Cover Gilles lecturing at the Critical Tourism Research international conference in Japan
Gilles lecturing at the Critical Tourism Research international conference in Japan
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Tatler sits down with the newly appointed executive director of the National Federation of Filipino-Americans Association, Almira Astudillo Gilles, to discuss her work with conservation, Filipino ethnographies, and the importance of representation.
Despite building a life in the United States, Almira Astudillo Gilles has always kept one foot firmly planted back home in the Philippines, dedicating her career and education to promoting and preserving Filipino cultural heritage abroad.
In the years since moving stateside for her graduate studies, Gilles has raised a family while nurturing her writing vocation, collecting a handful of advanced degrees—all the while remaining on the sidelines of an organisation she has always held dear: the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA).
Her years-long commitment to NaFFAA, an amalgamation comprised of Filipino organisations all with a shared mission to protect and amplify the voices of the Filipino diaspora, recently resulted in a new venture for the multihyphenate—the coveted position of Executive Director.
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Above Almira Gilles (second from left) at the NaFFAA Civic Leadership Forum in Las Vegas, September 2023.
Almira Gilles (second from left) at the NaFFAA Civic Leadership Forum in Las Vegas, September 2023.
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Before the position opened up, Gilles had already been part of leadership teams with various nonprofits. She felt the need to serve Filipinos and Filipino-Americans more, considering her residency in the United States and her lasting connection to her homeland.
She states, Why don’t I throw my hat in the ring? I felt that, at this point in my career and life, I should give back more.
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Possessing a background in behavioural science and ethnographies, Gilles also maintains the role of research associate at The Field Museum of Chicago, where she is assigned to the Philippine collection. The Field Museum is home to 10,000 Filipino artefacts collected by anthropologists from the University of Chicago in the 1800s, and according to Gilles, only about 20 of them are on exhibit, with the rest kept in storage.
When working with artefacts, you feel obligated to preserve their stories and narratives to ensure those stories are accurate, especially since they’re hidden from view.
Recently, she helped obtain a grant from the MacArthur Foundation to conduct an artistic exchange with five Filipino artists to create a collaborative effort with the Museum. She is also trying to raise money for a digitised collection of the artefacts.
Above Almira Gilles (centre) pictured with Orley Ypon and Otto Neri of the Durian Collective.
Above Almira Astudillo Gilles receives a gift from indigenous visitors to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Almira Gilles (centre) pictured with Orley Ypon and Otto Neri of the Durian Collective.
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With three graduate degrees under her belt, Gilles believes that her extensive education has prepared her to always be in pursuit of knowledge. She still clings to her innate curiosity that opens doors to everything else
.
Despite having little to no background in natural sciences, she has committed herself to efforts in environmental conservation, helping to fund marine preservation areas in the Philippines. In Iloilo, she started a livelihood program that teaches women to make crafts from discarded fishing nets. She also handles operations for a silkworm startup.
I quickly had to tap into my research and my natural curiosity to help expand my repertoire of skills.
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Gilles has also built a career as a prolific writer, emerging from a childhood passion for poetry. She has had works published in both the adult and juvenile categories, frequently involving biodiversity and cultural heritage topics.
Her first novel, The Fire Beneath: Tales of Gold, was a finalist for the Chicago Book of the Year Award and was awarded the 2012 Philippine Presidential Award for Literature.
Above Gilles (L) with Anthony Legarda, a Filipino-American designer who specialises in working with native fibres.
Gilles (L) with Anthony Legarda, a Filipino-American designer who specialises in working with native fibres.
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Filipino Americans are one of the most significant immigrant populations in the United States, though representation in media and politics fails to reflect that. Gilles emphasises the importance of harnessing the capabilities of the diaspora to deepen their connection with their homeland.
For Gilles, her new leadership position entails looking for points in convergence and pathways of collaboration between Filipinos and Filipino Americans. As a guide when advocating for the Philippines, Gilles quotes from John F. Kennedy, A rising tide lifts all boats.
She believes that NaFFAA could be that guide, working for Filipino-American cohesiveness and collaboration for Filipinos everywhere.
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Credits
Interview: Almira Astudillo Gilles
Images: Almira Astudillo Gilles
About
Julianna has been interested in leading a literary life since she first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess at eight. Before working with Tatler, she was an archive intern at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. She is a textbook Pisces who devotes most of her spare time to her crochet projects, watching classic films, and going through her never-ending pile of unread books. She studied creative writing, global literature and art history at Sarah Lawrence College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022. Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Clarice Lispector and Jia Tolentino are among her all-time favourite writers.
Work
Julianna writes about fashion, beauty, sustainability, and the arts. She is always keen on conducting interviews with talented women who are changing the game in their respective fields.
For event invites and story leads, hit her up at julianna.cabili@tatlerasia.com
