Opportunities to Grow the Crafts, Fine Arts and Visual Arts Sectors in Penang
Penang Living Lab for Advancing the Creative Economy (PLLACE)
Duration: 120 minutes without intermission
Seating: Free Seating
票務
關於
Overview
This forum brings together experienced practitioners and stakeholders to discuss the evolving role of traditional arts in Penang’s creative economy. With deep roots in culture and heritage, traditional art forms (including crafts, performances, and rituals) face both challenges and opportunities in adapting to a modern context. The session will highlight how these practices can be sustained and transformed into viable creative enterprises, unlocking new markets, audiences, and collaborations. Discussions will also touch on intergenerational knowledge transfer, innovation within tradition, and the support systems needed to ensure long-term relevance and resilience. By featuring voices from within the sector, this panel offers grounded insights into the realities of working with tradition while building towards the future.
Who Should Join
This panel is ideal for artists, cultural practitioners, educators, heritage advocates, and anyone interested in the future of traditional arts in a changing creative economy.
Panel Members
Moderator
Mr. Kenny Ng (General Manager, Penang Art District)
Panelist
- Mr. Lee Khai (Chairman of the Penang State Art Gallery and advisor to Penang Art District)
- Mr. Mei Chee Seong (Founder, aLM Architects and COEX @ Kilang Besi)
Other Panel Sessions
In addition to this session, we have a series of panel discussions held each evening, each one built around a daily theme highlighting a different aspect of Penang’s creative sector.
| Days | Title |
| 19 August (Tuesday) | Opening Night with YB Wong Hon Wai |
| 20 August (Wednesday) | Createch: Arts and Heritage Meeting Digital Creativity |
| 21 August (Thursday) | Opportunities to Grow the Crafts, Fine Arts & Visual Arts Sectors in Penang |
| 22 August (Friday) | Stories of Successes: Creative Enterprises |
| 23 August (Saturday) | Grants and Commercial Funding for the Arts and Digital Creative Community |
| 24 August (Sunday) | Institutional Development & Intellectual Property Rights |
| 25 August (Monday) | Developing Talent for Penang’s Creative Industries: Skills, Training, and Retention |
You may register for multiple sessions by visiting our main event profile.
About Penang Creative Industries Living Lab
The Living Lab will take place in Digital Penang, featuring a series of panel discussions, public dialogues, and co-creation activities aimed at exploring practical strategies for developing Penang’s creative industries. Each day of the Living Lab includes three main components:
- Evening panel sessions featuring different key topics related to creative industries in Penang. (8pm to 9pm)
- A showcase of creative startups and organisations, where participating teams exhibit their products or prototypes and receive user feedback for refinement and improvement. (3.30pm to 10pm)
- Interactive research booths, where the public is invited to share opinions and insights related to ongoing research themes, helping the team further understand community perspectives. (3.30pm to 10pm)
Using a living lab methodology, PLLACE brings together creative practitioners, government agencies, researchers, and citizens to collaboratively design new solutions, training concepts, and policy ideas in real-world settings. This initiative hopes to contribute to Penang’s long-term creative economy goals by addressing current challenges while encouraging sustainable, inclusive growth.
About PLLACE Research
The Penang Living Lab for Advancing the Creative Economy (PLLACE) is a research-driven initiative focused on strengthening Penang’s creative sector through co-creation, policy development, and collaborative innovation. Funded by the British Academy (UK), PLLACE is jointly carried out by researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Greenwich, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
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