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PATRONS OF THE ARTS
Patrons of the Arts (PotA) is a dynamic Philippine event organizer founded around 2023 that has quickly become a key player in the local indie art market by empowering Filipino artists through accessible weekend art fairs and themed markets. It connects creators of illustrations, prints, stickers, and original works with buyers via community-focused events held in Metro Manila venues like Centris Elements and expanding to regional cities such as Clark, Cebu, Davao, and Iloilo, often featuring workshops, AR exhibits, and themed editions (e.g., Nostalgia, Halloween/Potaween, Summer). Starting with modest beginnings, PotA now hosts frequent events that boost visibility for emerging artists
Patrons of the Arts was one of the most sought-after art market events in the Philippines before it began its descent into hell in 2026, starting with POTA Regionals in Baguio. But before we get into that, let’s talk about the rise of Patrons of the Arts. Patrons of the Arts started modestly with their venue at Centris Elements in Quezon City. I first heard about the Patrons of the Arts, or PotA, when artists flocked to it as soon as their application to Komiket got rejected. It soon started to gain traction until their Original events at Space, One Ayala hit it big. The event was a huge success, with a lot of creators bragging about getting record-breaking earnings, some earning as much as 6-figure sales. That got me thinking, this could potentially get bigger if they keep this up. Before 2025 ended, they managed to expand to regional events in Cebu, Davao, Clark, Baguio, and Bacolod. They ramped up their regional events in 2026 by adding CDO, Legaspi, and Iloilo. Things went smoothly as they concluded the West Visayas leg without much incident. However, a bit were grumbling in their Cebu event, but it was mostly about table arrangement, which greatly affects the sales.
The Baguio Incident– PotA Baguio Summer Market (May 16–17)
Their Regional event in PotA Baguio Summer Market started to show some cracks when a few artists were panicking on threads when a different event was scheduled at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center. There were no updates from PotA staff, and understandably, artists were angry since it put them in limbo. Money has already been spent on accommodation and transportation. The PotA staff finally confirmed that Baguio Convention was pencil-booked and no payment has been made, so the slot was given to a different event. The event was changed to a one-day event which was on May 17, with the venue moved to the Newtown Plaza Hotel. The compensation being offered is a 30% refund after 30 days. Those who already spent on their accommodation have no choice but to push through with the event.
Legaspi Cancellation – PotA Legazpi Summer (May 23–24)
Patrons of the Arts Regionals finally collapsed when they cancelled PotA Legazpi Summer at the Legazpi City Convention Center in Albay at the last minute. No explanation was given, though it was implied that the number of artist-exhibitors was unsustainable. This left the attendees in limbo, with some who were already travelling en route to Legazpi when they got the news.
Clark Crashout – PotA Clark Summer (May 30–31)
Due to the Baguio Summer Market fiasco and total cancellation of the Legazpi Summer event, online backlash resulted in artists clamoring for their refunds that weren’t released. This forced the Patrons of the Arts Management to issue a statement and announce the complete cancellation of the Clark Summer and the rest of the event, such as Originals and Tiny Hands.
However, in a dramatic twist of fate. The management changed their minds within 24 hours and proceeded to push through with the event just when the majority of the artists had cancelled their flights, hotels, and merchandise production. The refunds were conditional, it will only be issued to artists who provided proof that they had cancelled their travel arrangements within 24 hours of the announcement. Those who weren’t able to cancel their travel arrangements were left with no choice but to soldier on with the event.
Leadership Collapse and Industry Boycott
Artists of the PH’s Statement on Patrons of the Arts
(Click on image to view the microsite)
In the midst of the chaos, PotA co-founder Joshua Malit announced he was stepping down, citing health reasons, and stated that refunds might not be possible within the year. The organizing team reportedly stopped responding to their official Discord channel, leaving artists completely in the dark. The mishandling caused a ripple effect across the community: A mass boycott was organized across Reddit, Threads, and local art groups. The local VTuber group DayJobÜ publicly severed ties with PotA, cancelling their co-produced “Oshi Con” after claiming PotA failed to secure basic logistics. PotA worsened relations by publicly posting a list of participating Clark artists using their legal names instead of their artist handles, effectively doxxing them without their consent.
Please do check out the Artist of the PH statement image link to get the full nitty-gritty of the fiasco as well as the money owed.
A few screenshots have been circulating on social media showing how the founder, Josh Malit, dared to claim that other events were copying their event themes. Excuse me? This kind of arrogance reminded me of the Conquest founder who was shading other events, and look what happened.
Final Thoughts
Having had my own share of organizing events, I understand that the possibility of fucking up the events is never zero. However, with Patrons of the Arts, it was hard to comprehend how they managed to fuck up not just one event but several events in a period of a month. I can only speculate with a couple of theories. First theory: the organizers must have already spent the money that’s meant for the venues, and the tickets from the previous event couldn’t cover the fees for the remaining venue. Second theory: an internal issue within the management. There might be a possibility that there’s internal sabotage going on, which left the co-founder scrambling to fix the issues by herself. Brushing those silly theories aside, we cannot deny that it’s a shady move to announce events and collect fees when the venue hasn’t even been booked yet.
This whole medical issue of the founder, Josh Malit, isn’t convincing anyone. As far as I know, they could have disclosed it earlier instead of using it as a convenient excuse for the fuck up. They got a good thing going, and they really couldn’t resist being greedy. What’s concerning is that after this brouhaha, they might attempt to rebrand and start organizing new events without refunding the artists.
The impact of the event just got artists scrambling to look for events to recoup the financial loss due to the cancellation of most PotA event. While there are remaining events that will be under different management, PotA as a brand could no longer be trusted. The artist market is getting bigger each year, with aspiring artists who see it as a way to earn a living. I could not help but wonder if we will be reaching the point where the art market is too saturated, and the buyer’s fatigue will soon set in.
REFUND UPDATES:
As of this writing, the majority of the artists have never received their refunds.
