Nature Inspiration Art Gallery (NIAG)
Nature Inspiration Art Gallery (NIAG) is a gallery set up by University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) in 2014, as an extension to manifest its Green Concept and Philosophy’s vision of conserving the rich cultural identities of people in Sabah and its natural surroundings.
Welcome to NIAG we have proudly presented our artwork from students and Fine art lectures artwork. This ART work provides a glimpse of the Sabah surrounding as captured in eyes of our young talented artist’s inner vision and processed in sculptures, art painting, and Batik.
Visit our UCSF gallery [NIAG] and capture the nature-inspired Art.
The artwork is available for sale.
NIAG is open to the public and the artefacts featured and sold serve its mission:
- To create awareness of the indigenous arts and support, especially the young local talents in their endeavour to communicate through art leading to their building of their own profession and trade.
- To conserve through works of art the endangered species of Borneo. At this moment in time, NIAG and UCSF are paying special attentions to the fast depleting population of sharks, especially in the surrounding sea of Sabah; the pangolins, facing threats from poachers; and the sea turtles, whose habitats are severely encroached.
- To preserve and protect while further advancing Local Intellectual Content. Through research UCSF has uncovered local artefacts that are uniquely Sabahan. UCSF believes that these rightly belong to the indigenous communities. As such these need to be recognised and protected from encroachment, but must be advanced under new models of development. Thus there will always be an umbilical cord sort of relationship between UCSF, NIAG and the artists as well as the community of origin, sharing success in tangible and intangible forms.
IDEAS AND DEVELOPMENT
NIAG also serves as an incubation centre. Through the Sahabat UCSF (or literally translated as friends of UCSF) platform selected enterprising artists have the opportunity to leverage on the gallery, its set up and networks to accelerate their business ideas or ventures through an active, hands-on and participative approach. They not only get instant support, advice and sometimes resources, but more importantly to work closely with UCSF, hand-in-hand in boosting their confidence and gaining valuable experience to jointly develop and expand the art market.
CONTRIBUTING TO A GOOD CAUSE
NIAG is set up more as a social enterprise but with features of sustainability. It is non-profit and very focussed in ensuring its social duty of promoting, preserving, conserving and advancing the cultural heritage, and contemporary artistic values of the multi-ethnic groups (more than 40) of Sabah. A part of your support, through the sale’s proceeds, will be channelled to various preservation and conservation funds.
CONNECTING WITH NIAG
Through the efforts of UCSF Final Year students from the Faculty of Management & Entrepreneurship an e-gallery for NIAG was created and launched so that NIAG can have an ‘e’ presence on the internet. Click the link below to go to the website:
Nature Inspiration Art Gallery
The website is still under construction but nevertheless, many of the art works and artefacts from the artists and young talents are show-cased in the e-gallery.
