This article recounts how during COVID-19, the author's fine arts class was forced into an online mode. The old class design, which was based on physical classrooms and physical locations, was now unsuitable for online teaching. With Malaysian education's emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and art dismissed as a minor subject and neglected (Johari, 2017), a rethinking was needed to revitalize art education. The author teaches fine art to foundation students at a Malaysian university. The art class was designed after the Western art academy, teaching still life, portraiture, and landscape. The influence of contemporary Southeast Asian art led the author to focus on local issues. The class emphasizes time and place by incorporating indoor and outdoor learning (Wonowidjoyo, 2022). Art classes were based on memorable places in Johor Bahru to create a sense of home. Throughout lockdown, the class was shut off from the outside world. The author wanted students to find a sense of belonging in the online class despite the isolation. Although it is now after lockdown, the author has noticed that students' feelings of fear, being lost, and depression remain. To counter this, memory is used to strengthen students' sense of identity and nurture future-ready skills (Hickman, 2019), such as creativity, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.