Our Story
Makers Arts Centre was founded on the fundamental belief in the importance of uncovering and nurturing students’ natural curiosity, love for learning and creative thinking.
Back in 1996, Ms Ong, the founder of Makers Arts Centre (formerly known as “ULCC”), eager to bring the contemporary arts and the awareness for art appreciation to the thriving town of Ipoh, she left her full-time career as an early childhood educator and started as a small art studio in Ipoh. Her aim has always been to fill in the gaps of what she finds lacking in the visual art education system and the child’s artistic environment.
Since then, both our team of educators and our art programmes have diversified to engage learners across ages and needs. We have now travelled across Malaysia and Singapore, delivering long-term onsite and online art programmes for children to adults. In addition, we host teachers’ training workshops, corporate art and bonding, public workshops and collaborative series with schools.
Last but not least, we have a strong desire to expand students’ skills and knowledge of the art world. We also pride ourselves in building student’s characters and arts appreciation through arts immersion and exposure.
Our Philosophy and Pedagogy
Art Language & Tools (Media)
Core Focus: Elements of Arts, Principles of Design
Promotes: Creativity, Innovation
Engaging with a variety of art mediums and techniques also involves using and understanding basic elements and principles. The mastery of practical skills help learners gain confidence and a strong foundation in artistic expressions.
Creative Expressions (Creativity)
Core Focus: Visual Literacy
Promotes: Communication, Critical Thinking, Problem-solving
Visual literacy is the foundation of learning. We read and draw pictures before mastering verbal and writing skills. Through creative expressions in art, we articulate our emotions and thoughts to think critically about the world and practise visual communication.
Valuing Processes (Skills)
Core Focus: Inquiry-based, Process-led
Promotes: Self-direction, Collaboration
Facilitating inquiry-based conversations and process-driven approaches foster individuals to have diverse perspectives and independent learning. Shared experiences between peers in collaborative activities also forms safety connections that will uplift one another.
Understanding Art in Context (History and Now)
Core Focus: Exhibitions, Collaborations
Promotes: Global Citizenship, Social Values and Responsibility
Contextual learning in art helps learners form deeper understandings of history, culture, and communities around us. Through exhibitions, collaborations with schools and partners, we hope to create more room for compassion, openness, and shared visioning through arts.
Our Vision
A centre for the arts that brings people from different cities together
To bridge art learning with real life experiences collectively through the emphasis on visual literacy and artistic innovation.
Our Mission
Offer creative opportunities for people of all ages
Design and deliver quality, engaging, inclusive and diversified creative arts programmes.
Our Values
Meaningful
We create meaningful and purposeful experiences for both educators and learners.
Adventurous
We constantly take risks to push boundaries in art-making, challenging our own methodologies
Knowledgeable
Our team equipped with the knowledge and active training in the arts is the key to offer programmes that are innovative and up-to-date for our next generation.
Excellence
In all that we do, we strive for excellence.
Research
We aim for a research-driven process in our training, teaching, and curriculum to stand out from the norm.
Social Responsibility
We are determined to make an impact beyond classrooms through the arts.
