Vancouver, B.C.
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Publisher, global cultural ambassador continues to have impact in visual arts, arts advocacy
A distinguished Filipino-Canadian was among this year’s outstanding alumni of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA).
Vancouver-based Lenore Raquel Santos Lim is one of the recipients of UPAA Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award for her contribution to Visual Arts, Printmaking and Arts Advocacy.
Every year, the state university recognizes its former graduates who continue to contribute greatly in their fields of endeavor and impact the country specifically and the world as a whole.
This year’s honorees included 8 Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Awardees, 34 Distinguished Alumni across various fields, 2 outstanding chapters, 3 Presidential Service Awardees, and 13 Multigenerational Alumni Family Awardees.
Lenore, a member of Batch 1967 of the UP College of Fine Arts, developed a technical mastery that combines etching, lithography, and serigraphy with digital manipulation and computer-aided design.
After relocating to North America in the 1970s, Lim worked to build cultural ecosystems across the diaspora. While teaching for two decades at the United Nations International School in New York, she continued to return to the Philippines to lead free workshops, blending professional instruction with community-oriented service, according to the UP’s media release.
Her broader legacy includes serving as President of the Society of Philippine American Artists, founding the Filipino Music and Art Foundation BC (1980 to present) with roots in the Philippines, and launching *Pagtitipon*, a milestone biennial Filipino-Canadian art exhibition in Vancouver.
“Receiving the University of the Philippines Alumni Association’s Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award is deeply meaningful to me because UP has been such an important part of who I am. It is where I was educated, where my artistic journey was nurtured, and where many of the values that have guided my life and career were formed,” Lenore told philippinecandiannews.com.
“To be recognized by the university I love is both an extraordinary honour and a very emotional moment for me. I am especially grateful that the award recognizes not only my work as an artist, but also my efforts as a cultural ambassador, mentor, and advocate for Philippine art.
I have always believed that being an artist carries a responsibility beyond creating art. Throughout my career, I have tried to share Philippine stories and culture with audiences beyond our shores, while also creating opportunities for other Filipino artists,” she added.
Lenore is the daughter of lawyers who encouraged her to pursue a career using her gifts that they discovered early onl. Lenore’s two other siblings were already studying in UP Diliman so she followed suit.
“My interest in art, however, began much earlier. We didn’t go out very much when I was growing up, so I spent a lot of time at home doing my homework. I copied illustrations from my schoolbooks and added them to my papers. I simply enjoyed drawing,” Lenore recalled.
“At Holy Ghost College, art was one of our high school subjects. One of my teachers, Sr. Araceli, invited a small group of students to come to school on Saturday mornings for free art lessons. Those Saturday sessions allowed me to explore art more seriously and made me realize how much I enjoyed it,” she continued.
The encouragement of her family and mentors allowed Lenore to pursue what she loved and with what she was able to accomplish in her field, she decided to give back.
Lenore said what makes this recognition particularly touching is that a lifetime achievement award is really a reflection not only of accomplishments, but of the many people, relationships, friendships, and opportunities that have shaped her journey.
“I receive this award with profound gratitude and humility. More than anything, it inspires me to continue creating, sharing, and giving back,” she added.
Her artistic innovation is closely tied to Filipino cultural memory, in which visual motifs such as traditional calado embroidery, leaves, and handmade lace serve as vehicles for exploring identity, womanhood, and nature conservation. Just as important, she uses her public platform for human rights advocacy, most notably through her internationally acclaimed *Comfort Women* series and the installation *Comfort House*, which together function as a powerful global memorial to wartime trauma and female strength.
Lenore’s enduring impact has been recognized through major honours such as the Pamana ng Pilipino Presidential Award, a Pollock-Krasner Grant, and a year-long retrospective titled *Leaves, Lace, and Legacy* at the National Museum of Fine Arts. Even at 80 years old, she continues to publish, mentor, and exhibit globally, ensuring that her role as a vital cultural ambassador remains alive, influential, and deeply meaningful.
To know more about her artistic journey and reflections, we asked Lenore to tell us more about her education, mentors and what she thinks about Artificial Intelligence and what legacy she wants to leave to the next generation of artists.
How did you venture into etching, lithography, and computer-aided design?
My journey into etching, lithography, and computer-aided printmaking really began when I moved to New York to teach at the United Nations International School.
Being in New York was a turning point for me. I was surrounded by extraordinary museums, galleries, and artists, and suddenly I was exposed to possibilities in art that I had never imagined.
I remember seeing a major exhibition of large prints at the Museum of Modern Art featuring artists such as Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist, and Robert Rauschenberg. I was fascinated by the scale and possibilities of printmaking, and I began thinking about how I could combine traditional techniques with the emerging digital technology of the time.
This was also around the beginning of Photoshop. I thought, Why not learn these new programs and bring them into my printmaking? I enrolled in continuing education courses at the School of Visual Arts, where I began exploring computer-aided design. I later joined the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, which deepened my knowledge of etching and lithography.
Looking back, that period in New York taught me something that has remained central to my practice: we can embrace new technology without abandoning the discipline, craftsmanship, and beauty of traditional printmaking.
As a trailblazer in your field, who do you look up to?
Moving to New York was a major turning point in my artistic evolution. While teaching at the United Nations International School, I immersed myself in the city’s museums, galleries, and vibrant art scene.
Seeing the large-scale prints of Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist, and Robert Rauschenberg at the Museum of Modern Art opened my eyes to the possibilities of contemporary printmaking. Their work made me think differently about scale, experimentation, and what a print could become.
At the same time, digital technology was emerging, and I became curious about combining these new tools with traditional printmaking. I studied at the School of Visual Arts and later joined the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, where I further developed my understanding of etching and lithography.
Rather than following one artistic model, I have always been inspired by artists who are willing to experiment, challenge conventions, and expand the possibilities of their medium.
Despite being a resident of the US and Canada, how did you maintain your Filipino identity in your artwork? How did foreigners react to your creations?
My Filipino identity has always been a natural and essential part of my work. Although I have lived in the United States and Canada for many years, a significant part of my life was shaped in the Philippines, and those memories continue to find their way into my art.
Many of my images come from things that are deeply personal to me—my mother’s garden, the countryside, the flowers and trees I remember seeing on the way to the province, and even my mother’s wedding veil.
These are not simply Filipino symbols. They are fragments of my life, my family, and my memories. In many ways, my art has allowed me to carry a piece of the Philippines with me wherever I have lived.
What has been especially beautiful is seeing how people from different cultures respond to these very personal images. They may not share my specific memories, but they recognize the emotions behind them—family, home, childhood, love, and longing.
I believe that is one of the greatest powers of art: when we share something deeply personal and rooted in our own culture, it can awaken something universal in another person.
My work may begin with a Filipino memory, but I hope it ultimately speaks to the shared human experience of remembering, belonging, and loving where we come from.
In an age of AI, how do you think traditional art can be preserved and promoted?
I don’t see AI as something we should fear. I see it as a new tool that we need to understand and use responsibly.
At the same time, technology cannot replace the human experience behind traditional art—the hand, the touch, the imperfections, the discipline, and the personal stories woven into a work of art.
In an age when images can be created in seconds, it becomes even more important to preserve the traditions, techniques, and knowledge passed from one generation to another. We need to continue teaching young people drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and our indigenous and cultural art traditions.
At the same time, we can use digital platforms to document, promote, and make these traditions accessible to a much wider audience.
For me, the future is not about choosing between tradition and technology. It is about allowing technology to help us preserve and share what is precious, while ensuring that the human hand, imagination, cultural memory, and authenticity at the heart of traditional art are never lost.
What legacy and message do you want to leave the next generation of Filipino artists?
I hope my legacy will be not only the art I have created, but also the doors I have helped open for other Filipino artists.
I want the next generation to know that they can be proudly Filipino and still have a place on the international stage. Our culture, our stories, and our experiences are strengths, not limitations.
My message to young artists is simple: stay curious, stay true to your own voice, and never stop learning. Be courageous enough to experiment, but never lose sight of where you came from.
And whenever you have the opportunity to help another artist, open the door a little wider for them.
I believe our greatest legacy is not what we keep for ourselves, but what we are able to pass on to those who come after us.