PASIR PUTEH, March 18 — For the love of art and to fulfil a dream of having her own gallery, boutique owner Wan Jaida Wan Samidin decided to turn the premises into an art gallery.
Together with husband Azman Ismail, 44, and 12 local artists, she managed to open ‘Stu Ben Artworkshop’, at Jalan Pasir Puteh, early this year.
Wan Jaida, 41, who is a arts and design graduate from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), said it had always been her dream to create a platform for local arts and design lovers to showcase their work.
“Prior to this, this place is a boutique specialising in women’s clothing, some of which I designed myself. The response was encouraging, with good sales, but it did not give me the satisfaction.
“So, last year, I decided to focus fully on my dream to have my own art gallery,” she told Bernama.
Wan Jaida said the gallery, which opens every day, except Fridays, not only displayed works by artists, but also information on arts.
Entrance is free, she said, adding that her aim was to share her knowledge in the field with the society.
She said students from several schools in Terengganu and Kelantan had visited the gallery during which she also conducted workshops for them.
“At this gallery, there are various types of artworks by different artists. We also have wood sculptures by Associate Professor Zakaria Awang and Johari Said,” she added.
She said the artwork pieces displayed at the gallery were fresh and with commercial value, hence capable of instilling interests, especially among the young people, for arts.
Wan Jaida said she was now promoting artwork using remnants or small pieces of cloths.
“The pieces of cloths are pasted according to desired motifs using glue and then dried. Each piece takes about two months to complete,” she added. — Bernama
