Art and culture are alive in FEU! The FEU community is provided with numerous opportunities to appreciate the best artistic and cultural outputs from its students, the rest of the Philippines and other countries. In 1990, Dr. Lourdes Montinola, the new FEU Chair at the time and President Felixberto Sta. Maria established the President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts (PCCA) to uplift and develop the cultural awareness of FEU students in particular and the FEU community in general. From the PCCA under the leadership of Nick Agudo, it became the PCC or President’s Committee on Culture under Jesus Cruz and Rustica Carpio. It eventually became the FEU Center for the Arts (FCA) under Martin Lopez.
The FCA continues the rich history of the FEU Auditorium, the cultural center of the Philippines in the 1950s by presenting worthwhile artistic programs from FEU, the rest of the Philippines and other countries. The FCA hopes to enrich the university experience of students by inculcating in them the value and necessity of the arts and culture. The FCA programs a year-round calendar of cultural activities including but not limited to theater, music and dance performances, campus tours, film screenings, exhibits, festivals, competitions, lectures, workshops and summer arts camps. These programs not only showcase the artistic talents of FEU’s students but also those of established local and foreign artists with the goal of building awareness, appreciation, and audiences for the arts.
Director Lopez states: “Each year, we see to it that we have a wide range of cultural programs for our students. This is not just to bring the arts closer to the student community, but also to help those involved in the cultural groups to develop skills that they may not necessarily learn in the classroom, such as collaboration, innovation, and self-esteem.”
– “Art and Culture Take Center Stage in FEU,” 2014
The FCA nurtures seven campus based cultural groups (CGs) namely, the FEU Bamboo Band, Chorale, Dance Company, Drum and Bugle Corps, Drummers, Guides and Theater Guild. These groups perform on and off campus, locally, internationally and online. CG Members who meet academic and artistic standards enjoy partial or full scholarships.