ACC at 60: Reason to celebrate
The Asian Cultural Council Philippines (ACCP), together with the Asian Cultural Councils (ACC) of New York, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, will celebrate anniversaries on Nov. 8, with a fundraising gala at the Manila Hotel for the ACC.
For the Asian Cultural Council of New York, the mother foundation, it will be its 60th anniversary. It was founded in 1963 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, a leading American philanthropist, to support cultural exchanges in the visual and performing arts between the United States and Asia.
Asian Cultural Council’s grants are unique because they are individually tailored based on the needs of each grant recipient. The rationale is to expand the horizons of grantees as individuals by expanding their perspectives, fostering creative growth and nurturing valuable international connections. Thus, the grants go way beyond mere travel. They offer the recipients a chance to design the nature of their grant according to their ideas. The rationale is for them to immerse themselves in a different culture, bringing to it their own vision as focus with room for change or expansion, according to their experience.
They are encouraged to take a break from day-to-day responsibilities and deadlines and open up to expanding their perspectives and integrating their learned experience into their creative practices. ACC takes care of the details.
ACC gives direct financial support to grantees as is the norm. But in addition, ACC staff advise fellows on available cultural resources and activities, prepare their itineraries, arrange housing and transportation as well as appropriate academic and research affiliations. Thus, the grantee is freed from having to go through these time-consuming efforts.
ACC began giving grants to Filipino artists early on in 1964. It has so far nurtured 300 artists from the Philippines. Among them are nine National Artists: Jose Joya, Lucresia Kasilag, Jose Maceda, Lamberto Avellana, Alejandro Roces, Francisco Feliciano, Ramon P. Santos, Alice Reyes and Kidlat Tahimik.
Alice Reyes (dance) says of her 1969 ACC grant: “The grant enabled me to see all that was possible as a performing artist and as a choreographer. And coming back
