Last March 1 to 4, 2017, the Arts Research and Training Institute in Southern Tagalog Incorporated (ARTIST, Inc.) successfully launched the LIKHANDULA International Arts Exchange and Collaboration, an arts festival celebrating its namesake manual that has served generations of different artists, educators, and members of the community. The festival became an avenue for artists to collaborate in the creation of new relevant material for their own communities and to exchange ideas and practices in arts production, creative pedagogy, and shaping communities.

It was a four-day celebration where a plethora of performances and productions were staged and various individuals and organizations from around the world gathered together to share the richness of their culture as well as learn about other cultures and to showcase their passion for the performing arts.

This year, ARTIST, Inc., in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, will hold the 2nd LIKHANDULA International Arts Exchange and Collaboration from February 26 to March 3, 2018 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna, in celebration of National Arts Month.

LIKHANDULA will provide a platform for artists, cultural workers, educators, arts practitioners, academics, and members of creative communities to exhibit original works, and to collaborate in the creation of contemporary arts genres for different advocacies, especially of local history and heritage, environment, and rights (HER). The festival will have four components.