January 22nd, 2011 – San Francisco
The joint book launch for “Way of the Ancient Healer” and “Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern!” The day begins at noon at ARKIPELAGO BOOKS where we will be signing books until 4:00 pm. Then at 5:30 pm we will begin the book launch at the Bayanihan Community Center with opening traditional ceremonies and a special invocation song by Grace Nono. The night will feature music by Diwa Kulintang and lectures by both Virgil and I! Cultural performers to be announced! This promises to be a night to remember!

January 18th, 2011 – San Francisco
This is the very first public signing event I will be doing for Filipino Tattoos Ancient to Modern! It will be an intimate setting for talking about our books and I have heard wonderful things about Om Shan Tea! If you live in the San Francisco Area and would like to meet me or Virgil one-on-one, this is the event for you!

Southern California events:

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be back in Southern California to showcase my work at DesignerCon in Pasadena, CA 11/20/10. This event will be much different than the usual cultural ones I usually do. I’ll be debuting my custom toys exclusively at this event with new paintings and of course promoting Baybayin. Become a Fan on the Facebook page for some early photos of my work.

Saturday, November 20th, 2010
10 am to 5 pm
Pasadena Convention Center
300 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101

Designer Con (formerly Vinyl Toy Network), is an annual art and design convention that smashes together collectible toys and designer apparel with urban, underground and pop art.

Some of the Designer Con 2010 events include the Spoonful of Star Wars™ Art Exhibition, Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, World’s Biggest “Blindbox Time”, So Analog Custom Show, our famous DCon Goodie Bags, live painting, and more!

200 Larkin Street (between Fulton and McAllister Streets)
San Francisco, CA 94102
In the Civic Center district, across from City Hall.

This is a FREE event! You won’t want to miss this!

I return to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on 10/3 to teach the Baybayin, talk and show some of my work. Also, I’ll be creating FREE custom Baybayin pins! Show up and there might be additional surprise freebies.

I’ll only be there for 2 hours at the North Court 12PM–2pm

Watch master tattoo artists, led by Aleks Figueroa of Dream Jungle Tattoo, in action creating tribal tattoos for the contemporary Filipino Diaspora. Joël Barraquiel Tan will discuss the symbolism in this art form from 1 pm-2 pm in the South Court.

Aleks Figueroa of Dream Jungle Tattoo leads a live tattoo session with a talk by poet Joël Tan. “URBAN SAVAGE: 22nd Century Pilipino Tattoo Ritual” will address Alibata, Kalinga, Tinalak, and Baybayin, common terms referencing contemporary Filipino diasporic tattoos. These pre-Spanish symbols and cultures build a sense of pride and empowerment, as well as a sense of nationhood resistant to colonialism. Perhaps this explains why so many modern-day urban Pin@ys wear tattoos for headhunters, the afterlife, and so on. Explore how the meanings of these symbols are changing and why. Join master tattoo artist Aleks Figueroa, Tony Ancheta of Inkies Tattoo Studio, artist and curator Joël Barraquiel Tan, and choreographer Alleluia Panis in the creation of a 22nd Century ritual for Pilipino Tribal Tattooing.

-Tattoo of the Day
-Best Small Pieces
-Best Medium (Colored & Black & Gray)
-Best Large (Colored & Black & Gray)
-Best in Henna (Medium & Large Piece)

Please see poster for more details.

• I will be there promoting PinoyTattoos.com, Baybayin.com, book, art and filming my upcoming documentary.
• Drop by for FREE Baybayin name translations and specially priced custom art.
• Other FREE goodies to be announced via the Facebook page.

In a society that is undoubtedly full of despair, hate and loss, others chose to create vivid works to inspire, to give hope and to mark their existence. People who chose to live a life over the edge and boundary of what should be accepted, of what should be the ordinary. A lifestyle dedicated to those who chose to exist and mark their existence, a lifestyle dedicated to those who create works of art that is either unconventional or new or just simply overlooked.

This year, 2010, a great number of these people will gather and create their marks in this society, marked as the most exciting convergence of artists showcasing the country;s finest tattoo artists and collectors…unconventional crafts of graffiti artists…finest artworks by visual artists… and the mastery of multimedia practitioners.

This is the “MARKADO, A LIFESTYLE CONVENTION.” On the 7th of May, 2010 at the SMX Convention Center , Mall of Asia Complex, Manila, Philippines., in a whole-day affair marked by competitions in tattoo, graffiti, painting and multimedia arts. Throughout the day, top-notch entertainment will be provided by named bands and making the event more exciting is the holding of a mud wrestling gig. For enthusiasts, booths are open all-day for workshops and merchandising activities.

Visit the official website for more info

Get your tickets!

Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) to partner with Warriors to host Filipino Heritage Night on November 6. Special Appearance By Arnel Pineda, lead singer of Journey.

Oakland, Ca – On November 6, 2009 for the second year in a row, the Golden State Warriors will be hosting their Filipino Heritage Night at Oakland’s Oracle Arena as they face conference rivals Los Angeles Clippers. In partnership with the Filipino American Arts Exposition, and other organizations such as the Filipina Women’s Network, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, ClubWorks and the Arnel Pineda Foundation, the franchise will celebrate Philippine culture by showcasing outstanding Filipino performing artists such as the Pinay Divas, Kawayan Folk Arts and Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble. Fans can also connect with Filipino culture by viewing historical artifacts and photographs from a special Filipino heritage display and even learn how to write their name in Baybayin, the ancient Filipino script.

From Asian Week

Date:
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Time:
11:00am – 6:00pm
Location:
SCU’s Graham Lawn
Street:
The Lawn next to Graham adjacent to the Alameda
City/Town:
Santa Clara, CA

This is Barkada’s first event of the year! It is a great way to just enjoy great food and great performances with the friends and members of Barkada while raising money for the survivors and members of the Filipino community after Tyhpoon Ketsana (Ondoy).

About a week ago, Typhoon Ketsana (known in the Phillippines as “Ondoy”) made landfall, and according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Ketsana dropped 455 mm (17.9 in) of rain on Metro Manila in a span of 24 hours on Saturday – the most in 42 years. A month’s worth of rainfall in a single day washed away homes and flooded large areas, stranding thousands on rooftops in the city and elsewhere. Ketsana later crossed over to Vietnam and Cambodia, where it is still active. Over 360 people are known to have been killed, and damage estimates are reaching $100 million. Unfortunately, another tropical storm may be headed toward the southern Philippines on Wednesday but is still 1,000 km (600 mi) off the coast.

This is our chance as a community to make a difference and show our support back home. Hope to see you there!

Entertainment Lineup:
–Philtered Soul
–Nump
–Eye Eighty
–Milynne Ibarra
–Those Kids
–Michelle Martinez
–Tracy Cruz
–Parangal Dance Company
–Hiyas of San Jose
–Steps, Styles, & Spotlights
–Eskrima/Serrada Association
–Sleepless Knights (SCU’s Best Dance Crew Winners!)
–FutureShock San Jose
–Kawayan Folk Arts

With all other art forms such as painting, Baybayin, cooking, fashion, dancing, singing, rapping, poetry, FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) and etc are all well represented but where is the Filipino Tattoo community? I get asked about Filipino tattoos, especially tribal patterns 50x at every event. My experience is in San Francisco Bay Area but I assume that other regions across the USA/world are probably in the same situation. What about in the Philippines? Is there some sort of FREE education? There might be but I don’t see it on the internet and in this modern world, if it’s not on the internet – it doesn’t exist…..period. It may exist in your local area but in order to spread/keep the culture, it has to be online.

I fully understand that these cultural events are usually on the weekends and that’s your busiest times but maybe the investment in your own culture is worth it? What is the point of trying to preserve/spread the culture if you only teach people who can afford to pay? I’m all for capitalism but it’s a big contradiction.

From a business standpoint, it’s stupid to teach your craft or the meanings of “secret” tribal tattoo patterns but from a cultural one, it’s blah. I can tell you from personal experience by teaching Baybayin for FREE and giving out FREE materials to ANYONE who asks has been rewarding culturally, personally and financially. If someone steals my artwork and does their own thing, so what…..let them. I’ll just have to step it up. If I can’t, then so be it.

So my ask is of Filipino tattoo artists is…..please share your knowledge of Filipino tattoos. Don’t leave out the good 99% of your fellow Pinoys because your scared of the 1% that might take advantage of what you know. There’s a BIG hole in the Filipino tattoo community. If you don’t fill it, someone else will and it will be your loss. Need help or exposure, contact me and I will be gladly to assist.

I’ll be at the Asian Art Museum in downtown San Francisco to celebrate Filipino American History Month this Sunday October 4th, 2009 from 10AM-12PM as part of the activities event – “Writing your name in Baybayin”. I’ll be bringing some free Baybayin chart & art postcards.

THIS IS A FREE EVENT!

200 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA? – (415) 581-3500?

Celebrating 422 Years
Filipino American History Month
Target First Free Sunday*, October 4
10:00 am–4:00 pm
Museum-wide
FREE admission courtesy of Target*

If Baybayin isn’t your thing there’s a lot of programs such as galleries, lectures, storytelling, book reading, panel discussion, film screening and much more going on though the day. Mel Orphilla, Oscar Penaranda, Carlos Zialcita, Leny Strobel and others will be there. See you there!

Please see the Asian Art Museum site for additional information.

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. But we are more than just an art museum—we are your ticket to Asia. Here, you can travel through 6,000 years of history, trek across seven major regions, and sample the cultures of numerous countries.

View Larger Map

dalycityfilamfestival.com

Daly City, home of the largest Filipino-American Community in the United States, will host the 15th Annual Filipino-American (Fil-Am) Friendship celebration on September 19 & 20, 2009, at the Serramonte Shopping Center Mall. The Daly City festival remains to be the longest-running Fil-Am event in the Bay Area that offers free admission.

The aroma of the famed Filipino barbecue and other delicacies will fill the air during the two-day event. It will be the perfect place to sample an array of popular Filipino foods prepared by local restaurants. Shoppers will be able to purchase a variety of arts and crafts depicting the Filipino culture. Attendees may also stop by the exhibit booths of various health care groups, where they can get pertinent health information from medical professionals.

The program will showcase popular singers from the Bay Area, as well as traditional Filipino music and dance from various provinces throughout the Philippines. Live entertainment will be non-stop during festival hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.