Arts and Culture for a Vibrant Singapore
1 Mr Chairman, I thank the Hon. Members for their many comments and suggestions on promoting the arts and supporting arts and culture. In responding to Members, I will provide this House with an overview of how the arts is transforming Singapore into a more distinctive global city, as well as strengthening our sense of community, belonging and national identity.
Arts and Global Cities
2 Mr Chairman, internationally recognised global cities are defined not only by their economic and financial achievements, but also by the diversity and depth of their arts and culture.
3 Time magazine recently named London, New York and Hong Kong as cities which drive the global economy. The article pointed out that – “Great cities, of course, are more than money and finance. They are messy agglomerations of talent and culture. That is how they attract men and women in the financial sector who could choose to live anywhere.”
4 In a ranking of the world’s twenty most liveable cities by Monocle magazine, Singapore was ranked 17th. Arts and culture were key factors in the assessment. While we were not placed at the top, Monocle noted the changes taking place in Singapore: “ Today’s Singapore bears little resemblance to the city of just 10 years ago. The arts scene has seen a flowering of museums, performing arts venues and galleries .”
5 Sir, less than ten years ago, in 2000, the Renaissance City Plan (or RCP) was launched to transform Singapore into a creative and vibrant global city. A city where arts and culture thrive, bringing Singaporeans closer together, strengthening our sense of national identity and helping us to attract talents to our city.
6 We knew that we had a long way to go. In the first phase or RCP1 as we referred to it , we focussed on building up an audience for arts and increasing the pool of artistic talents. This was followed by the second phase or RCP2, in 2004, when we initiated support for artists and arts companies to venture onto the international stage.
Increasing Vibrancy
7 This brief recap provides the backdrop for my response to Ms Penny Low and Ms Irene Ng who asked how we measure our success, whether or not the targets of the RCP have been met, and how far have we strengthened the Singapore heartbeat through the creation and sharing of our artistic and cultural heritage .
8 The progress in our arts and cultural development is evident. Apart from Monocle’s and many other media observations, the vibrancy of our arts and cultural scene is almost palpable. Today, we have a list of 700 registered arts companies and societies, almost double the 400 that existed barely ten years ago. They actively create and produce growing hosts of arts activities throughout Singapore.
9 Last year, we had about 7,400 arts events, providing a total of 21,000 performance and exhibition days. On average, Singaporeans had a choice of over 50 arts performances and exhibitions on any one day. That is a lot to choose from. Nearly 40% can be enjoyed for free by the general public.
10 Ms Penny Low asked for MICA’s share of these events. MICA and our agencies were responsible for approximately 15% of all the arts activities each year. This is a good balance. It shows that the arts community is taking ownership and developing their followings and audiences.
Growing Broad-based Participation and Support
11 Ms Penny Low also asked about the objectives of these activities and whether they are embraced the stakeholders in the wider community.
12 Sir, the increasing number of arts activities is a good reflection of the vibrancy of our art scene and the creativity of our artists. Arts events, whether it is an exhibition or a performance, are necessary for artists to communicate with their audience and to share their artistic thoughts and expression.
13 I agree with Ms Penny Low that quantity does not equate quality. In the case of the arts, quality is as important, if not more important, than quantity. What is significant is that along with increasing arts events and participation, there is also better appreciation for the arts. For instance, every weekend and public holiday, you can find many Singaporeans of all ages attending public performances at the Esplanade. The National Heritage Board’s Explore Singapore and Singapore HeritageFest attract people from all walks of life to our museums and heritage institutions throughout the island.
14 In our HDB heartlands, the arts is now a regular part of community life through the lessons, performances and activities that are organised by the CDCs, Community Clubs and supported by the National Arts Council. These community arts events feature art forms as diverse as hip hop and traditional musical instruments.
15 Over the last ten years, the National Arts Council surveys showed that the number of Singaporeans who participated in at least 1 arts and cultural event a year had increased threefold from 1 in 10 in 1996, to 1 in 3 today.
16 Sir, today more Singaporeans are attending arts and cultural events. Ticketed attendances passed the 1 million mark in 2002 and reached 1.3 million attendances last year. The annual number of visitors to all museums in 2007 was over 4 million, with about 1.7 million visitors visiting the NHB or National Heritage Board museums. These numbers indicate that the arts performances and exhibitions were of high quality and were succeeding in connecting with the audience. If not, I thik we’ll have a very hard time or be hard put to attract a growing audience.
Support for Artists and Arts Groups
17 This increase in arts groups and arts activities naturally leads to calls for more Government support for the arts. For instance, Mr Chan Soo Sen’s very eloquent call for a national arts fund for government to support the arts through co-funding of these events.
18 MICA adopts a variety of support measures including financial support for the developing arts sector.
19 Sir, the RCP funded 50% of the grants given out by the National Arts Council. For example, in the year 2007, last year, over 550 recipients benefited from the disbursement of $7.85 million in grants, scholarships and training bursaries. This is an increase of 20% from the amount disbursed to 468 recipients in the year 2004.
20 Equally important is the commissioning of new works. For instance, NAC regularly commissions new works for the Singapore Arts Festival. Some of these are subsequently performed overseas to international audiences. One example is a work called Optical Identity. This is a performance featuring the T’ang Quartet and the UK’s Theatre Cryptic. This work premiered at the Singapore Arts Festival last year, after which it went on to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival, the Alicante International Music Festival, and a tour of Scotland and even more performances.
21 Sir, NAC’s arts housing scheme provides workspace to over 96 artists and arts groups for their operational, studio and rehearsal needs. The scheme currently provides arts housing with rental subsidy of over $3 million per year.
22 Sir, we are always sympathetic to the needs of artists and the arts community. We will work within our resources to ensure support for deserving initiatives.
23 Mr Zaqy Mohamad commented that despite all these programmes, the perception from the industry is that we have not created world-class talents and productions, nor generated sufficient demand for them.
24 While it is true that we have yet to witness the emergence of sustainable creative arts businesses, we should not despair. It is a long journey and we are making good progress.
25 We can take pride in our flagship companies and artists who fly the Singapore flag on the international stage.
26 During last year’s Singapore Season in China, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the Singapore Dance Theatre., on top of it, we had the participation of Dramabox, a theatre company. We also showcased works by prominent visual and literary artists like You Jin, Isa Kamari, Wong Keen, Goh Beng Kwan and the late Chen Wen Hsi. All these works and performances were very warmly received by the Chinese audience.
27 Another example I want to give about Singaporeans who make it to the international stage, is young musician Darrell Ang. Darrell received a NAC Arts Bursary to pursue his postgraduate diploma at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Darrell went on to achieve the top prize at the prestigious 2006 Antonio Pedrotti International Competition for Conductors. Today, he is the co-founder and associate conductor of the St Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic.
28 Sir, We are also seeing more invitations to Singaporean artists from overseas. Last year, Jason Wee, Jason Lim, Heman Chong and Matthew Quek won residency stints and competitions in Germany, China, Korea, and Italy.
29 Musicians such as Cultural Medallion recipient Jeremy Monteiro, musical group The Observatory and the T’ang Quartet performed in venues and festivals in New York, Seoul and Edinburgh.
30 Similarly in theatre groups such as The Theatre Practice, Theatreworks and The Finger Players, staged successful performances in Australia, Japan, China, Spain and Italy.
31 In areas where there is strong commercial potential, partnership with the private sector such as galleries, music producers and publishers have also borne fruit.
32 For example, NAC c ollaborated with the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) to promote our music talents and products at MIDEM (the Marché international de l'édition musicale), which is the world’s largest music trade fair, held in Cannes, France. Arising from this, Singapore music company Ocean Butterflies International will be collaborating with London-based Ricall, a leading online music distributor.
33 Sir , Singapore has also become a desirable performance and exhibition stop in Asia. Whether it is a major orchestra or a world-class museum collection’s Asian tour, Singapore is today a sought after destination.
34 The current exhibition of Greek sculptures at the National Museum is one example. That the Louvre is prepared to lend to our National Museum such exquisite and precious works from their collection, is a testament to the quality, capability and professionalism of our National Museum.
35 Sir, these are healthy signs that our arts institutions and artists are achieving some success and recognition from the international arts circle. We hope that in the years ahead, more will achieve international acclaim.
What Next?
36 At the same time when the world comes to Singapore for F1 this year and the Youth Olympics in 2010, we will be showcasing Singapore art and artists, to provide our visitors with a more engaging and a more memorable experience.
37 Do these milestones mean that we have succeeded in realising our vision of Singapore as a global city for the arts and culture? The answer is that while we have made significant progress, there is much to do before Singapore can reache the top tier of the global cities.
The Next Phase of RCP – RCP3
38 Our continued efforts under Renaissance City Plan is a must , in order to transform Singapore into a successful global city for the arts.
39 Sir, I am pleased to inform this House that MICA will allocate $115 million over the next five years, or $23 million a year, to implement the next phase of the Renaissance City Plan, in partnership with the private and people sectors. This is 50% or $7 million more each year compared to the current allocation for RCP2
40 RCP3 will continue the work in broadening our audience base and talent pool, and internationalising our artists and arts companies. In addition, RCP3 will focus additional funding on 3 key areas – content creation, sustainable arts ecosystem and community engagement.
41 Mr Chairman, I will elaborate on these strategies in my response to Members.
Distinctive arts and cultural content
42 Mr Chan Soo Sen spoke about the need for Singapore to evolve works of art that will reflect our multicultural heritage and society. I agree with him completely. We must draw on our diversity of arts talents to create new and inspiring works which will truly reflect our multicultural roots.
New Content Initiatives
43 This year, the National Arts Council will introduce a Commissioning Fund with about $700,000 to build up a body of scripts, stories, poetry, musical and dance compositions that reflect our distinctive multicultural identity as well as our Asian and contemporary context or setting.
44 NAC will also set aside more than $1 millioneach year to introduce new capability development and residency programmes for artists and arts companies to participate in exchanges with overseas arts institutions and organisations. This will enable our artists and arts companies to gain exposure and to also establish valuable networks.
45 At the same time, NAC will continue to support artists and arts groups to draw on the deep artistic traditions of our cultural heritage by tapping on its Traditional Arts Fund which stands at about half a million a year.
Similarly, in the area of heritage, NHB will expand collaborations with regional and international museums to research and curate exhibitions that showcase both Singapore and the wider Asia to the world. NHB will open the Peranakan Museum in April this year. This museum will showcase the Peranakan culture and how our Peranakan culture has established links with the regional culture of similar origins.
National Art Gallery
46 Mr Chan Soo Sen suggested that the Government build up a collection of artworks by our pioneer artists to inspire future generation of artists.
47 Over the years, we have collected and also received donations of important Singapore artworks, including those by our pioneer artists. Among the current collection of about 7,500 art works , some 4,000 are by our Singapore’s pioneer artists including those by the Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang, Georgette Chen, and Chen Chong Swee. The National Art Gallery, which is a project under development, will be the future home to proudly showcase these great works and many others.
48 I should add also that besides showcasing our national or our pioneer artists, the National Art Gallery will also focus on researching and presenting important art works from Southeast Asia, and hosting major exhibitions from Asia and beyond.
49 I am happy to update this House that MICA’s evaluation of the 3 winning designs selected by the International Jury is close to completion. MICA will soon appoint the successful architectural team for the project. However we will time the construction to ensure that it does not aggravate the already high demand for construction works. We expect that the Gallery will open its doors to the public around 2013.
A sustainable arts and cultural ecosystem
50 Sir, Next I will touch on the second strategy under the RCP3, which is to develop a vibrant ecosystem for supporting professions, enterprises and activities to ensure the sustainability of our arts and cultural sector.
New Arts & Heritage Ecosystem Development Initiatives
51 As Mr Zaqy Mohamed has highlighted, our artists and arts groups need to have viable careers and sustainable practices.
52 This is possible only if we have a vibrant ecosystem with many supporting industries, professionals and private intermediaries producing, presenting, distributing and marketing our artistic and cultural content, services and talents. We need this complete value chain to transform an inspiring artistic idea into an appreciated and valuable product for audiences and patrons at home and abroad.
53 Sir, NAC will establish an Arts Business Framework comprising start-ups and co-investment schemes targeted at commercial art galleries, artist managements, festival management, arts tourism, books and music publishing, arts education services and arts consultancies. NAC will put in more than $700,000 a year for this Framework.
54 NAC will also expand its support for the participation of Singapore arts businesses at major regional and international markets such as MIDEM, which I mentioned earlier on, the Frankfurt Book Fair and regional art fairs. At this juncture, I would like to respond to Mr Zaqy’s comments on Malay films and co-productions. I agree with his approach. MICA and MDA are already encouraging our film makers and production houses,, such as Raintree Pictures to explore for co-productions with companies in Malaysia and Indonesia. We believe that this is the way forward to develop and to grow our Malay film production sector. Because through such partnerships and such co-productions, we can revive the Malay film industry and also reach out to new markets.
55 Sir, last year, NHB piloted an assistance scheme called the Heritage Industry Incentive Programme . One example of how it works is NHB’s assistance to U1 Tours to develop their Chinese and English guidebooks on heritage for tourist guides, tour operators, taxi drivers and hotel concierges, to promote our heritage and museums to both foreign tourists and also to Singaporeans.
56 Sir, under RCP3, NHB will set aside $2 million a year to expand this Heritage Industry Incentive Programme to provide assistance in two broad areas. First NHB will develop capabilities and professionals for important aspects of heritage work – such as research, conservation and curation. Next it will support the development of new cultural tourism services, resources, exhibitions and programmes to reach out to a wider market.
57 Sir, Mr Baey Yam Keng called for monetary incentives for artists who had won regional or international awards as we do for sports talent. Ms Penny Low also suggested awards to recognise the diverse achievements and the vibrancy of the arts scene.
58 I agree with the spirit of both suggestions. Recognising the achievements of our artists has been an integral component of NAC’s talent development strategy. Outstanding arts practitioners should receive recognition and respect for their work.
59 Sir, currently we do so through the Cultural Medallion which is conferred by the President, and the Young Artist Award. The recipients of the Cultural Medallion and the Young Artist Award are entitled to apply for grants. In the case of the Cultural Medallion recipients, they can apply for a grant up to $80,000. For Young Artists Award recipients, the grant is about $10,000.
60 But these grants should not be seen as strict monetary rewards. The work of an artist is a labour of love and passion carried out over an entire lifetime. Our aim is to support artists to build up sustainable artistic careers throughout their lives. The Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award grants are an important part of NAC’s larger talent development framework including scholarships, bursaries, and the many other arts grant schemes. Nevertheless, I will ask NAC to consider new ways of publicising and applauding our artists who have won international recognition or awards that are of high standing.
61 On Ms Penny Low’s suggestion to expand recognition for the arts, we should remember that the Government is not the only source of such recognition. The annual Straits Times Life! Theatre Award is a commendable initiative by the corporate sector to honour successful artists. This Award recognises not just actors and actresses, but also includes directors, script writers and set designers. We will encourage SPH to grow the scope of this award and also invite more private sector initiatives for similar recognition to our artists.
Supporting Next Generation Talent
62 Ms Penny Low asked for an update on the School of the Arts, Singapore (or SOTA).
63 Mr Chairman, I am pleased to inform the House that the School opened in January this year at its interim site at Goodman Road with 138 Year 1 students and 99 Year 2 students.
64 SOTA had received an overwhelming response from more than 1000 students who had auditioned for places. The Ngee Ann Kongsi had generously donated $12 million over six years to support scholarships and bursaries for deserving students at SOTA. This will ensure that every deserving student can get to study at SOTA regardless of his or her family circumstances. Meanwhile the construction of the permanent school or permanent campus at Kirk Terrace is going on. Despite the initial delays, we now expect the permanent campus to be ready by late 2009.
65 In 5response to Mr Chan Soo Sen, I would like to assure him that SOTA is indeed offering a multicultural arts education to our young talents.
Engaging International Arts and Cultural Networks
66 MICA and our agencies will also continue to identify opportunities for Singapore’s arts and cultural ecosystem to be plugged into international arts networks. UNESCO is one such international network. F ollowing Singapore’s rejoining of UNESCO in October 2007, MICA has taken leadership of Singapore’s Sub-Commission on Culture and Information.
67 In response to Dr Fatimah Lateef’s question, MICA will explore how UNESCO can be an additional avenue for our arts practitioners to learn from the world’s best. Singapore will also be able to share our experiences in promoting our multicultural heritage to the world with programmes such as NHB ’s annual International Museum Day and our community heritage trails.
68 At this juncture, I would like to respond to Ms Irene Ng’s remarks on the Complaints Choir. I note that Ms Irene Ng was not too exercised about the rejection of foreigners’ participation or foreigners’ involvement in the Complaint Choir. As I had explained to this House at the previous sitting, the objection in this case was on account of the nature of the performances. Namely we objected to the idea of foreigners coming here to organize and to lead Sporeans to complaint about our domestic issues. This is something best left to Singaporeans to do.
69. Although in this particular application, the lyrics themselves were not objectionable, we had to look at the application in totality. We did not think it was desirable or good precedence for foreigners to take such lead. They had also applied to perform at the Speakers’ Corner which was clearly not permitted. Nevertheless I would like to assure Ms Irene Ng and the House that MICA encourages our artists to collaborate with foreign artists and arts companies. Hence, we support our artists for overseas residency programmes. We support co-productions in traditional art, drama, dance, musicals, operas and many other events.
70. We are open to international artistic influences and recognize the benefit of working with international artists. The Complaints Choir was an exception to the rule and not a precedence for foreigners’ participation, or lack of, in the arts in Singapore. In general, we will consider such applications favourably.
Community Engagement and Ownership
71. Mr Chairman, Dr Fatimah Lateef’s question on connecting the arts to community is addressed by the third key strategy in RCP3, which focuses on the important role of the arts and culture in connecting Singaporeans, strengthening community bonding and instilling a sense of national pride.
New Community Initiatives
72. In recent years, MICA and our agencies have initiated many new community outreach projects. In fact, NAC and NHB are currently allocating about $4.5 million per year for such activities.
73. For example, NAC partnered the People’s Association and the CDCs to stage 6District Arts Festivals in 2006 and 2007. These District Arts Festivals provided enjoyment and entertainment for our heartlanders, our aunties and uncles in our HDB estates. More importantly, such Festivals help to bring people together to celebrate and embrace the arts as an essential part of our community life and contribute to social bonding.
74. Going forward, we aim to bring about more active, community initiated events, as well as deeper engagement and ownership of the arts and culture among Singaporeans.
75. Sir, NAC will dedicate additional support of almost $1 million each year to launch Arts For All , under the Community Arts Engagement Plan with CDCs to enhance arts outreach in the heartlands. NAC will also introduce a new Community Participation Grant to encourage more community-initiated arts projects and participation. It will also work with homes for the elderly, hospitals and prisons to connect these people with the arts.
76. At the same time, the National Library Board (or NLB) will continue to reach out to needy children from low-income families and work with more schools and special needs groups through the KidsREAD and Library2010 Active Citizenry Programmes.
77. Sir, our heritage is also an important aspect of community life and identity. Dr Ong Seh Hong asked about our efforts to preserve and promote our diverse cultural heritage. I would like to assure Dr Ong that NHB will do more with community groups and citizens to preserve and promote our heritage through heritage and community trails, tours and publications. And in fact, on areas like traditional practices, food items, these have always been featured in our annual HeritageFest, attracting lots of Sinaporeans to these events.
78. NHB’s approach of enabling community involvement has been well-received. For example, there was remarkable grassroots support for the Ten Stories: Queenstown through the Years project to document the transformation of Queenstown into Singapore’s first high-rise housing estate. Many residents came forward on their own to provide stories, photographs and memories of their neighbourhood which subsequently went into the book.
79. Similarly, students from the National Junior College displayed a keen interest in heritage when they worked with NHB on the Bukit Timah community trail.
80. I note Dr Fatimah Lateef’s request for more publicity on Geylang. I thought Geylang is one part of Singapore that required the least publicity on our effort, that is. I support her suggestion to look at the heritage potential of Geylang district. One possibility is to explore how a community-led heritage trail could be created to promote the district’s unique cultural mix. In fact, one of the tours organised as part of NHB’s HeritageFest last year successfully showcased Geylang’s galleries and artist studios, good food and temples. I think we can build on this experience and develop more of these heritage trails. Focus more attention on the cultural aspects of geylang.
People and Private Sector Partnership
81. Last but not least, the arts and heritage offers us valuable platforms to build up a sense of shared responsibility and ownership in Singapore’s culture. Mr Chan Soo Sen spoke of encouraging more participation in supporting the arts. And Mr Baey Yam Keng also spoke about encouraging the private sector to contribute to public art works .
82. I support their calls and would like to inform the House that there is a growing trend of corporate and individuals coming forward to support the arts and culture. ExxonMobil supported the Concert in the Park series. HSBC funded the Youth Excellence Initiative. Business Times initiated the Budding Artists Fund. The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation launched its Signature Art Prize Series and Arts Inspire Programme. These and many more are fine examples of the corporate sector’s growing support for the arts.
83. In financial year 2006, about $37 million in sponsorship was received for the arts and culture.
84. Art collectors who invest their time and resources to build up collections of artworks and artefacts have also stepped forward to share their collections with the public.
85. Between 2004 and 2006, NHB reported a total value of $118 million in loans and donations of artefacts and artworks to the national museums.
86. More recently, the Oei Hong Leong Foundation announced its plans to build a multi-million dollar private museum to showcase rare and historical Buddhist artefacts from around the world. NHB is providing assistance to the Foundation in this important act of cultural philanthropy.
87. To promote public art, NHB and NAC have introduced the Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme called PATIS , which is a double-tax deduction scheme to encourage the private and people sectors to donate, commission, display and maintain sculptures and other forms of public art. T he 'Reed Sculpture' by City Developments Pte Ltd and artworks by Ascendas (Tuas) Pte Ltd at the Biopolis are two examples of artworks supported under the scheme. We can look forward to more public artworks at the upcoming Circle Line and Marina Barrage. We will continue to look at this incentive scheme to see how we can improve and refine on it to attract more contributors and donors to this public art work scheme.
Conclusion
88. In conclusion, Mr Chairman sir, the Renaissance City Plan, with its focus on content, sustainability, and community, will provide a much needed boost to artists and arts companies, as well as to the arts and heritage-related business sectors. I have given a brief overview of the key programmes under RCP3. Over the next few months, MICA together with its agencies will be providing more details on these new schemes and programmes as they are launched.
89. Sir, we will build a strong partnership with the people and private sectors to enrich the lives of Singaporeans, to foster an inclusive and resilient society, and strengthen our community bonds and rootedness. There is much to do to bring Singapore to the top tier of the world’s global cities and we will press on.
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