Riverbanks Center Opens Museum for Mind and Spirit

The Shoe Capital of the Philippines and the home of the largest pair of shoes in the world recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, Marikina City, recently opened its doors to online media practitioners to launch different museums inside the Riverbanks Center.

Located at the heart of Marikina City, Riverbanks Center is a mall and office complex located in a 21 hectare site in Barangka Marikina City. It homes 200 tenants of different lines of products and now homes different kinds of art galleries.

It was a privilege for me and for the other media to be invited to visit the museums inside Riverbanks Center. They call it the Museum for the Mind and Spirit. There are four museums of different genre namely Joey Velasco Gallery, The Spirit of Bethlehem, Museum of Miniatures and Philippine Science Centrum.

Joey Velasco Gallery.
     Joey Velasco is a Filipino visual artist who dared to journey in a field, gingerly trodden by Filipino artists--religious art. He has done 48 exhibits and 2 group shows in the past five years. His other works had made rounds not only inside art galleries but also in universities, famous churches and various groups here and abroad.

Here are some of his works..

Museum of Miniatures.
     Museum of miniatures is a collection of tiny but real-looking replicas of things that can be found inside a European mansion. The art pieces found inside the museum of miniatures are mostly handcrafted and are parts of the collection of the late Aleli Vengua.

The Spirit of Bethlehem.

     This museum is a private collection of over 500 belens/nativity sets/posters/pintings and sculptures from all over the world. The art pieces are from here and abroad collected thru decades of devotion to the Infant Jesus by Gigi Abaya-Carlos.

Philippine Science Centrum.

     Philippine Science Centrum (PSC) is a premier hands-on science center museum in the country recognized by the Department of Education, Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Tourism as an ideal venue for educational field trip destination where visitors are encouraged to touch, twist, play, hear, see the interactive exhibits displayed. PSC is open to pre-school to college students, families and the general public.

There are over hundred hands-on exhibits and educational stuff that can be found inside the Philippine Science Centrum that is complementing the Department of Education's K to 12 program.

These museums are another milestone for the city government in educating the minds of the youth and youth-at-heart. Kudos Marikina City!

For more information, please visit the links below.

Joey Velasco -- http://riverbankscenter.com/learning-center/joey-velasco-gallery

Museum of Miniatures -- http://riverbankscenter.com/learning-center/museum-miniatures

The Spirit of Bethlehem -- http://riverbankscenter.com/learning-center/spirit-bethlehem

Philippine Science Centrum -- http://riverbankscenter.com/learning-center/philippine-science-centrum

Cheers!~