Dream of Three Villages (Jagapati, Angantaka and Sedang)
Wishing to Present Various Kinds of Art to Tourists

Being illustrious as art villages in Badung Regency, the Jagapati, Angantaka and Sedang Village, abbreviated to JAS, wish to develop various kinds of art of their own for tourists. For instance, a complete Art Market with art and cultural attractions in which villagers are indeed deeply involved will be established there.

Apart from the art performances, workshops and presentation of several kinds of art are executed here. JAS would also like to arrange their village so that they would become truly an art village in Bali. It’s the dream shared by all three villages having the heritage of art which is deeply rooted within the conscience of its community.
To realize their dream, they have prepared sufficiently extensive land of approximately one hectare, strategically located at the end of the village, close to the temple area and surrounded by verdant rice fields. Uniquely, these rice fields were organically cultivated, no chemical substances were applied.
The three villages are enroute for tourist journeys to Ubud, Sangeh and Taman Ayun Temple, so it is expected that it would become a convenient stopover for tourists visiting the villages that have long been a tourist attraction.
According to I Made Bujastra, Head of the Sedang Village, in reality, such an art center is required so that the villagers thoroughly realize and understand the potential of their art. “If this dream could be realized, we are confident to be capable of preserving the art and culture of our ancestors that has become the pride of the JAS,” he uttered.
Villagers of Jagapati, Angantaka and Sedang have always had high natural aptitude in art. The wooden fisherman and also the farmer sculpture, carrying confined rooster has become the typical art of these villages. Sometimes, the art lover is surprised to discern such works that are almost the same in miniature as its original object. “We do not intend to boast; many of our inhabitants could finance their school children to undergraduate program due to the result of selling such kind of sculpture,” he added.
As well as sculpture, JAS is also rich in performing arts. Some of them are the Gandrung, Sanghyang Jaran and Legong Dance. Also, the art of playing gamelan where in several prestigious art festivals, the gamelan troupes of the three villages have often won.
There is also a Cak (Kecak) a cappella at Sedang and Angantaka Village that is currently revived after long being dormant. For that purpose, the Cak, supported by hundreds of dancers, will be staged again at every temple anniversary before receiving invitations to perform at hotels.
In the 1990s the local villagers indeed enjoyed the flowing of dollars due to booming tourism. But since the Bali bomb tragedies (2002 and 2005), Bali tourism took a dramatic downturn which ultimately resulted in the quickening heartbeat of the handicraft activity in the three villages. Possibly, these tragedies have made the dream of JAS float. (BTN/015)