By Balqis Jazimah Zahari
Pix and Video Balqis Jazimah Zahari
IPOH: Visitors have the opportunity to explore the ‘Local Pop-Up Market’ which lasts for three days at 22 Hale Street Heritage Gallery, Jalan Tun Sambanthan in this city.
Curator of 22 Hale Street Heritage Gallery, Tan Suet Yoke said, apart from the existing art exhibition and museum, this art bazaar-themed program offers a combination of various activities so that visitors can spend more time exploring every corner of the gallery at 22 Hale Street.
“In conjunction with the school holiday season this time we are organizing a ‘Local Pop-Up Market’ for three days from 3 to 5 March by offering a combination of various activities such as art exhibitions, handicrafts, museums, coffee sales, food trucks and ‘preloved’ items.
“We hold a combination of activities like this at least once a year, so that visitors have more time to explore every meaningful corner of the art gallery here.
“Visitors no longer need to go to other locations just to find food, drinks, souvenirs and so on because everything is already here.
“So after it is difficult to find a parking space, visitors will feel it is more worthwhile because they can spend two to three hours longer here,” she said when met at the program here.
Suet Yoke said, this time the art and sales bazaar concept program provides as many as 20 stalls for visitors to enjoy and starts opening at 10 am until 6 pm.
According to her, everything can be enjoyed freely except for the museum section where visitors have to pay RM10.
“On the ground floor we have an art bazaar, handicrafts, food and drink, while on the top floor is a painting gallery and a museum.
“In the museum we exhibit the historical heritage of tin mining and the peranakan Baba Nyonya as well as various other antiques,” she said.
She said they are aiming for at least 5,000 to 6,000 visitors to attend during the three days of the activities.
Meanwhile, when asked if 22 Hale Street might have a proposal to make the activity permanent, she said so far they have no such plans and choose to use the existing concept.
“Often visitors who come here every day will go directly to the museum and art gallery on the upper floor, the empty space below and above will be used for the organization of various art activities including workshops.
“As we all know, if there was only a museum, people would only come to visit once.
“So to make visitors come regularly, every month the art gallery space will change with various other artists and bazaar concept programs like this will also always change the theme.
“We don’t want visitors to feel bored with the same concept and at the same time give the opportunity to different traders to display their handicrafts here,” she said.
She added, however, that they plan to organise the bazaar-themed programme at least twice a year, around March and December.
“Our goal is to enliven this place with the presence of local and foreign visitors, but always come up with different ideas to attract the attention of visitors,” she said.
