Opportunities to Grow the Crafts, Fine Arts and Visual Arts Sectors in Penang

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.

As part of our week-long programme, each day features two key parts:

1. Expert Panel Sessions – held every evening from 8:00 PM, bringing together leading voices to discuss critical topics shaping Penang’s creative industries.
2. Co-Creation in Our Living Lab – taking place daily from 3:30 PM at Digital Penang, where the public and stakeholders are invited to take part in shaping ideas, testing prototypes, and co-developing strategies to support Penang’s creative economy.

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.

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 two main components: 

1. Co-Creation in Our Living Lab (Daily from 3:30 PM) -  Explore a hands-on innovation space where creative start-ups and entrepreneurs showcase their prototypes. Test ideas, give feedback, and help shape better solutions. This is co-creation in action — your input makes a real difference.
2. Panel Sessions (Daily from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM) - Join evening panels featuring local creative experts discussing key topics shaping Penang’s creative economy.

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. 

Photography & Videography Notice

Please note that this is a public event. Photography and videography may be conducted throughout the event for documentation and promotional purposes. By entering the event space, you acknowledge and agree that your image may be captured in photos and videos, and that these materials may be used in future promotional and marketing content related to the event or its organisers.