It was an open house if another kind - the one that Ken and Bonnie Hansen, missionaries of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, hosted Wednesday and Thursday in their home at Suntal Village in Bacolod City.

The open house feature was actually an art show which displayed about 50 works of artist Wilfredo Ibañez Jr., a Class 2000 Fine Arts graduate of La Consolacion College in Bacolod City. It was held for small group viewing, mostly by LDS church members and the Hansens' neighbors last week but the hosts decided to open make the show open to public viewing tomorrow evening, from 6 to 8.

The Hansens, who are serving with the LDS Employment Resource Services, said the show is being held in recognition of Fred's talent. Apparently, too, it is in keeping with their primary function to help clients in their church and other faiths to become self reliant by introducing to them effective methods of starting a small business or finding employment.

The art show, which includes about 10 sculptures, more than 40 acryclics on canvas and watercolor works, is the first solo exhibit of Ibañez. He had participated in earlier group exhibits of artist-entrepreneurs held at the Negros Showroom. Fred says most of his works adopt a semi-cubism approach by using squares on them as his 'signature icons', which are inspired by the predominant geometrical designs in native products, particularly woven baskets. I prefer that design because of its 'tumandok' touch, he said., who conducts workshops mostly for his fellow Mormon church members, also prefers local color and scenes depicted in his art works - those that depict Negros views, like sugar farms and sacadas." Through my works, I try to immortalize life in sugar farms, especially those I remember fondly when I stayed in Bago City. It's also my way of instilling pride for Negros and its sugar industry, the country's most popular agricultural export, Fred adds.

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