town on May 15, 2019. The exhibit highlights the rich history of Araneta district and its peripheral areas as center of lifestyle and entertainment with Araneta Coliseum as its centerpiece.

The exhibit discusses the roles that the vintage town played in the development and enrichment of the area and how it shaped the public’s consciousness with regards to leisure, consumption, religion and traditions. It will also explore the roles that the iconic structures in the district played in shaping the public’s customs and awareness, and how the public shaped back these structures.

The exhibit will be divided into sections that will give the viewer a clearer perspective of its traditions and history. The exhibit is curated by Gari Apolonio with the assistance of the Araneta Archives Unit. It will run until June 2, 2019.

To supplement the exhibit, Gateway Gallery has lined up activities that will complete the viewer’s experience of the heritage district. These activities include a Street Photography Workshop on May 19, Araneta Heritage Walk on May 25 and Araneta Heritage Talks on June 1.

The Araneta Street Photography Workshop will be a full day workshop on May 19 which will be conducted by award-winning photojournalist Luis Liwanag. The lecture will be complemented with a hands-on photography around the Araneta Center. Facilitator’s assessment of the students’ photos ends the workshop.

The Araneta Heritage Walk is a guided walking tour along memory lane that will familiarize the participants on the iconic structures in the district through historic and anecdotal accounts. It includes a quick food stop to enjoy classic refreshments popular decades ago. The May 25 heritage walk starts at 9 am and ends at 12 noon.

The Araneta Heritage Talks on June 1, 3 to 5 pm, is a focused discussion on the key issues related to heritage and Araneta district as a historic town. Three speakers will delve on general heritage information, the characteristics of Araneta as a heritage district and the crucial work of archiving. Noted architect and urban planner Paulo Alcazaren will talk about the second topic. He will be joined by Architect Reynaldo Lita of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and Maritess Gonzaga, the Director of Araneta Center’s Archives Department.

The exhibit and its activities is supported by the J. Amado Araneta Foundation, Araneta Center and its Archives Department. These celebrations become more timely now that Quezon City Government has officially declared Araneta Center as one of its tourism districts in its new ordinance. The announcement was made in April 2019, recognizing it as Cubao Growth Center.

Everyone is enjoined to visit the exhibit and participate in its collateral activities for a more enriched understanding of heritage and a deeper appreciation of this district. To join and get full details of the activities, check out Gateway Gallery’s social media accounts (Facebook: GatewayGalleryPh, Twitter: gateway_gallery, Instagram: gateway.gallery), call 588-4000 local 8300 or email gatewaygallery@aranetagroup.com.

Gateway Gallery is the art museum of Araneta Center. Located at the 5th floor of Gateway Tower, It is open daily, from 10 am to 7 pm. Entry to the museum is free. It is managed by the J. Amado Araneta Foundation.