Join the conversation about Malaysian arts and culture in this online series

Open Arts Classes, a free virtual learning series under Art In The City (AITC) 2021, is offering 20 arts classes spanning diverse genres, including music history, theatre, craft, indie music and visual art. Photo: Filepic

Want to get to know the basics of traditional Kenyah dance or traditional East Coast woodcarving? What about the history and inner workings of Mak Yong? Ever wondered how many spray cans you need for a street art piece?

The Open Arts Classes (OAC), a free virtual learning series under Art In The City (AITC) 2021, is offering a rare chance to experience a “class session” with the movers and shakers in the arts and culture scene.

You learn directly from Malaysia’s best such as Adlin Aman Ramlie (performing arts), Anniketyni Madian (visual art), Datuk Syafinaz Selamat (music), Adiguru Norhaiza Noordin (craft), and Datuk Johari Salleh (music history).

The list is a diverse one with street artist Kenji Chai, cultural outfit Pusaka founder Eddin Khoo, Penang House of Music director Paul Augustin, Sabahan beadwork artist Eleanor Goroh and bharathanatyam (Indian classical dance) exponent Shankar Kandaswamy among the highlights in the coming weeks.

AITC 2021, supported by the Cultural Economy Development Agency (Cendana), runs until Dec 28.

OAC will run over four weekends, starting with indie musician/producer Takahara Suiko dissecting the music studio experience on Oct 29. This series will be streamed via Zoom, and each class in the series has a classroom size of 500 students.

On Oct 30, Dr Welyne Jeffrey Jehom will discuss the intricate textile tales surrounding Pua Kumbu (from Sarawak), while later in the day, Adlin gives viewers the lowdown on the monologue life in theatre and screen productions.

On Oct 31, don’t miss Adiguru Norhaiza Noordin talking about traditional woodcarving from Terengganu, while in the later session, it’s veteran artist Jalaini Abu Hassan sharing his views on art studio and gallery challenges.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner, you can sign up for these classes and pick up new knowledge about the arts.

Be quick to register because most of these classes are reaching their participation limit.

With a total of 20 two-hour classes run by 20 arts and culture practitioners, OAC is divided into five categories, ranging art history, craft, visual arts, independent music and performing arts. Each subcategory has a total of four classes.

More info here.