Grace Nono New York Book Launch at Topaz Arts

Grace Nono: New York Book Launch and Presentation
Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 4pm
at TOPAZ ARTS, 55-03 39th Avenue,Woodside, NY: directions >
Admission is free: Reservations recommended by email or on Facebook >

TOPAZ ARTS is pleased to host award-winning artist Grace Nono and the New York launch of her new book Song of the Babaylan: Living Voices, Medicines, Spiritualities of Philippine Ritualist-Oralist-Healers (Institute of Spirituality in Asia, 2013). As part of TOPAZ ARTS’ 13th Annual Open House, the book launch takes place on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 4pm, during the opening of Unearthing the Magic – a solo exhibition of wood sculptures by Mamerto “Lagitan” Tindongan. Both artists will give a presentation with a special collaborative performance by Tindongan, Grace Nono, and choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio. more >

Responding to claims that the babaylan (Philippine shamans/ritualists-oralist-healers, mostly women) were eliminated by the histories of Spanish and American colonizations of the Philippines, Song of the Babaylan: Living Voices, Medicines, Spiritualities of Philippine Ritualist-Oralist-Healers shows that these continue to thrive in the present time, as testified, among others, by their songs, rituals, and healings that continue to be performed today.

Based on over eight years of empirical research with babaylan and their communities, the book details the lives and practices of over ten babaylan from Tuguegarao, Kalinga, Benguet, Batangas, Palawan, Cebu, Camiguin, Agusan, Maguindanao, and South Cotabato, Philippines. It presents ritual ethnographies, babaylan stories and conversations, oral/aural chant recordings, and interdisciplinary discussions relevant to issues in indigenous studies, religious studies, gender studies, ethnomusicology, and anthropology.

“Grace Nono is a master artist in the highest sense: a vocalist, scholar, and activist for the arts and cultures of indigenous peoples. She is in the vanguard of socially responsible artists who courageously stand for the values and expression of peoples long disrespected, marginalized, and categorized by the colonial and neo-colonial forces that have shaped the world. Her groundbreaking and cutting-edge book speaks as a powerful voice that is rooted in people’s bodies, hearts, and minds, and also eminently contributes to scholarly knowledge of global culture and its expression. The Song of the Babaylan is itself a song and cry of identity, history, and spirit that is unique in its scope, honoring in its method, and deep in its message. The world needs to hear Grace’s voice, and through hers, the voices of peoples of our spiritual family.”  – Royal Hartigan, world music artist; ethnomusicologist and Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Massachusetts–Dartmouth

About the Artist:
Born and raised in the river valley of Agusan, in Northeastern Mindanao, Southern Philippines, Grace Nono is a multi-awarded Philippine music performing and recording artist, author, and cultural worker. Grace received her bachelors in Humanities and masters in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in ethnomusicology at New York University. She also attended fellowships and training programs with the Asian Cultural Council in New York, the Asia-Pacific Performance Exchange program in Los Angeles, the Asia-Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO in Kyoto, and the Asian Institute of Management in Manila.

As author, Grace has published two books: The Shared Voice: Chanted and Spoken Narratives from the Philippines (2008), winner of the 2009 Book Award, and Song of the Babaylan: Living Voices, Medicines, Spiritualities of Philippine Ritualist-Oralist-Healers (2013). She also contributed an essay: Audible Travels: to the also recently launched Back from the Crocodile’s Belly: Philippine babaylan Studies and the Struggle for Indigenous Memory (2013).

As music performing artist, Grace specializes in the performance of Philippine sung oral/aural traditions, particularly those with sacred themes. She has been featured in concerts at Cultural Center of the Philippines, the House of World Cultures in Berlin, to the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, the Music Village Festival in London, the Gathering of Drummers in Prague, the Lincoln Center’s La Casita Festival and the Asian American Arts Alliance’s Locating the Sacred Festival in New York, the Asia Society-Hong Kong Center, the National Museum of Singapore, among many others.

As cultural worker, Grace founded the Tao Foundation for Culture and Arts, a Philippine non-government organization engaged in cultural regeneration and holistic development initiatives, for which she received support from the Toyota Foundation, the Ford Foundation, UNESCO, the British Council, Advocates of Philippine Fair Trade, Australia-Philippines Community Cooperation Program, local communities and institutions.

To date, Grace has won over 40 awards, including a National Book Award, three Album of the Year awards and three Best World Music Album awards, The Outstanding Women Award in the Nation’s Service TOWNS award, the Ten Outstanding Young Men TOYM award, the University of the Philippines Distinguished Alumni award, several Catholic Mass Media, Katha, Awit, National Press Club, and other awards for her artistic and cultural contributions. For more information, please visit gracenono.com.

Book info:
Title: Song of the Babaylan:  Living Voices, Medicines, Spiritualities of Philippine Ritualist-Oralist-Healers
Publisher: Institute of Spirituality in Asia
Researcher, author, co-record producer:  Grace Nono
Editor:  Carolina “Bobbie” Malay
Book Designer: Felix Mago-Miguel
Co-record Producer: Bob Aves

First launched internationally at University of Philippines/Diliman on June 2013.
Launched in the United States at Sonoma County and Los Angeles, CA in September 2013.
New York City launch at TOPAZ ARTS, Queens, NY in October 2013.

U.S. distributor: Linda Nietes at (310) 514-9139 or linda[at]philippineexpressionsbookshop[dot]com
Philippine distributor: Institute of Spirituality in Asia:
publications[at]isa[dot]org[dot]ph, 63 2 412 2715,  c/o Fr. Gabriel Dolotina or Boyet de la Torre

image credits: Grace Nono -Photo by Neal Oshima, Drape by Narda Capuyan

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 12th, 2013 at 2:00 am. It is filed under Latest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.