Today, many conflicts are called “forgotten wars.” The Philippine-American War is truly a forgotten war. If the Spanish-American War was regarded by some contemporaries as a “splendid little war,” the Philippine-American War was a devastating and costly war. It was also the start of a century of shared experiences between the American and Filipino people.
To mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine-American War, on Saturday, February 3rd, 2024, the MacArthur Memorial in partnership with the Filipino American National Historical Society of Hampton Roads and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater will unveil its newly restored copy of General Emilio Aguinaldo’s 1899 declaration of independence. In partnership with the Filipino American National Historical Society Hampton Roads Chapter, the Memorial will also host a mini-symposium to examine the war from the perspective of the U.S. Army and the Filipino people.
The event is FREE but registration is encouraged. Parking is available in the mall garage (SOUTH GARAGE)) across from the MacArthur Memorial for free for 3 hours after validation, then normal rates apply.
The Norfolk Tides baseball organization has invited us to host the 2nd annual Filipino American Heritage Day during their opening week of the 2023 season at Harbor Park.
Saturday April 8th, 2023
5:30 pm doors open and DJ Mars from VA will be spinning on the main concourse where local Filipino organizations, businesses, and food stalls will be on display before and during the game.
6:00 pm the live pre-game entertainment will begin! Attendees will enjoy a carefully curated to showcase the talent of the Filipino American community of Hampton Roads.
6:30 pm our Norfolk Tides take on the Gwinnett Stripers
The Filipino American National Historical Society Hampton Roads Chapter and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art invite you to attend and celebrate “Made in Virginia: Filipino American Art” – a groundbreaking, historic presentation highlighting two of our rising Filipino American artists: Roberto Jamora and Ken García Oláes. This event is FREE to attend, simply show up to the event. Both artists have works currently on display in the gallery at Virginia MOCA.
This event will be a moderated panel with both artists, who will speak of their cultural influences as it relates to their work following introductory remarks by members of the Filipino American National Historical Society Hampton Roads Chapter and Virginia MOCA. Visitors to this FREE event will have the opportunity to tour the museum with the artists after this moderated panel.
About the Artists:
Roberto Jamora
Roberto Jamora grew up in Hampton Roads. He is currently a Richmond-based artist and educator. He holds an MFA from the State University of New York at Purchase and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University and William & Mary.
He is the Asian Centennial Distinguished Fine Arts Fellow at William & Mary. He has participated in Artist-in-Residence programs at the Hambidge Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Joan Mitchell Center, Ragdale Foundation, and Sambalikhaan Foundation. He recently completed a fellowship at VCCA-France, Moulin à Nef (Auvillar, FR) Summer 2022.
His artwork has been exhibited here at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Contemporary Art Center of New Orleans, SFA Projects, Antenna, FLXST Contemporary, Page Bond Gallery, Philippine Consulate in New York, ADA Gallery, Topaz Arts, Norte Maar, Shockoe Artspace, JuiceBox Art Space, Good Enough Projects, Quality Gallery, Scott Charmin Gallery, Fouladi Projects, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Open Space, Outlet Fine Art, ArtHelix, and Ishmael Bernal Gallery.
He is represented by Page Bond Gallery in Richmond and FLXST Contemporary in Chicago. His artwork is in collections including the Atlanta Hawks NBA Team, Capital One, Harvard Kennedy School, Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary, and several private collections throughout North America, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom.
Ken García Oláes
Ken García Oláes holds a BFA from VCU, majoring in Communication Arts with a focus in Medical Illustration and minoring in Biology.
He was recently featured in Coastal Virginia Magazine as an artist turned baker using creativity to turn the family business into an anticipated local attraction. In 2021 he was featured in WHRO/PBS’s Season 5 of Curate 757 and at the same time was exhibiting with Virginia MOCA in the food inspired exhibition “Nourish”. Later that year he was featured on NPR’s “With Good Reason” episode “Food is Family”.
In 2022 Ken was featured in National Geographic’s article “The surprising story of how the Philippines came to Virginia” and mentioned in Food & Wine magazine’s article “Best Places to Eat Filipino Food in Every State.” In the midst of everything else Ken was being filmed in a documentary with Virginia Humanities sharing Filipino Baking Traditions with his mother.
Ken was selected again to exhibit in the current Made in VA Exhibition here at MOCA where he received Honorable Mention for his self portrait painting “Pandesitas”.
In 2019, Ken became the owner of Angie’s Bakery, a beloved community staple since 1988. Along with their well-known Pandesal and Pepperoni Bread, Ken developed his own recipe for Ube Pandesal and his now famous artistically crafted Ube Lattes which is a special “Bahay Blend” he created in collaboration with local roaster Richport Coffee. He has also developed specialty beads for other local and regional restaurants including La Patrona Taqueria, Team Fat Kid Food Truck, Tiki Grill, and Cobra Burger located in Richmond, VA.
About the Filipino American National Historical Society Hampton Roads Chapter:
The Filipino American National Historical Society Hampton Roads Chapter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which promotes an understanding, education, enlightenment and appreciation of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States. This is accomplished through public programming, membership, and publication of selected works.
This a reminder that it’s not too late to add a name tag to the FANHS-HR Legacy Wreath. You can designate a loved one, friend, or individual that you want to honor for their contribution to Filipino American history in Hampton Roads. Your donation of $20 is tax deductible as we are recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization. Send your check payable to FANHS-HR and the name of the person you want to honor to FANHS-HR, 4460 Corporation Lane, Ste. 190, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. A nice Christmas gift don’t you think?
