Manding Village reached its glory in the 1970s and 1980s, where original leather products from Manding was demanded by many countries. The products of Manding is usually exported to western countries such as America and France. Today, due to market demand, the quantity of original leather has reduced, and in return, many products are mixed with natural resources such as water hyacinth, rushes, pandan leaves, and others.  You can also find some of Manding’s products in Malioboro or Beringharjo market, for a higher price of course.

The products of Manding is known to have good quality, although the price is considerably cheap for a similar item found elsewhere. Leather is the main commodity in the village, therefor it has been the main livelihood for most of the residents to sell leather products. The products, besides having displayed in Manding, is also advertised by the government through Gabusan Market. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been very much preserved by the government, so not much tourists are able to locate this particular area.

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From the day it was founded, Cemeti Art House has influenced and encouraged the growth of ideas and production of contemporary artists’ works, both those from Indonesia and abroad. Cemeti Art House during its operation have organized dozens of activities such as exhibitions, performances, site-specific and happening art, discussions, artists communication forum and interdisciplinary art projects. Collaborating with national and international art and culture organizations, Cemeti Art House provides a venue and laboratory for possible art movements.

In 1995, the Cemeti Art Foundation was founded and operates independently from the Cemeti Art House. Cemeti Art Foundation focuses on the documentation of events and artists,  information source (library), art exchange and art education. In 1999, a renovation was conducted on Cemeti Art House. It was designed by a gifted architect, Eko Agus Prawoto, and features an additional exhibition space of 168 m² that can be uniquely transformed into an open art studio. The renovation also adds a storage room, guest rooms, garden and office.  

The founders of Cemeti Art House, Nindityo Adipurnomo and Mella Jaarsma,  received a prestigious award, John D. Rockefeller 3^rd Asian Cultural Council’s Award (ACC), in 2005 for contributing to the international understanding and practice of visual and performing arts in Asia. Some of the fascinating examples that have been displayed on Cemeti Art House are  “Art of Bamboo” (2002), “The Past – The Forgotten Time” (2007), “Traditional Art and Culture Program” with several NGOs in the Ford Foundation Network in villages (2007). Cemeti Art House is open for public from 09.00 AM – 05.00 PM, except on Sundays and Mondays.

The name Pandan Simo is originated from the Javanese term “pandan” which means pandanus tree and “simo” which means tiger. Te beach is considered sacred because it is often used as a site to perform various traditional ritual/ceremony. One of such ceremony is called Merti Dusun, a ceremony that is performed by local residents to show their gratitude to God for their well fortune. Another ceremony, Labuhan, is carried out by giving offerings to the sea for having decent catch throughout the year.

Pandan Simo Beach is not the beach suitable for swimming. The rough waves, deep water and coral reefs that are spread through the coast of the beach are the reasons why it shouldn’t be a place to swim. Don’t be disappointed though, because the panorama of the beach and its surrounding is a beautiful scenery that can satisfy your visit to the beach. You can also shop for fish and various sea animals on Pandan Simo Beach for a very considerable price.

The museum was established in December 22 1955 as an extension of the First Women Congress in Yogyakarta. The building was made using donation from women of all different layers in Indonesia. In 1983, The Women’s Movement Museum was renovated and relocated to a new building, changing its name to Mandala Bhakti Wanitatama. The name is an Indonesian phrase that means “The place for dutiful prime woman”. The building adopts a fascinating Javanese architecture with artistic carvings. It is located on the complex of Mandala Bhakti, Jl. Laksda Adisucipto No.88, just 5 km away from downtown Yogyakarta.

Inside the museum is displayed a Joglo Pendopo building that shows two reliefs which implies :

1. Indonesian Women Movement during the colonialization era.
2. Indonesian Women Movement during the fight for independence.
3. Indonesian Women Movement during the era of Democratic Liberal.
4. Indonesian Women Movement during the era of Guided Democracy
5. Indonesian Women Movement during the era of the New Order.

The Srikandi Hall, however, functions as an artifact display building. Some of the items displayed on the hall is the diorama of the women movement, photographic events, women battle cloths, sewing machine, typewriter, and other items that were once used by the brave women of Indonesia.

The establishment of ISI Yogyakarta was actually because of the merging of 3 former arts institution in the city. They were the Academy of Fine Arts (ASRI), the Academy of Music (AMI) and the Academy of Dance (ASTI). Corresponding with modern educational system and as an effort to develop the quality of the arts education, the 3 academies were merged in July 23 1984 to be under one institution, namely Indonesian Institute of Arts.

ISI Yogyakarta is located at Jl.Parangtritis KM 6, Bantul, the main road that leads to Parangtritis Beach. Standing as the center for art education in Yogyakarta, ISI Yogyakarta lies on a complex with an area of 15.000 m². The institution enrolls more than 2500 students from all over the country, including several overseas students who are interested in learning Indonesian arts. It has approximately 250 lecturers with different educational background, mostly possessing a master degree. The institution offers 3 faculties for its students, they are :

• Performing Arts Faculty
• Visual Arts Faculty
• Multimedia Faculty

ISI Yogyakarta provides complete facilities for the education of arts. The main facilities include art gallery, laboratorium of music and dance, and the auditorium. There are also other functional buildings such as the administrative building, studio and academic buildings, pendopo, library, mosque, student center, tennis court and soccer field.

The compound of Jogja National Museum, which has been an important site for the development of fine arts in Indonesia, has actually sustained several transformations in its history. It was first established on January 15 1950 as the compound for ASRI. ASRI was renamed into a university called STSRI in 1968 before changing again into ISI in 1984. The compound has been empty ever since the relocation of ISI to Sewon, Bantul in 1998. Unfortunately, not much has been done to preserve and renovate the compound and utilize as an exhibition of arts, until the renovation plan that was initiated by KPH Wironegoro.

Jogja National Museum stands on 1.5 acres land with 5 main buildings. The plan was to renovate the buildings and rejuvenate it for art related programs and activities. Unfortunately, the renovation program was delayed due to the devastating earthquake that struck Yogyakarta in May 27 2006. The program was eventually continued on 2007 and finished in 2008. Ever since then, it has been used for the development of contemporary art. It is also projected to be a reknown performance area that will in time stand as the most sought after outdoor art venues in Yogyakarta. After being renovated, Jogja National Museum has hosted several art exhibitions and performances, one of them is the famous art event named Biennale Jogja X 2009 : Jogja Jamming.

Wediombo Beach is located on a low altitude, which makes it available to be seen on higher grounds. In fact, you can see that the beach is surrounded by crop fields and houses of local residents if you view it from a higher ground. Wediombo Beach possesses a much clearer blue sandwater than many other beaches in the area dut to it having low quantity of pollution. The white sand is also beautiful with ornaments of seashells and other sea creatures in small objects where you can pick up and bring home as souvenir.

Wediombo Beach offers another unique experience for tourists other than the beautiful panorama, which is fishing on top of a high coral cliff. Local inhabitants and tourists have been doing this activity for quite a while, and they believe that the spot is very strategic in getting big fishes. However, to reach the high coral cliff is not an easy task for beginners. It should take approximately an hour, or more if you are not used to the path. For those who doesn’t want to go through the trouble, you can simply buy the fishes that local fishermen have caught during that day for as cheap as Rp. 3000. If you like, you can also have local people cook the fish according to your desired seasoning for a cheap price.

If you are lucky, you might witness yourself a traditional ceremony called Ngalangi Ceremony. The ceremony is held annually and the objective is somewhat familiar with that of labuhan ceremony, that is to express gratitude to God for good fortune and good catches throughout the year. The ceremony is carried out initially by spreading a fishnet that is made from gawar tree called gawar. Gawar is used to trap and catch fishes that are washed away by waves. After the fishes are cought, they are then cleaned and cooked. However, some are returned back to the sea while most are made into dishes that are shared with local families. This ceremony is also know as kenduri besar (great shared meals).

Tlogo Agro Plantation is a great place to spend your vacation in nature’s area. The mild climate and clean air that’s very unlikely to be contaminated in pollution, is a great way to spend leisure time in healthy ways. The beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding plantation is also an experience of joy for those who has tasted it. Plantations such as coffee, rubber, nutmeg, clove are all available here. If you enjoy tropical fruits, there are also durian, mango, banana, avocado, rambutan, guava, and other tropical trees in the area.

Tlogo Agro Plantation offers you excitement that you won’t easily find elsewhere, and one day is usually not enough to get a complete excitement of the site. In that sense, Tlogo Agro Plantation has provided traditional cottages that are rented for tourists or visitors who have not yet explored the entire site and is eager to do so in the following days. The cottages here are designed in ethnic style with exotic scent of traditional Indonesian plants that will surely give a warm and peaceful nuance for your stay.  To complete your stay, there is a swimming pool, fishing pond and restaurant that are ready almost 24 hours a day. Besides the cottages, Tlogo Agro Plantation also provides a Colonial and Mini Hall where you can arrange meetings or seminars. If you happen to be an adventure type person, staying in a cottage might be the least of your choices. Fortunately, the site provides a camping ground complete with tracking field and outbound training area where you can spend your hobby.

If you are wondering about the rate for an overnight stay at the cottage, you don’t need to worry because the rate is rather cheap considering the experience you will get from staying here. It is approximately $ 50 a person per night, not including tax fee. So if you are looking for an out-of-the city experience in a nice countryside environment surrounded by various plantations, this is the perfect location to stop by.

Kraton Batik Museum Yogyakarta was inaugurated on October 31 2005 by the governor of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. Each collection of Batik designs in the museum have their own remarkable markings concerning an event in the live of a Javanese. For example, the Batik Truntum design is a batik style which is often used for traditional ceremonies and rituals, whereas Batik Nagasari is used in weddings. Having Batik related collections as the main feature, the museum also provides insights on Batik tools and the making of batk. Items such as a wooden mahogany cup, lerak, and srigading flowers are completed with preservatives and dye for the Batik process. Several antique household equipments are also displayed, such as the old-fashioned iron and antique bicycles.

The art of Batik is a heritage that has been passed from generations before the present generation. The practice of Batik art is not merely drawing and painting on top of a particular cloth, its also an ethical and aesthetical way of showing the skills of a Javanese. It is a very important culture for Javanese people and it will be inherited for many generations to come.

The building was also named as Purna Budaya which was initiated by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono. It consists of two wards that has a different function each. One is the Panti Wurya Ward which functions as the staging/show room. This ward is facilitated with a stage and several rooms for research and development, such as the dancing studio, library, discussion forum and administration office. The other is called Langembara Ward, which is often used for art exhibitions and workshops, but can also function as a guest house.

Yogyakarta Cultural Park was eventually moved to a heritage area behind Vredeburg Fortress in 1995 upon agreement of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and regional Parliaments. Upon the shifted location, the government also agreed to delegate the building to UGM, with the following missions :

-      Development of art and cultural aspects

-      Research and experiments art and culture potentials

-      Data gathering and documentation of art and culture

-      Facilitate activities concerning art and culture, such as music concerts, dance performance, art exhibition, etc

-      Educative programs

Presently, Yogyakarta Cultural Park has been an icon for the art and culture field in Yogyakarta.