M    E    M    O    R    A    N    D    U    M

Date: April 25, 2008
Subject: Artwork Donation
To: General Membership, BBFAA Inc.
Thru: Officers and Board of Directors
From: Arneil Reyes, President

 This is to inform you that I officially received today two pieces of framed artwork donated by our friend and member Dr. Caroline "Kay" Picart, valued at $80 each:  These two artworks were displayed during our exhibit at 10000 Villages Fairtrade store. They received a lot of adoration and some asked if we were selling them. These are master works which beautifully depict our ethnic heritage.

  Here are the complete description of each item:
1. "Circle of Life":  The center of this mixed media image is a family: father and mother enclose a child in a circle of love, as around them, symbols of the circle of life abound.  Fish, which is a motif of both Christianity, and one of the common sources of protein in the Philippines (as it is an archipelago made of more than 7,100+ islands) nurtures and sustains life, while the blending of green with brown, which are common colors of the bamboo, reflect the cycles of life and nature.

2.  "Planting Rice"
This is based on one of Rick Masferre's photographs, who documented, through photographs, the people of the Cordilleras.  Done is a semi-pointillist fashion, the image hovers in between a snapshot of the "real" and a fine point abstraction, which defies touristic consumption.  Rice is a staple food in the Philippines, and the ability to create rice fields from bare mountain with nothing but the simplest of tools and bare hands, is one of the legacies of the Ifugao tribe: one of the twelve cultural minorities in the Philippines.

  The photos of both materials are enclosed. The donation document is forwarded to leadership and for safekeeping by our treasurer.  The use of these images is restricted and only with approval of BBFAA.  In discussion with the Chairman of the Board, we would like to have these artworks displayed in public places, such as Community Centers or Libraries, on loan from BBFAA. Arrangements will be made soon.

  Dr. Picart is moving to Gainesville soon to pursue another career.  With her departure, we will be losing a very talented and active member. Let us wish her the best and thank her for this heart-warming legacy and for all the things she has done for the Association.

Arneil Reyes
President, BBFAA

cc: Dr. Kay Picart
     BBFAA Officers
     BBFAA Board of Diretors