Yogyakarta – Polanco S. Achri, a writer born in Yogyakarta and currently pursuing a master’s degree in literature at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, continues to make waves in the art scene. Known for his poetry, prose, and essays on performance and visual arts, Polanco also actively contributes as a scriptwriter and musician in the Utusan Negeri Dongeng community. He is the mind behind the management of Pendjadjaboekoe and a member of Sindikat Muda Liar Ngantukan. His achievements include curating exhibitions such as Soil Distortion #2 (2024) and Membaca Jokpin (2024), as well as directing documentary films Di Balik Merangkul (2021) and Sangu Rasa (2023).

Most recently, Polanco has taken on the role of curator for the Moda-Modif Exhibition, which runs from December 20, 2024, to January 11, 2025, at Rumah DAS Gallery, Condongcatur. Open to the public daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the exhibition invites visitors free of charge, with no prior registration required.

About Moda-Modif: Youthful Energy in Motion
The Moda-Modif Exhibition (Creativity in Visual Arts by Youth) embodies the ideas of Moda (movement) and Modif (modification). These concepts reflect the continuous exploration, learning, and innovation of young artists who push boundaries to create new narratives.

This exhibition serves as a stepping stone, offering young artists a bridge to larger platforms. Their art is a result of a journey that is both creative and reflective. Beyond a mere display of visual arts, Moda-Modif fosters interaction through activities such as Artist Talks, Curatorial Tours, Reading Space Activations, and collaborations with local communities. Every aspect of the exhibition is designed to bring art closer to the public.

Featuring works by 17 young artists over three weeks, the exhibition highlights not only the aesthetic aspects of their creations but also stories of transformation, adaptation, and the dynamic spirit of youth.

Polanco’s Aspirations
Polanco hopes that the Moda-Modif Exhibition will encourage young artists from Yogyakarta and Solo to continue evolving, taking bold steps, and finding creative strategies to thrive.

“This exhibition is not just about showcasing works; it’s about building courage and ingenuity in navigating the art world,” he remarked.

Through his role as curator, Polanco reaffirms his dedication to bridging artistic expression with broader societal engagement, ensuring that the voices of young creators are heard and appreciated.

Photo Source: Doc. DAS House

Illustration: Daiva Keefe Kalimasadha and Novilatul Ananda Ramadhan

Journal of Anthropology Gazette Vol.3 No.1 is published again! It begins with a speech by the Editor in Chief of Anthropology Gazette, Prof. Dr. Pujo Semedi Hargo Yuwono, M.A, who elaborates five articles and one inspirational speech under one big umbrella theme, knowledge. In the context of knowledge, readers will be presented with the first article by Umami (2024), which examines the behavior patterns of farmers in Sindukarto Village, Wonogiri, in reducing the population of walang sangit as an agricultural pest into local food ingredients. Nabila and Wirawan (2024), through an ethnoscience approach, then conducted research on the accuracy of the pranata mangsa system – a system to predict traditional rice planting and harvesting schedules – with data on seasonal changes in 2023. Indraswari (2024) poses a research question on the efforts of waste workers to survive through their understanding of processing waste into economically valuable goods.

The last two articles will present how humans utilize technology as a medium of expression, both in the political realm and in the context of religious life (Priambada, 2024; Fakhrani, 2024). Priambada (2024) will look at the phenomenon of online Eucharist conducted by Catholic youth in Banyumanik since the Covid-19 pandemic took place. The use of technology in the form of mass media is also felt by students in understanding political actions at the 212 Action (Fakhrani, 2024).

Five Shopee drivers utilize franchise stores as a place to wait for orders (Juwita and Lazuardi, 2024).

In addition to the five main articles, this edition includes several complementary articles such as inspirational speeches, photo essays, and book reviews. Prof. Dr. Pujo Semedi Hargo Yuwono, M.A in his speech compares the history of agricultural transformation that occurred between the 1850s and 2010s for people in Java and South Germany. No less interesting, Juwita and Lazuardi (2024) in their essay present a portrait of the phenomenon of the dim communal space (basecamps) of online ojek drivers caused by several factors, one of which is due to the changing algorithms of the company. Finally, readers will be presented with a book review entitled Making Kin: Ecofeminist from Singapore written by Pratiwi (2024). This book contains a collection of essays written by women about their bodily experiences, self, gender, family, home, and community.

Through this collection of main and supplementary articles, we hope that readers can actively participate in developing knowledge and being critical of environmental, social and political phenomena in everyday life.

To read the full article content, visit our Anthropology Gazette OJS website: https://journal.ugm.ac.id/v3/LA/

[Public Relation FIB UGM, Writer: Irene Saphira P.Y, Editor: Sandya]

As a form of community service, the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Student Association (Kamastawa) held another “Kamastawa Teaching and Sharing” event on Sunday, October 22, 2024. This event is the result of collaboration between the social and community division (sosmas) and the scientific division, with the aim of having a positive impact on society, especially for children at the Wirobrajan branch of the PYI Yatim and Zakat Orphanage, Yogyakarta.

There were 16 children from grade 1 elementary to 1 junior high school involved in the event. The event opened at 09.00 AM WIB with an opening session and introductions. During the event, students and children had the opportunity to play together, creating a cheerful atmosphere with jokes and laughter. This togetherness became an important foundation in building intimacy between students and participants.

Opening session and introductions

After the introductory session and games, the event continued with teaching and learning activities. Participants were divided into three groups according to educational level: group 1 for grades 1-2 elementary school, group 2 for grades 3-4 elementary school, and group 3 for grades 5 elementary school to 1 junior high school. Each group received materials tailored to their age and level of understanding, ranging from daily Javanese conversation, Javanese script writing, Javanese assignment consultation, and so on. Various teaching methods were used by the students to make learning fun and easy for the children to understand.

Teaching-learning session

After the learning session was over, it was time for ice breaking, where the participants were invited to sing together the song aja ndomblong aja and follow the guessing game with prizes. This session succeeded in sparking the children to be active in an exciting way.

The children’s enthusiasm could be felt from the beginning to the end of the activity, especially during the distribution of small gifts as an appreciation for the participants’ activeness. In addition, Kamastawa also provided Pepak Basa Jawa books and reading books as a form of support for the participants future educational development. It is hoped that participants can easily access knowledge and enrich their insights, including those related to knowledge and preservation of Javanese culture.

The gifts given may be considered simple. However, prayers, hopes, and sincere intentions to share will live on and become the foundation in the implementation of the ‘Kamastawa teach and share’ program now and in the future.

Author : Haryo Untoro

Yogyakarta, 12 September 2024 – During an independent study program at Asa Kreasi entitled “From Idea To Execution: 360 Digital Event Management Hacks With Technology Based And International Certification”, Nafesya Amrina Rasyada, a student of UGM’s Arabic Literature Program, learned various important aspects of digital event management. The program provided an opportunity for participants to explore important aspects such as event planning and execution as well as sustainable financial evaluation. With a focus on SDG 4: Quality Education, the program integrates technology and practice-based education, preparing participants to face the changes and demands of today’s digital-based world of work.

Nafesya also learned about event marketing strategies, from developing a marketing plan to evaluating its effectiveness. In this case, Nafesya learned sponsorship techniques, including how to build good relationships with sponsors to support events. In addition, communication with the media was also one of the things she learned, where the material learned ensured that the PR strategy carried out was able to increase the visibility of the event. All of this supports SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, as the skills gained prepare her to contribute to the growing creative and event management industry, while supporting sustainable economic growth.

The program also emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnerships, in line with SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals. During the program, Nafesya was directly involved in collaborations with various parties, ranging from media, service providers, to sponsors. These collaborations provided real-life experience on how strong and sustainable partnerships are essential in event management. In addition to building her management skills, the program also strengthened her professional network and prepared her for a career in event management. The skills gained are not only locally relevant, but also give Nafesya the tools to collaborate internationally.

The new academic year 2024/2025 has begun, which means there are new students who will pursue their education at the university level. This is also the case at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. This time the good news came from the Anthropology department. This year the Anthropology Department accepted 105 new students. Then the department together with the departmental association, Kemant, held an orientation period for new students of the Cultural Anthropology Bachelor Program.

The orientation period was held in a series of events that were packaged creatively and innovatively. The first activity was Meet the New Students, this activity was held on August 11, 2024. This activity is a gateway to introduce new students to anthropology. Through this activity, the committee and Kemant gave an overview of the Anthropology Department by socializing what activities are in the department, such as field research, exchange programs, tandem research, and many more. Then the new students were also divided into several groups that would be accompanied by a guide. The purpose of forming this group is to get to know each other and for various things that will be faced in the world of lectures. “Sharing is caring…”, said Deta as the public relations committee. This activity was closed with a jamming session.

Furthermore, students will get to know more about cultural anthropology in the activities in the coming week, some of which are: (a) group discussions that will be divided into several topics; (b) Rembukant, a talkshow type activity that will present speakers; (c) Writing Workshop; (d) Puncak Berkawant. So, let’s look forward to a series of other activities.