A well-attended book launching of Jerry Yapo’s “Artfully Speaking” published by San Anselmo Press promoted not just reading but appreciation of the arts at Gateway Gallery last October 1, 2022.
Jerry Yapo with Susan Cambri, Managing Editor of Pilipino Mirror.
Yapo is the Director of the UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and Arts (OICA) and currently the Associate Professor 7 in the Department of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences.
His former students from UP Los Baños came in groups for the signing of the book and the reading of the excerpts. The most applauded reading of the excerpts was the reading of Curve-Spin by Linus Van Plata.
As Atty. Marvin Aceron, the executive publisher of San Anselmo Press said, “Bihira ang aklat sa sining biswal.” The book, all 77 pages, is one year in the making.
Yapo kept on repeating the “sapi” factor when he started writing and was urging everyone in the audience to write, to learn to block the rules and grammar will come later. He was so thankful to Prof. Danton Remoto for finally coming out with his own book.
The book is a collection of 12 personal essays with the exception of A Dog’s World that exceeded four (4) pages. Yapo reiterated that night that a good work of art exemplifies three interrelated elements: concept, technique, and skill.
He said, “the artists are almost his co-authors in the book.”
Yapo led his former students and former classmates to the art exhibition of featured artists in his book and at Gateway Gallery: Rosa Mirasol, Averil Paras, Brent Sabas, Aldy Aguirre, Elena Malgapo-Domingo, and Janos Dela Cruz. Their group art exhibit “Text & Image” will run until October 13, 2022.