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| Doing what you love, loving what you do |
 FOR the most part, those who get involved with the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library (LMM) stay involved because they discover that they love what they do for the museum, as well as for themselves.For Margarita Fragante, LMM trustee since 1974 and trusted secretary of museum founder Eugenio Lopez Sr. (Don Eñing) since 1967, her soft spot for the museum stems from all the years being familiar with it and what it does. “The museum has accomplished a lot, especially the library. UP (University of the Philippines) scholars know the treasures in the library and are amazed at our collection,” says Fragante who, as part of her early assignments, transcribed two volumes of Spanish-language handwritten archival documents for the Lopez genealogy project in the 1970s. She says the museum has been very fortunate because those in charge of the library have known the collection for a long time, enabling a smooth transition from one staff member to the next. Elvira Iremedio began as library assistant in 1963 and officially retired as head librarian in 2002. She still comes in three times a week to help with library requirements. Mercy Servida, who took over as head librarian from Iremedio, came to LMM as librarian in 1980. Both attribute their staying power to a host of intangibles: “loving and enjoying the work, continuously learning about Filipiniana references, the challenge of knowing exactly the kind of materials scholars look for, the perks of being acknowledged in book after book after book by grateful researchers and authors, and loyalty developed for the Lopez family who have always been supportive of both collection and professional development.”  Another LMM stalwart is administrative officer Fanny San Pedro. Recruited in 1970, San Pedro’s service was officially extended in 2008 when she was supposed to have retired. She joined LMM when Renato Constantino Constantino was curator and the late Zeny Cipriano was chief librarian. Her first project was manually typing five volumes of Philippine Insurrection records compiled by John M. Taylor. She never thought of leaving because aside from enjoying the company of co-staff members, “the Lopezes have always been good employers.” Maita Maronilla Reyes, conservation consultant, has been involved with the museum since 1999. She is particularly proud of the great strides the museum has taken to make the Roberto M. Lopez Conservation Laboratory the country’s standard for conservation work. “At LMM, we have state-of-the-art equipment for both diagnosis and treatment. We have the support of management for implementing the scientific approach toward conservation. They are sincerely interested in what we do and recogrecognize the importance of our work,” says Reyes, who has trained some 40 laboratory specialists all over the country and continues to consult with other private museums. Substantial investments are needed in conservation because Philippine weather patterns present problems, such as molds and acid, that are not encountered in less humid climes. Reyes developed her own technique that is now being used in the RML laboratory. Enter Mary Ann Pernia, consultant for educational programs. In 2002, Pernia researched for and conceptualized the lecture series for the first Zero In exhibit, a collaborative effort of LMM and the country’s premier private museums. The “challenge of making art and other holdings of the museum appeal to Filipino and international audiences” has made her stay on for succeeding exhibits. Apart from researching, writing and conceptualizing programs, she also looks for other institutions LMM can partner with for new projects. “There is so much potential for education (in LMM),” says Pernia, who also teaches at the College of Arts and Sciences in UP Manila. Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez worked with the museum in 2002 for a project called Locus: Interventions in Art Practice, a two-part conference undertaken via a grant from the Japan Foundation. The project was copresented by LMM and Pananaw ng Sining ng Bayan, a nonprofit headed by Ramirez that advocates continuing education for artists and cultural workers. In 2005, she came on board as curatorial consultant along with husband Claro Ramirez Jr., consultant for art direction and new media exhibitions. Husband and wife concurrently teach, Eileen at the College of Arts and Letters in UP Diliman and Claro or Chitz at the International Baccalaureate program of Southville International School. Their interest in LMM is stirred by the open environment where Eileen says she “can continue to ask questions.” The finite set of objects that the LMM collection represents appeals to the teacher, writer and researcher in her. Like Pernia, Eileen brings her students to the LMM which provides avenues for testing hypotheses on the ground. Chitz, who was a Cultural Center of the Philippines 13 Artists Awardee in 2000, says he keeps coming back to LMM for “the joy of sharing and reinventing what is in the collection—getting audiences from a range of generations to experience the Juan Lunas and the new Juans.” Consultant Ricky Francisco considers his work with LMM as the most exciting he has ever had. “Every day is different and challenging,” he says. In charge of the logistics part of managing the LMM collection, he has to oversee preventive conservation, insurance, security and all the nitty-gritty that go with taking care of the collection. Having worked for the Ayala Museum and later for a USAID project, Francisco believes his involvement with LMM since 2005 has allowed him to grow as an individual,“learning, getting exposed to other situations and challenges and then transferring knowledge and skills” to staff and other museum audiences. “As a consultant, I have the institutional backing of the LMM while being free to explore other avenues for growth and learning. I believe the museum’s focus on preventive conservation and education is the right one and it is now rightfully being recognized in these areas,” says Francisco. As for Cedie Lopez-Vargas, executive director since 2002 and granddaughter of Don Eñing, the work continues. “I want the museum to be a place where people come to enrich themselves. I want it to be a living, breathing, dynamic institution that continues to evolve with the times. It is an ongoing journey toward relevance,” says Vargas. It is a source of joy for Fragante to have seen Don Eñing’s children and grandchildren develop not a passing interest but a palpable enthusiasm for the museum and its paintings. “It makes me so happy to see them avidly discussing paintings and I hope this will continue because this augurs well for the museum, that eventually the younger generation will be committed to its work and its future. Comments (0)
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