Malaysia can boast one of the first national art institutions in the region. The National Art Gallery, or Balai Seni Lukis Negara (BSLN) was founded in 1958, and has built up a major collection of Malaysian art as well as holding retrospective exhibitions for seminal Malaysian artists, and key biennial events.
Art schools are the breeding ground for new generations of local talent (bearing in mind many Malaysian art students and artists also study or complete their training abroad). The first art schools to be established, in 1967, were the Faculty of Art & Design, Institut Teknologi Mara (now a university, UiTM with branches across several states), and the Malaysian Institute of Art. Today, UiTM, Unimas, USM and Lim Kok Wing University offer fine art degree courses, while visual art forms a part of the foundation for many design and multimedia courses. A number of smaller institutions offering diplomas dot the Klang Valley and beyond, such as the Equator Academy of Art in Penang and New Era College in Kajang. Graduation shows are good opportunities for talent-scouting.
