Erehwon Artworld Corporation signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Grupo Kalinangan Inc. (GKI), on January 19, 2022, to begin a partnership that will share expertise and resources for cultural mapping projects.
Cultural mapping projects seek to assist local governments comply with Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, which mandates LGUs to establish and maintain the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP) through an inventory of cultural properties under their respective jurisdictions.
Cultural mapping has been recognized by UNESCO as a crucial tool and technique in preserving the world’s intangible and tangible cultural assets.
Through the conduct of cultural mapping, LGUs can identify the distinct cultural resources of their community and at the same time can properly record a heritage resource for future reference. It will also make people better aware of heritage resources in their area, which they will want to conserve.
When cultural mapping results are published and packaged in interesting and easily readable forms, it expands the areas of awareness, helps LGUs and other stakeholders more easily gain advocates and supporters for identification and conservation initiatives, while increasing interest in their areas for tourism and other heritage promoting projects.
Grupo Kalinangan specializes in cultural heritage management, including the identification of cultural properties of local governments, capacity-building, as well as maintenance of local cultural inventories. On the other hand, Erehwon Artworld Corporation is an award-winning people’s art center with comprehensive services for full-color, high-end publications production. It has also produced coffee table books focused on the cultural attractions of cities and municipalities.