Visit to Central Market and the Annexe Gallery

On March 22^nd, 2013, our class visited Central Market and the Annexe Gallery, located in Kuala Lumpur. We split up into small groups to explore the building, which has been renovated and upgraded in the past few years. The improvements include central air conditioning and more food outlets, including a food court and chain stores such as Subway, Secret Recipe and Old Town White Coffee.

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The Central Market entrance

There are various stores and stalls selling handicrafts such as Batik, carpets and rugs, jade and other precious stones and Buddha statues.

We visited the Pheng Art Gallery, located in the Annexe gallery. This gallery had hundreds of mounted painting for sale. These two, in particular, caught my eye.

Multicolored swirls

Yellow flowers

This bronze Buddha an metal elephant were at the entryway of a store called Art Land,which is located at the entrance of the Annexe Gallery. The store sold all manner of figurines made of metal and precious stone.

Bronze Buddha and elephant

There were also stores selling leather bracelets, stone jewelry, T-Shirts, bags, shoes and other accessories. Some stores also offered custom printing on T-Shirts and Varsity jackets.

"I ♥ KL" T-shirts

Shops selling Batik and other clothing are located on the second floor of Central Market. The food court is also on the second floor.

We concluded our field trip around 12 noon, after taking a tour of the top floors of Central Market.

Central Market is easily reached by taking the Kelana Jaya LRT to the Pasar Seni station. The station is an elevated platform located above the Klang River. Colourful graffiti decorates the walls along the banks of the river.

Field Trip to the National Art Gallery

Our class visited the National Visual Arts Gallery in Kuala Lumpur on February 26th, 2013. The National Visual Arts Gallery is located in Kuala Lumpur, and features the artwork of local artists. We saw the retrospective collection of acclaimed artist Latiff Mohidin, which was launched on February 22nd this year.

Artist Latiff Mohidin with one of his paintings.

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Promoting the arts to youths.

Art education is an important aspect of providing youths with a well-rounded formal education. Art education involves exposing children to artwork, and providing them with an outlet to express themselves in a creative manner. This can include art classes in primary school, where children are exposed to drawing, the color wheel and collage works, field trips to art galleries and exhibitions, as well as exposure to mediums such as photography, screenwriting and woodcarving.

Youth Art Month is an arts program that runs annually in March with the purpose of promoting the arts to young people. The program runs activities such as a school flag competition, where students across the country are encouraged to design a flag that features a key element of their state's history (source).

National museums can organize school field trips for primary and secondary school students. They can also curate themed collections (for example, a collection for an annual holiday or anniversary, such as the end of World War II or a National Day celebration).

Governments can also provide funding for school programs that promote the arts, and create scholarships for arts programs.

Our class at the National Visual Arts Gallery