Institut Kraf Negara (National Craft Institiute)

A beautiful campus in a peaceful setting, with mountains, nice teachers and amazing facilities. This is the Institut Kraf Negara (IKN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. IKN began as a handicrafts centre in 1967 and in 2001 transformed into a renowned academic institution specializing in the arts and crafts. 

The 6 departments include batik, weaving, ceramics, wood carving, metal and rotan. While the focus is on skill - 70% , 30% of classes are also academic, ensuring students have the knowledge to enter the competitive art market. 

Although there are no fine art classes at the moment, there are hopes to expand into that area in the future. 

IKN students come from all over Malaysia including many from the more rural and poor areas. Thus, it is a relief to them that the school is completely free of charge and fully sponsored by the Malay Government. Housing, meals, lessons and facilities are all included!

In spite of the free cost, the facilities and professors are still top notch. A tour shows the excellent equipment at IKN. 

There is a cloth printer to mass-produce finished designs, up-to-date computers, advanced chemical and natural dyes, hundreds of stretcher bars and a large studio space.

Thus, IKN students must also be top-notch to get in. To apply, hopefuls must submit their MCE Malaysian certificate. Then, there is an interview with a drawing demonstration/test and portfolio submission.

For a batik degree specifically, students take 6 semesters on the batik process, a design class, drawing and then 4 subjects of their choice. These elective classes allow students to expand their horizons. The Batik department is extensive and has 11 teachers divided into lecturers and technical skill teacher for 152 students.

At the moment, IKN is only open to Malaysians and does not accept international students. Furthermore, most are of Malay decent and there are not many other ethnicities represented. This only makes sense because IKN is geared toward Malay handicrafts, not Chinese or Indian. There are plans however to have exchange programs in the future with other schools and introduce Malaysian crafts to many other cultures and nationalities.

Although the current trend is toward more spontaneous and funky designs, students must first master the basic traditional Malaysian style before moving on.

This traditional Malaysian batik by a student taught control and skill. Only later are they allowed free rein to be creative.

There is a high demand in Malaysia for craftspeople and most students have jobs after graduation. As designers, producers, marketing, researchers, teachers - 90% of graduates find work. Many students even continue to work for Kraft Tangan - as designers or teachers. Others leave and spread their expertise all over Malaysia. This does not mean however that they are cut off from the school. IKN makes an effort to keep track of and help alumni in all their future endeavors.