The Penang state government will assist the art industry in Penang with financial funding through a RM 200,00 grant.

Yeoh Soon Hin, The Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage state exco clarified that the allocation is a grant that artists can apply to help fund online art events.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the arts industry in Penang and drastically affected the income of artists,” he said.

The state government will also help local art associations to rebuild the industry through several measures which include a subsidy on the rental rates for Dewan Sri Pinang and auditoriums in Komtar, allocation to purchase tickets from art bodies, and dialogue sessions between stakeholders and the state to discuss ways to rebuild the industry.

The relief package will be divided into three phases, namely the Covid-19 outbreak period, post-Covid-19 and 2021.

For the first phase, the state government will provide a grant of RM200,000 to encourage individuals or arts groups to conduct online arts programs and training.

In the second phase, the state government will assist the local arts association in terms of operating costs of organizing a program.

During the third phase, the state government will promote local art content and increase ticket sales of their organized programs.

Additionally, Penang will kick-start the George Town Festival and ArtPenang next year on a larger scale so as to spur the local art industry. This will help create more jobs and opportunities for local artists.

Artists or art associations can apply for the grant through Yeoh’s office by sending an email to [email protected] from today.

The closing date for applications for the grant is December 31.