Arts USM

✨ Industry Talk & Workshop Series | Master of Design in Creative Industry (MOD) ✨

SOTA USM successfully held an Industry Talk and Workshop titled “The New Design Era: How AI is Reshaping Creative Workflows” at USM@KL, featuring Mr. Suhaimi from Shutterspeak Malaysia.

The session provided valuable insights into the transformative role of artificial intelligence in contemporary design and creative practices. Participants explored how AI-powered tools are reshaping creative workflows, enhancing efficiency, and creating new opportunities for innovation across the creative industry.

Students from the Master of Design in Creative Industry (MOD) programme actively participated in engaging discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions, gaining practical perspectives on the integration of AI within the evolving design landscape.

SOTA USM extends its sincere appreciation to Mr. Suhaimi and Shutterspeak Malaysia for sharing their expertise and industry experiences. The session served as a meaningful platform for bridging academic learning with current industry developments and future creative practices.

Call for Participants 📢🎨

Applications are now open for our Publishing and Grant Writing Training for Early Career Art History and Gender Scholars in Malaysia and Vietnam!
A fully-funded, two-year international programme to elevate Southeast Asian art history and gender scholarship globally. Supported by , we bring together experts from the University of Brighton, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Đại học Tôn Đức Thắng and leading journals including Association for Art History’s Art History, Feminist Art Practices and Research: Cosmos and Southeast of Now, to mentor emerging regional scholars.

✨ What’s included?
• 1-1 mentorship on publishing and grant writing.
• Fully funded 5-day in-person workshop at Universiti Malaya (inclusive of travel, accommodation, and childcare support).
• A direct pathway to a special journal issue submission.

👥 Who Should Apply?
ECRs (PhD candidates/Postdocs/Lecturers) or GLAM practitioners based in Malaysia or Vietnam working at the intersection of gender, art history, and marginalised histories.

🗓️ Application Deadline: 3rd July 2026
📧 Inquiries: [email protected]

🔗 Apply via the link in our bio or here: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/centrefordesignhistory/2026/06/10/cfp-publishing-and-grant-writing-training-for-early-career-art-history-and-gender-scholars-in-malaysia-and-vietnam/

RINTIS’26 Art Graduation Showcase successfully celebrated the creativity, innovation, and artistic excellence of graduating students from the SOTA USM.

Carrying the theme “Nexus” and the tagline “The Glitch of Connection,” this year’s showcase explored the dynamic intersections of fragmentation, transformation, and convergence across artistic disciplines. Through a glitch-inspired visual language, RINTIS’26 reflected how creative practices continuously evolved, collided, and merged into new forms of expression.

Graduating students presented a diverse body of work across three interconnected fields: Music (◉), Fine Arts (≈), and Drama & Theatre (≠), each contributing unique perspectives while forming a unified nexus that celebrated collaboration, experimentation, and the ever-evolving nature of artistic practice.

The opening ceremony was officiated by YB Puan Heng Lee Lee, ADUN Berapit, representing the Penang State EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy. The ceremony was accompanied by the Dean of the School of the Arts, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhizam Mustafa, and the Deputy Dean (Academic, Career & Internationalisation), Dr. Muhammad Khizal Mohamed Saat.

Congratulations to all graduating students for their outstanding achievements and for showcasing the future of artistic innovation through RINTIS’26.

Photography Credit Zamree Salleh

We were privileged to host Assoc. Prof. Thien Lei Mee, Director of the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN), Universiti Sains Malaysia, for a meaningful guest lecture on quantitative research methods with our Master of Design in Creative Industry (MOD) students at the USM@KL campus via Webex.

The engaging session enriched students’ understanding of research methodology and strengthened their academic and creative research perspectives in the field of design and creative industry. ✨

We had the privilege of hosting Miss Gigi Lee, former CCO of TBWA Malaysia and founder and principal designer of Klinik Gigi, for a meaningful guest lecture session with our Master of Design in Creative Industry (MOD) students at the USM@KL campus.

As part of the VES503 – Creative Branding course, the session provided students with valuable industry insights into branding, creativity, strategic design, and the evolving creative landscape.

Thank you, Miss Gigi Lee, for sharing your inspiring journey, professional experience, and creative expertise with our students. ✨

✨ GEMILANG DI PENTAS KEBANGSAAN ✨

Seluruh warga Pusat Pengajian Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia (SOTA USM) merakamkan setinggi-tinggi tahniah kepada:

🌟 Nur Reen Amalia Binti Mohd Azlan
Pelajar Bahagian Lakonan dan Pengarahan

atas kejayaan meraih 🥈 Naib Johan dalam Pertandingan Teater Monolog sempena Festival Kebudayaan Universiti-Universiti Malaysia (MAKUM) Peringkat Kebangsaan pada 23 Mei 2026.

Kejayaan ini membuktikan bahawa bakat, dedikasi dan semangat seni mampu mengharumkan nama USM di pentas kebangsaan. Teruskan melakar kecemerlangan dan menjadi inspirasi buat warga seni kreatif! 🎭✨

“We Don’t Follow Trends, We Create Them.”

Delegasi daripada Bahagian Lakonan dan Pengarahan, Pusat Pengajian Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) telah berjaya menerima Dana Reel MADANI FINAS berjumlah RM25,000 bagi pelaksanaan projek kreatif yang mewakili universiti dan pembangunan bakat pelajar dalam industri seni persembahan dan perfileman.

Majlis Menandatangani Surat Setuju Terima dana tersebut telah berlangsung dengan jayanya dan disempurnakan oleh Menteri Komunikasi, Fahmi Fadzil. Program anjuran finas ini merupakan satu inisiatif penting dalam menyokong pembangunan kandungan kreatif serta memperkasa generasi muda dalam bidang industri kreatif negara.

Mohd Hazimi selaku ketua projek telah hadir mewakili projek tersebut bersama ahli kumpulan, Aina Zafirah dan Khirrthanen Rau daripada Bahagian Lakonan dan Pengarahan, Pusat Pengajian Seni, USM. Turut hadir ialah Dr. Azrul Azizi Amirrul sebagai pensyarah pembimbing bagi projek ini.

Kejayaan ini bukan sahaja membanggakan USM, malah membuktikan kemampuan pelajar seni persembahan dalam menghasilkan idea dan projek kreatif yang berpotensi untuk diketengahkan ke peringkat industri. Semoga dana dan peluang yang diberikan ini menjadi pemangkin kepada penghasilan karya berkualiti serta membuka lebih banyak ruang kolaborasi antara institusi pendidikan tinggi dan industri kreatif negara.

We were honored to host Prof. Cao Peixin from Communication University of China as the guest lecturer for VES505 Graduate Seminar, organized by the Master of Design in Creative Industry programme, SOTA USM.

As a distinguished scholar in international journalism, Prof. Cao shared invaluable strategic insights on organizing conferences and engaging international participants in academic settings.

Thank you to everyone who joined us online via Webex for this inspiring and insightful session on navigating the global academic stage.

Di balik gemerlap cahaya dan alunan irama lama,
tersembunyi kisah yang diwarisi dari zaman ke zaman…

Mak Yong bukan sekadar persembahan,
ia adalah jiwa yang bernafas dalam gerak,
adalah suara yang berbisik dalam setiap lagu,
adalah warisan yang tidak pernah padam ditelan masa.

“MAK YONG: GADING BERTIMANG”
mengajak kita kembali menyelami akar budaya,
menyentuh rasa yang halus,
dan menghidupkan semula keindahan tradisi yang kian dilupakan.

Tarikh: 22 & 23 Mei 2026
Masa: 8.30 malam
Tempat: Panggung Pelenggam Cahaya, USM

🔗 Sahkan kehadiran anda di pautan berikut:
https://forms.gle/vQyTynhqRUFDcXFSA

Masuk percuma
kerana seni itu milik semua. ✨

✨ Bual Bicara Tokoh: Seni, Jiwa dan Warisan Mak Yong ✨

Jom sertai sesi perkongsian penuh inspirasi bersama tokoh dan penggiat seni dalam mengupas keindahan, jiwa dan warisan Mak Yong yang semakin berharga dalam budaya kita.

🗓️ 22 Mei 2026 (Jumaat)
⏰ 3.00 petang – 4.00 petang
📍 Panggung Pelinggam Cahaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pulau Pinang

🎤 Panel jemputan:

1. Che Mat Jusoh (Adiguru Muzik Tradisional Mak Yong)
2. Nur Liyana Che Mohammad (Pengarah Mak Yong Gading Bertimang)
3. Dr. Mohd Azly Zakaria (Guru & Penyelidik Teater/Drama Pendidikan)

🎙️ Moderator: Dr. Fara Dayana Mohd Jufry

🎟️ Masuk PERCUMA!

🔗 Sahkan kehadiran anda di pautan berikut:
https://forms.gle/NcEF2AmxWMPWpGUL8

📲 Imbas QR code untuk pendaftaran atau hubungi:018-383 8499 (Zulhairi)

Ayuh sama-sama memartabatkan seni warisan kita 💫