Chuah posing beside one of the many Greek sculptures that greets visitors at the foyer of its Leith Street campus.
Established in 1987, the homegrown college is fast becoming what founder and principal Datuk Chuah Kooi Yong envisioned it to be — a landmark learning centre in the northern region for young artists.
“The thing we insist on here is passion. Many students come here with no proper basics in art, but as long as they are focused and are sure that this is what they want to do, we accept them.
“All students are interviewed before they register. We ask them to reconsider: ‘Are they here because they did not fare well in the exams or because they are undecided about their future,’” he said.
Chuah, a renowned artist in water painting who is popularly known as Kooi Yong, said that it was pointless taking in students who had no interest in art.
“Students with a passion for art take only a few months to catch up although they may be without basic skills, compared to those with absolutely no interest in the subject,” he added.
“Those who enrol for the certificate-level course will have to start off with drawing, colour studies, working on basic sculptures, 3D figures and print making.
“After completing these subjects, they choose one of six majors for the last semester,” he said.
Most students go on to complete one of five diploma programmes — Architectural Technology, Fashion Design Technology, Fine Arts
