The Cultural Center of the Philippines (or CCP) is located in Manila, the Philippines and was opened in 1969 to promote and preserve Filipino arts and culture, and to become a mecca of culture and the arts in Asia. Since its opening, it has showcased the Bolshoi, Kirov, Royal Danish ballets, as well as contemporary American, French, German, and Philippine companies.
The inauguration of the CCP gave Philippine culture and the arts a home. The CCP was created by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1966 through Executive Order No. 30 with the purpose of promoting and preserving Filipino arts and culture. It was formally inaugurated on September 8, 1969, starting a three-month long inaugural festival opened by the musical Golden Salakot: Isang Dularawan, an epic portrayal of Panay Island, as its initial presentation. The Center's formal inauguration was attended by a number of international personalities, including California Governor and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, who were representing President Richard Nixon.
The Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo, or the 'Small Gallery, on the fourth floor is an intimate space for individual exhibitions and installations. It is named after the first National Artist for Painting who immortalized the quality of Philippine sunlight in his evocative paintings of the Philippine countryside. Amorsolo popularized the image of the beautiful and modest Dalagang Filipina (Filipino maiden) and was the first to extensively portray traditional Filipino customs and manners, fiestas, and occupations, such as fishing and farming. Many of his historical works have graced textbooks and calendars, shaping the visual imagination of many generations of Filipino children. The Gallery is a rectangular space with white walls and two columns on each end.