Kuala Lumpur - Orang asli weaver Pilah Miah`s face shone with joy as she thanked the “Art With A Heart 2008” festival organisers for contributing part of the proceeds from their art sale to her Temuan community in Kampung Paya Rumput.
“I am very happy and touched. This means a lot,” said Pilah, 40, who is part of the Kembang Sejambak group of orang asli craftsmen whose woven handicraft were put up for sale during the week-long exhibition.
To mark the festival`s closing, Pilah and her Temuan dance troupe donned costumes made from tree bark and entertained guests with a traditional tribal dance, the Riau Radong, celebrating a joyous harvest.
The cultural event jointly organised by The Star, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and the National Art Gallery, ended on a spirited note when the artists spontaneously joined in a second orang asli dance.
Artwork made from recyclable items were put on sale for charity at the Pavilion shopping centre on Tuesday night.
Pilah said the contributions would be used to buy essential items for her community as well as art materials to further improve the quality of their craft.
Proceeds from the sale will also be channelled to the Malaysian Nature Society.
“It is our sincere hope that the festival`s message of environmental preservation has been sent out loud and clear,” said The Star group editorial/education adviser Datuk Ng Poh Tip in her closing speech. She hoped that the festival`s green statement would be remembered even after the exhibition.
Also present at the ceremony were Star Publications (M) Bhd multimedia chief operating officer Michael Aeria, National Art Gallery director-general Dr Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur marketing general manager Kung Suan Ai.
Datin Sim, wife of artist Datuk Ibrahim Hussein, bought the RM2,000 art piece “Stranger” by artist Khairul Azmir Shoib in support of the event.
The festival, themed “Recreation: Art and Sustainability”, was held from Oct 8 to 14 and was aimed at promoting nature conservation.
It was also supported by the Global Malay-sians Network which is an initiative by the Asian Centre for Media Studies to tap various local resources for the benefit of other Malaysians.
Source: http://thestar.com.my (October 16, 2008)