By PR | 08:38 PM September 25, 2019
This October, Holy Name University’s Balay Kabilin will be hosting “Bayaning Inday: Ilongga Women Mothering Behind Bars,” an exhibit featuring “Inday dolls” or soft sculptures created by women inmates of the Iloilo City District Jail (ICDJ) in cooperation with the University of San Agustin’s Fine Arts Major Organization (USA FAMO).
Bayaning Inday is a grantee of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Cultural Exchange Local Tour Grants Program 2019.
The exhibit will run from October 1-31; it is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
The Inday Dolls Project is the brainchild of USA assistant professor Ma. Rosalie A. Zerrudo, based on her award-winning research paper “Freedom in Prison, Prison in Freedom,” which has been presented in conferences here and abroad.
Prof. Zerrudo is the faculty adviser of the USA FAMO, whose student-members engage with the women inmates of ICDJ through workshops.
The creation of the Inday dolls and other handicrafts is a restorative psycho-social exercise for the inmates, wherein they are able to share their stories as women and as mothers through art.
With the income they earn from selling the dolls, the women continue to support their families, carrying on their roles as mothers behind bars.
In bringing this exhibition to the grassroots in the regions, we hope to share the significance of the experiences of Ilongga women in engaging with art as a restorative practice in disaster, survival, and resilience.