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Manuel A. Rodriguez, Sr. (MARS) Center for Printmaking

Print, Process, and Place as Creative Inquiry

A student-centered printmaking studio supporting instruction, research, and creative practice at the PWU School of Fine Arts and Design, with select public programs developed through the Artistic Research Center (ARC).

About The Center

The MARS Center for Printmaking supports printmaking instruction and studio activities for students of the PWU School of Fine Arts and Design (SFAD). Public-facing programs are offered on a limited basis through the Artistic Research Center (ARC), including workshops, special initiatives, and printmaking sessions under the PWU Office of the President's Wellness Program. Participation is by invitation, partnership, or prior arrangement. Named after Manuel Antonio Rodriguez, Sr. (Mang Maning), the Father of Philippine Printmaking, MARS is a platform for printmaking education, artistic research, and creative inquiry grounded in hands-on practice and material exploration. Its roots trace back to off-campus workshops in the 1960s led by Rodriguez. The center was reinaugurated in June 2023 as part of PWU's continuing commitment to art education.

Program and Activities

Programs are developed selectively through ARC and institutional partnerships, evolving based on resources, collaborations, and shared studio access rather than fixed schedules.

Internal Programs (PWU)

Printmaking workshops supporting PWU administration and faculty through the Office of the President’s Wellness Program.

Public & Collaborative Programs (via ARC)

Select workshops, cultural exchange initiatives, and partnerships that extend printmaking as a platform for dialogue, learning, and cross-cultural engagement.

Research & Development

Exploration of traditional, experimental, and sustainable printmaking practices with the long-term goal of producing print-related publications.

Community-oriented workshops and participation in ARC-led cultural exchange initiatives that use printmaking as a platform for dialogue and learning.

Featured Initiatives

Continuing the Legacy

Rooted in the legacy of Mang Maning and PWU’s history of printmaking education, MARS supports students, educators, and practitioners while sustaining printmaking as a site of learning, experimentation, and cultural continuity.

The PWU School of Fine Arts and Design proposes to rename its Creative Visual Printmaking Room into the Manuel S. Rodriguez Sr. (MARS) Center for Printmaking to honor the legacy of Rodriguez to Philippine printmaking, the School of Fine Arts and Design, and all future printmakers. We want to continue the fine tradition of printmaking and make MRSCP an integral presence in the Philippine printmaking landscape.

With today’s renewed fascination with printmaking as espoused by leading contemporary Filipino artists, art fairs, webinars, and exhibitions, we believe the medium has undergone a rebirth. Given the other genres and media fighting for space in this fast-paced, technology-dominated world, this focus on printmaking reiterates not only

the lasting value of prints but also the enjoyment a printmaker undergoes in the process of doing and the art audiences’ pleasure in witnessing the pieces produced.

The PWU SFAD, in recent years, has launched The JCB Award for Printmaking inter-school student art competition to nurture the talents of our young printmakers.Our JCB Gallery has also mounted Ukit, an exhibition that paid tribute to Rodriguez on his 100th birth anniversary. This is where a portfolio of 30/30 prints was gathered featuring works by Ambie Abaño, Aviado, Benjie Torrado Cabrera, Cuizon, Fil dela Cruz, Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Brenda Fajardo, Vic Fario, Jess Flores, Raul Isidro, Lenore RS Lim, Angelo Magno, Sam Occena and Josephine Turalba. With the help of the MRSCP, new workshops in this center will further inspire students to create outstanding works. As a continued learning laboratory, we will also welcome currently practicing Printmakers to teach short courses to supplement the classes already in our curriculum.

Mang Maning’s sole status as Father of Philippine Printmaking is uncontested and should never be forgotten. This is the stance of PWU SFAD, as history and the contemporary meet in each print. We are hoping that MRSCP will serve as a continuation of Rodriguez’s fine tradition of printmaking and discover more luminaries in this field worthy of following in the footsteps of not only our beloved Mang Maning but all the trailblazers who followed his lead, like Virgilio Aviado, Ofelia Gelvezon Tequi, Rodolfo Samonte, and Jess Flores, among others.

The programming for MARS Center for Printmaking related to ARC initiatives is administered by Mellanny Arguzon-Aquino, whose research is centered on printmaking, sustainability, and experimentation with methods and materials. Mellanny has a diverse background from her work in the automotive, advertising, publishing, and multimedia arts industry as either a product or graphic designer. She discovered printmaking through the Philippine Association of Pinoy Printmakers (PAP) in 2011 and has participated in several exhibitions both locally and internationally. Her recent works of art are inspired by nature, and they aim to inspire viewers to find beauty and harmony through the use of graphic forms and mixed media. She specializes in relief printing techniques such as rubbercut and mokuhanga, which is Japanese woodblock printing. Mellanny has an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design and a graduate degree in Marketing Communications.

Access and Inquiries

Public workshops and collaborations are limited and not regularly scheduled. Programs may be arranged by invitation or prior coordination, subject to availability and alignment with MARS and ARC initiatives.

For inquiries: [email protected]