Art collector and heritage conservationist Jam Acuzar has stepped out of the office at family development company New San Jose Builders Inc. and immersed herself in the world of art. In recent years, Jam has established the Bellas Artes Project (BAP) within the walls of a restored century-old Spanish arts school, offered residencies to local and international artists, and founded a collective of young art patrons in Asia. BAP lies in the 400-acre site of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a project of Acuzar’s father that has seen some 27 heritage buildings restored and rehomed in the sleepy fishing town of Bagac in the Philippines, drawing the admiration (and ire) of the Filipino public. The project has saved traditional Colonial Filipino crafts, architecture, and construction, and BAP works to pair contemporary artists with traditional craftsmen in creation of new works.
