Now 50 years since it was first presented, the THIRTEEN ARTISTS AWARDS (TAA) started as a curatorial project of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Museum under the directorship of its first curator Roberto Chabet. The TAA was created in order to showcase the works of artists who grasped to “restructure, restrengthen and renew artmaking and art thinking…that lend viability to Philippine art”. It was Raymundo Albano, the next Director of the CCP Museum and Non-theater Operations who transformed the 13 Artists into the awards program that it is today. The 13 Artists exhibition was mounted every two years from 1970 to 1980, and again in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994. It was revived in 2000, and changed to a triennial format, which it follows until today.