JC2 GP LECTURI T'RM 3 W'EK S

Question
Analvsis
context: UnspeciTied
Argume nt
Argument 4
Argument 5
Acknowledgement
II
tt
I
th9-Ar!5 he sciences that make us a
_tlef
p_efSSnIDo
Vou
agree?
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.
Key Words :,.
'
...ii
,
ii;
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NOT- compar ison, choice
BLfTtR-ambiguous ) Context, better in whar way?
Suggest: make one more humane, kind, tl^oughtful, work to
improve one's lile
er oerson
the Arts, he sciences that will make us a
,
Arguments to
Do
sho
progress:
To
progress:
Culturally
.
Arguments to show how the Arts can
progress culturally
l-
More funding necessary for arts scene to flourish
PAIRON OF IHE ARTS
WHILE reclpints of the sponsorchlps have benefited subslantially, an undelying sense that rnole can be done by
ihe
privaie seclor
jn
suppod ofthe localarls scene stillexisls.
Beneficiadesin200TWercspreadacrossVaiolscalegones_iromanslnslilUtiongllkeNanyangAcademyo'Fine
Arls (NAFA) and the
young
Tatent Devetopmenl Fundio schoLa6h
ps such 3s lhe shell NAc scholaGhip forlhe Arts
and Georqetle Chen Ads Scholarchip to ads groups llke The Theatre Practice, Wild Rice Drama Bdx and The
Olher beneflcia es were events like the Singapore Arts Festival. Dans Feslival and Singapore W lers Festival
community Arls,Ieatuing lhe DistdctAds F; ival by NTUC Faiprice was another area which reaped benefits
lntereslino
y, in many cases, beneliciaies seem to be chosen on the basis of svnchronicitv or simllariiv in identitv
betlveen the sponsor and recipieni.
'Fundlng ls a continuous
process.lt is allaboutthe ideniityof both padies growing intandem"savs Naialie
Hennedige, adistic direclorof Cake Theatrical Prcductions which is one ollhe recipienls ofsponsorchip
vvtLlianr l-tm. chiel ereclrive ofiicerof localst\4E old chanlt Kee, sha.es how it decided lo sponsor a chinese muslcal
rvlr Lin addeil:
'lhe
srory also louches on lhe ups and downs oi venlu rrg ovelseas dea ng wrlir cuilure and
survival. . simitarto old chang Kee."
Fundlng is especially imporlantfor non prolitcompanles inclLrding TheTheat Praciice becausethev lelv heavilvon
ind ivid;at volu nteers such as students flom secondary schoot, iunior
college and university as wellas ptofessionals.
''For s ponsorsh ip for our maln slage prograrn mes, ihe suppo( allows us to spend rnore ilme more effo{ and aflord
us wilh more resources io
prodlce belter wotks,'said generalrnanager oi The Theatre Praclice Koh Wee Giap
Cake TheaticalProduciions, which sees up loihree maln season produclions, has similarly been able to focus on
oiher prctects with lhe help of sponso6hips One such prciecl is Paradise Allev is a free annual outdool pedormance
whlch brings theatrc into common spaces and promises passerc-bv a visualdelighl
Nonelhetess, an undertying consensus exisls among recipients from the vadous categories thal there is room forthe
privale sectorto contribute more in support oflhe localarts scene
'\ryhat we have now is definilely not enough for lhe localarts scenelo creale more dive6e and good wo* We mn'l
just do commercial produciiona in order 6 survive
-
we also need to do wo ihat is meant lor a smaller audience
iterefore
less box 6fiice lnlake) but impodant io challengelhe adsts, and to strelch the audience. saidMrKoh'
''Like R&D in science and medicine. ads needs the'lab for newworks, iorexpeiments, and for the oppodunities io
fa l. [4r Koh added.
t\,1r Lim agreed: Ads is something allseciors have lo be involved in, forthefulure arts create a culture unjque to any
individuaicountry. A younq counlry like ours needs a lot of privale and governmenlal supporl for Io"1 ads '
Framing S'pore as arts capital
MINISTRY OF INFORI,4ATION, COMN,4UNICATIONS &THE ARTS
SINGAPORE ls making iis mark as a global citv for lhe ads, with Foftes magazine lisling lhe muntry as among 10 of
the world s cultu re capitals.
Quoling {iom the article yesierday, Rear-Admjral (NS) LuiTuck Yew said il declared thal while manv percelve
Singap;re as a steile business centre, ils culturalpesence in the East is now undeniable"'
The Senior Minisler of Siale for lnformalion, Communlcations and the Arls (l,,lica) ciled the arlicie published last
month io showthat Singapore has come a long way in its bid io bea globalal1s capilal.
A key measure, he said, is lhe vibrancy of the arls and culturalscene here slnce the Renaissance Cily Plan (RCP)
was unveiled in 2000, a masterplan to develop the locala'1s and cullure induslry.
ln the
past decade, the numberotaris aclivities has quadrupled
to more than 27,000 events a
year,
with licket sales
hilting $46 million last year.
One in three Singaporeans altends at least one arls evenl annually, ihree iimes the paidcipation rate 10 yea6 ago.
RADM Lui also pledged sustained s'rpporl for the arls despite lhe downturn.
Itwas made in response to [,1s Penny Low
{Pasir
Ris-Punggo]GRC) and Nominaied N,lP Gautam Baneiee, borh of
whom had urged lhe Governrnentto continue investing in lhe al1s even in a recession.
'We
undersland the diffrculties lhatlocalarts groups willface and are committed 10 sustaining the aris during this
downturn," he said duing ihe debate on his minislry's budget in Paniament.
Overlhe nen year, lVica wjll injecl an additional$8 million to suppo( arts and cullure aciivities. ttwittbe overand
above theaverage annuallunding oI $23.25 million lrom the ihird phase
oilhe RCP scheme announced in December.
To dothis, l,lica willsuppodthe creation of oiginalarlislic contentthrough measures tikethe NationatAds Counc]ts
(NACs) lnlemational Residency Scheme, which willbe launched this month.
About 92 million will be sel aside in the nexl five years lo altraci regional adisls to collaborate with toca airlsts as wett
as support local a sis abroad.
It4ore funding will be pumped in if lhe scheme is successful, he added.
The NAC willalso invesl $3 5 million in ihe next five years
to build a body of new works wiih locatand Asjan ftavour io
appealio audiences here and overseas.
Two, buildlng capabililies and talent.
Mica wilcontinueto provideseed flnding to businesses, hesaid, citing toctcompany Vee V tnleractive as an early
recipient. ll is now producing an lntenet TV documenlary on Singapores Pioneer Artists.
Groomins talenl also remains a key pdorily dudns toush times, he assured DrOng Seh Hong (Marine
parade
GRC),
who wanted l\,lica lo conlinue its aft schobrships and butsanes.
RADM Luisaid NAC'S fimncialaid for scholarchips and bur.saries has increased by30 percenl in lhe tastfive years,
with $1.02 million given to 71 people lasl year.
Three, enhancing institutions and inflastructure.
[4ica and the Tote Board will inc.ease iunding lorthe developmenl and mainrenance of setected heritage sjles such
as the Malay Heritage Centre, lhe Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorjal Hatland the proposed tndian He age Centre, he
roJr. elqaorng lhe conrnunrly.
The ministrywillslep up community oulrcach effons io broaden access to the arts, he said, adding:.Ads and culture
have a valuable role lo play in developing a more gracious and inclusjve sociery lo tide us over these d iflicutt times.',
Govt seed funding scheme to nurture a s businesses
Pians alsolo foster growth olgalledes, auclion houses, speciatised seruices
THE governmeni will iniroduce seed lunding schemes io help develop localarc businesses and integraie ihem tnto
the Arts Housing Scheme as part ofthe lhid phaseofihe Renaissance City Plan (RCp ttl)
2
The move !s pa( of a push to grow lhe clusier" eltect of lhe ads seclor so there will be a complete value chain
Senior [4in ster of Staieior Education and lnfomailon, Communications and TheAris. LuiTuck Yew. said atthe
launch oflhe plan's public repon yeslerday.
Besjdesseedfunding,theMlnistryoflnformaiion,CommunicalionsandtheArts(['4ica),lheNaiionarArisCouncjl
(NAC) and Naiioml iteitase Boa;d (N HB) will padner the Economic Development Board io help gmw lhe localbase
;l au;ion houses. galleiea and speciallsed arl servjces such as slorage, logislics and pmfessional conservaiion
The amounl of seed funding has not been revealed. But i. September, NHB launched an $8 milion Heriiage lndustry
lncentive Programme (HlzP)to help develop ihe heilage seclor overthe next five
vears
RCP lll, announced by [4ica Minisier Lee Boon Yang in Februarythis
vear,
is Singaporc's arls and coliualmasler
plan for 2008-2015. A total oI $115 mlljion will be allocated over the next five
vea.s
to help develop
'ontent
and an
ecosystem and lo engage lhe communily.
RCPlllaimstobondSingaporeansbygivinglhemasenseottootedness'lhroughtheadsandcultu/lrLuisaid
yesterday. Anolher aim is lo allracl loreign talenl by plomollng a vlbra ans environment
Content ls the core of lhe arls and culture, said MrLui. So RCP lllwillintroduce new conient cteation funds lo
encourage grealer Asian conlenl creation in Singapore or by Singaporeans
l.i^a,,rlL.,i..h.nAillsiR.qrds^.vS.F.r.r.ri..ir.,r.r.n:l.r-1qfi'r^.:.r'rl.sS":'.rc'n
To help develop a dynamic ecosystem,lhe 33,000 sq m Arls Housing Schemewilibe enlarged two years from now
When the school oI ihe Ads vacates its cu.rent campus al Goodman Road in 2010, an extm 15 000 sq m of aits
housing space wlll be created.
Holsing wlll be provided not only for anisis blt oiher players in the arts ecosystem, such as ari businesses or
speciallsed arl services.
RCP lllwas built on the slccess of the ptevious Renaissance Cily Plan, ilr Luisald "lfvou look at the slatistics and
hard fiqures, lthink weve done quitewell," he sajd
Mica has released the fircl Singapore clrllural Siatisiics Report, which glves figurcs on the groMh of ihe cullural
sector irom 2003io 2007. covedng arts, heitage, libraries and film.
'What is signlficant s thai there has been subslantial increase in aris attendance ln lhe I'4alay communily, among
people aged 35-49, BDB onetothree-room dwellerc and thosewlh'O leveleducation and below 'Mr tuisaid'
Asforan anlicipated drop in corporale sponsorship otihe arls next year, l\,4ica willcontinueto cullivate relationships
with companies while looking ai how to make corpo.ate sponsoFhip schemes more atlraclive he said
Bul lhis year will regisier signiflcant coniributions, wilh a $12 rnillion donation by Ngee Ann Kongsito lhe Schoolof
the Arts and lhe donation of$66 milllon of works by renowned artist Wu Guanzhong lo SingaporeArt l\'4useum
Mica is looking at ways 1o encourage members ol the public lo make small donalions to the arts ln (US Presidenl'
elecl) Barack bbamais campaign,
ieopl
made small contribulions bulihese engendered a sense ofownership," Mr
Luisaid. We thlnk lt's impo(ant for all Sinoaporeans lo feelengaged
RCP lll aims io bond Slngaporcans by giving them a sense ol tooledness' through lhe ans and culture Anolher aim
is to allraclforeiqn lalent by promoting a vibnt arts environment.
Highlghts oI Singapore's Cultutal Stalistics 2003-2007
TicketedattendancesJolperfomingartseventshavehitl'5million'withticketsa|esofmoreihan94Smillion'
Performancs atlhe Esplanade grossed $39 million in 2007, more than doubleihe amount in 2003.
The n umber of visilors lo museums trebled from 20031o more lhan 5.2 million in 2007.
Contributions to arls and cullure, in cash and kind. rcse lo $47 7 mil on last year, from $29.5 million in 2004
Key projects lor RCP lllinclude:
The NalionalAd Gallery, openinq in 2013.
Ihe $ 1 80 milllon .eturbishmenl of Victoria Thealre and Viclo a Conce( Hall, which stads in ear y 201 0. Facilities and
spacewillbe enhanced io beller harmonisewiih cultural insiiiutions in lhe Empress Place llisloric Clusier and lhe
Civic Districl.
Enlarging the Ads Housing Scheme trom 33,000 sq m 1o 48,000 sq m by 2010.
Key investments overthe next five
years
in the RCP lll include:
$3.5 million fo.an Ans Crcation Fund lo support lhe crcaUon and incubation of new works.
q5
rnilllon for an Arl< f.r arl .ommr nilv cngaqernFni rr2n
Spotiighi back on iocal arts
NOTTHE LAST WORD
The Renaissance City Plan lllto shift focus to S pore culture, history
AFTER months of doomsday repons aboul economic lurmoil- and thes more where that carne from
-
the
Renaissance Cily Plan lll(RCP lil) released bythe N4inistry of tnformation. Comrnunicalions and the Arls (N,4ica) tate
ast month was a comforling nole io end 2008 on.
As lears aboul cutbacks and retrenchments in allsecloF of the economy conlinue io makelhe news, a(s
prcciiiionerc inleruiewed by The Stmiis Times expressed oplimism that the covernments tongierm vision for
ruduring ihe development of Sin@pore s ads scene remains on lrack, with $115 million being pumped inio the ads
and culture industry over the next live years.
The main lhemes of lhe RCP lllremain consistentwith those stated in the two previous iterations otrhis rnasteDtan
forihe localarts and culiu industry.
Theflrst Renaissance City Reponwas released in 2000 and lhesecond instalment in 2004 was named Renaissance
Cily2.0.
Encouraging S ingaporeans engagement with the ads and supporting ihe endeavours ol Singaporean arlists have
been lhe key thrusts ofallthree RCP initiatives.
Bulthe most recent phase oi this prcjecl does sem to focus moreon local devetopment, with tess emphasis on ihe
oveEeas exposureof and acclaim gamered by home-grcwn artists and how a vlbrant arc scene can help attracl
foreign talent- allhough theseelements are still presenl.
New components of RCP lll include a Singapore Cultural Statistics survey, which aims to provide m;re rnformahon
aboutthe arls industryio praclitioners, palrcns and consumers,
Among itsfindings: Arts attendance levels among lhree-room HDB dwellels, holders ofO]evetor tnslituie ot
Technical Educaljon qualiticallons, membeE oi the [4alay community and those aged 35 to 49 had atl increased
signilicantly between 2002 and 2005.
The Esplanade was singled out for having attracted "more
than six million visitors yearly, of which onty 30 per cent
are lourisls ,
while the Schooloflhe Ads was lauded ior its innovative, made-in-Singapore cuficutum.
New schemes to encouEgethe crealion of more home-grown conlent bySingaporean arlists are ptanned. Atso, a
t
I
"lighied palhway" approach is taken in localschools, aimed at encouraging studenis who take up arls relaled courses
and co-cutricular activilies lo transil suc.essfully into lhe cultural workforce , instead of leaving these inieresls
behind once they grad uate.
Asldeircm developing the centralL{arina Bay and Bras Basah areas into a cultul entetrainment distrlcl and a
crlive induslries clusier respectively, [,4ica also plans lowork with lhe HDB and Urban Redeveloprnenl ALrihority to
explore new rnodels of town planning and deslgn thal integrale ads and c!lture lnlo the physicaland experiential
Perhaps lhe pivot, as I perceive ii, inevitably reflects lheway theworld has changed since 2000, wilh more economic
nL5dp a1d ralarld ond sc niny <hi'1rc
rowa.o. Frergirg e@no.ries.
The firct Renaissance City Reporl laid o!t, as one of ils objectives, reaching "a levelof developmenl that would be
comparable lo cilies like Hong Kong, Glasgow and Melboume in flve lo 10 yearc.Ihe longer-term objeclivewould be
lo join London and New York in the lop rung of cullural ciiies'.
With the exception of Hong Kong and briel references to New Yo s Broadway dlst ct, Paris and London, lhe cilies
ciled for more enenslve mmpadsons in RCP lllare new names from emerging ratherthan estabLished counties
-
Seoul, Beijing, Shanghaland Abu Dhabi.
The framing of the comparison seems different too- less a project ofemulalton ihan compelition.
Of cource, il remains to be seen wheiherthis accruing sense of confidence wilt pan our over the tong run.
Unlike deveoplng arls infraslruclure like newlheatres and museums,lor insiance, encouraging the creation of
conient may be somewhai hardr lo shepherd through arls policy, involving as il does rnercu aIcrcativelypes rather
ihan bdcks and monar.
Bul pelsonally, Im opiimisilc.
ln a way, lve always thoughtof the Renaissance City monlcker as somelhing ot a misnorner. For such a young
country, surely Singapore isn't headed towards a rebift so much as a long. slowgeslation towards a sirong cultural
The process wont be allhunky'dory, of course, and chances are the officjally designaled goatposls wilJkeep shifting.
ln 2000,lhe Renaissance Cily Repod slated as onetenetof iis longterm vision that"artisrs tn Singapore do not only
engage in parochiallhemes
lhal are relevantio Sinoaporeans, bul are able to speak to a wider internaiional audlence,
as a Singaporean, as an Aslan, and as pad olthe human race
lhe 200a assessment is slrikjng:"Reflecting lhe maturity otSingaporean sociely as wellas rising inleresi in Asia,
Singapore's culiuralscene has become increasingly refleclive, focusing on our hisiory, rote and future in Asia."
Qulte the opposite ofihe inilialobjecuve, one might a.gue. lijustgoes toshowthal policy can be shaped by
orcLlilio.ea
iustos nL.h as rl-c olher way.ounc.
Nurturing fine citizens through liberal arls
Publicalion: The Straits Tlmes 02104/2008
Professor David W. Oxloby, presidenl of Pomona College, addressed the Nalional University of Singaporefacully last
week. Thefollowing is an except ofhis speech.
THE iberal arls and citizenship Whai is the conneciion between ihese two concepis?
At firci glance, the word libelal" seems to refer io a particular polilical ideology, while 'a{s makes us think of thefine
arts a valuabletield ofsludy, but nol obviously deeplyconnected lociiizenship.
To undersland what we rnean by liberalads", itis helpfultogo backto its Laiin origin
-
ades liberaes, which can be
lilerally lranslated as "theskills of freedorn . A liberalarts education 3t its deepest aims 1o leach students the skills
lhey need ro function effecliveiy in a democracy. Seen in lhese tenns, the con.ection lo cilizenship becomes self-
I am a physical chemist, and uniiifive yearc ago spent my enlirecareer at rcsearch univeGities Haruard, Berkeley
and, for28 years, the Unlversityof Chicago. Why did I come to Claremont in 2003 to become prcsident of Pomona
College? For a very simple reason: because I believe deeply in the core values oi liberaleducalion. Sometimes
people are surpnsed to hearthat a scientisl is a prcsidentofa libelalads college. bul there is no contradiction al all:
The sclences are an essenlial component ola liberalarls education.
A devastating crilique of society and educalion by the 1glh-century sociologist Max Weber is relevant here. Weber
was concerned aboul lhe lyranny of bureaucracy in Bismarck's Gemanyand Victotun England, but hjs cornments
speak io 2lslcentury Amedca and Singapore as well.
''in a modem stale, the aclual.ule. is necessarily and unavoidabiy ihe bureaucracy. hesaid, "sincepowerrs
exercised...lhrough the rouiines of administralion. Even more halshly, Weber said: 'Theworld could one day be
flled with nothlng bul lhose liltle cogs, little men clinging to little
jobs...
-
a state of affairs which
js..
playing an eveF
increasin.r oad
in rh" e^ir! .f.'tr oresonr admjnist4tj\/6 c./ctd- .na A.D..!. ri
.r l- 6r..rr.- rhi
-_n
r-.'_
'
e\.llcaiing i,re cu i vared man who can siand ouiside of a burearcraUc itructLrre, crtique it and Vansform t. Thrs, ro
me, is lhe cenll pLreose of liberal educalion
Whal are lhe core principles for excellence in liberal education?
First, education should aim high bul also make excellence inclusive, not lhe province of a nanow elite group of
Second, sludenls need to have welllhoughi out plans ofsludy a compassfortheir learning pmcess th.oLgh college.
Th d, students should be immersed in lhe arts of inquiryand innovation analysis, discovery, probtem-sotving and
Fourth, we should teach ourstudents byengaging lhe big questions thal cross disciplin3ry boundanes.
Fitlh, ourstudents should be prepared foriheir rcles as cit2ens who can connect thek knowledge with choices and
Sixlh, personaland social responsibility should be emphasised in every field ofstudy so thatwefosterthe civic, inleF
culluralandethical leaminqof alloursiudents.
And finally, we must develop wals lo assess our sludenls ability to apply their learnlng lo complex problems.
What does lhis rnean forhigher education today in the Unded States and in Singapore? First. it means that we need
lo break down barriers beiween disciplines in our educational systems. Theold modelof brcad education thmugh
high schooland narrowtraining in a singlefleld in our coJleqes and universities s noi adequateior the modern wodd.
The lrulycreative leaders of lhe future will bing percpeciives fiom widely ditferentfields to bear on problems. The
studyofart can help the scientistto see lhewodd in a differenl wayjthe exploration of literalure can givethe
economist a broader percpective on the realworld.
A second impoknt conclusion about highereducalion isthalwe musl recognise that we are notonly educaling our
students to move lnto prcfessions; we are also preparing cilizens who can help the world make \,!ise decisions.
Education for rcsponsible cilizenship needs io be a core goal.
As lechnical chailenges iniluence our daily lives more each year, everyone needs a morc advanced undeEtanding of
lhe scientilic method, and ihequantitative meaning of probabililyand uncerlainiy. As we become globally inleF
connecled, every college graduale needs to understand notonly economics and politics, but also rellgion and culture.
Civicengagement needslo be not just
a theoretical subject rcad about in books, but a vitalacrivity rhat connects our
students during their years on our campuses 1o the centralproblems ofour age
Mvtomer co eaque at the univercly ol chicgo, Prcfessor Madha Nussbaum, has wfitten profoundly on this subject.
ni,ou,ui eOrcutol,. ,n"
"aid,
shoutd devote its;ff to "jotting ihe imaginaiion out of ils complacency and getting il lo
lake seriously the reality of lives at a distance".
This is ourchallenge in Amefica
-
and itis you.s in Singapore as well
Hooking young studenls to theatre for life
THE King Lear Prcject by Ho Tzu Nyen, showing lhis week as parl ofthe SingaporeAds Festival, istartrom a
convenlional slagjng of Shakespeare s iamous play.
The first night is an audition, ihe second revoLves around rehearsa s of lhe p{ay s noloriously difficult scenes, and the
hsl nightleatures a poslshow discusslon between lhe actors and audiences
Bul this has nol deterd Serangoon Junior Collese lilerature ieacher Melissa Chew rrom booking 194lickers tor
each oilhe lhree nlghls, fiiling up a third olthe DGma Cenlre Theatre al lhe NationalLibrary each night.
[,4iss Chew,25, saysi "King Lear is one of our A]evel texls and itwould be good for the students to be exposed to
differenl inlerprel3tions of the work.
"Also, lthink this piecewoLrld give them a unjque insighl into how artistic decisions are made.
Students are an emerging and sizeable-Iorce ln lhe theatre-going ma*et.
rt is tetrin. rh.l hr.
rhdiia
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116
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Most ollhe school-going crowd applyforthe Toie Board Arts Glant, adminisiered by lhe NalionatAds Councits (NAC)
Arts Education Prcgramme. lt was set up in 1995 to subsidise up lo 60 per cent of the tjcket price lor sludents.
So tor a show ai the Singapore Arts Festival, for example, a studeni would have to pay only $16 for a
gS0
tickei after
faclodng in a 20 percent sludent discounl on iop or the subsidy
lv4ore schools are maklng use or this granl now, compared to 10 years ago, an NAC spokesman said, addjng ihal lhe
number of studenls panicipating in the prcgramme has
jumped
f.om 39 per cent ln 1997 to 60 per
cent in 2006_
Its hard to lgnore the burgeoning trend Lasi year, srudenls snapped up 4,500 tickets ior SRT,S A M idsumrn er Nighl's
Dream, and the performances oi King Lear and TheSeagullby The Royal Shakespeare Company, which the thealre
comPanY brought in.
Students also accounted for 3,072 tickets io Wib Rice's Beauty Wond earlier lhis year, making up aboul t0 per cent
They made up more than hall theaudience lor shows in smattelsized venues, ltke TNS' Ott Centre at rhe 200-seat
Esplanade Theatrc Sludio and Survivor Singapore althe 38&seal Jubitee Hat astyear.
lndustryplayers attribute the increase 1o faciors like higher production quality
in toc:tshows and ihe awareness of
the imporlance of arts educalion.
Some schools, such as Ratfles lnstltution (R1) and Swiss Cottage Secondary School, make it computsory for rheir
lileralure students to atlend ai least one performance a year.
I\4iss Felicia Kuo,27, Rl's literature subjecl head, says:"lfs been a lonqslandino tmdiiion to expose ourstudenis to
The schoolchooses the shows based on relevance to lhe cufficulum. For instance,lhe entire Scondary.t cohort
watched Wlld Rice's AnimalFarm in 2002, as il was part ofthe syllabus
She adds: "More rccenily, bemuse we were studying black comedy, we booked 100 tickets for our upper secondary
students to catch young &Wibs Hypochondiac and 50 forSRT's The Ptttowman.
Yeap Choon How, 16,3 Secondary4 siudent ai Rl, watched Wild Rice's Bliihe Spirit lasl yearwith his schoolmates lt
was thefirsl time he had walched a
play.
He says thal thealre-going is "an expeince we need .
'To see and synthesise whaiwe leamt in lhe classrcom with whal is on slage is such an enjoyable experlence," he
But lls not just the independenl schools lhat wanl ln. Accoding lo the NAC, 13 government and govemmenlaided
schools boughtlickets forSingapore Arls Festivalshows this year.
Ma!4lower Second ary School in Ang 40 Kio,lor example, is enthusiasiicallyjumpins in ontheaclion.
l,liss Je:n f,4ok, 36, the schools arts activjly coordinator, sladed laking studenls to showsfour years ago.
For ihls year's Singapore Ads Fesiival, she block booked a lolal ol l0T lickeis for the ballei The Architecture Of
Silence and The Lord OtThe Rings Symphony. Outsde thefestival.lhe sludenls have also been to see [,4oon Bird by
l-the3tre and Hamlet byTNT Bitain this year.
She c.,/s "Fnr
tr'.4^,i,!. .:rn1 afiod lt lhe schoi! he
rs rh^r ilrrh rh.
'n.l.r
...s
4!-i,.j.r.,
- r--
J,!.pJ,;!,i,!._,Jn.rJrti!J,r.-:!,Lar^\i!!::Lo.:i
and have a belter Lrnderclanding of lhework.'
Secondary 3 student Chua Jia Oi, 15, slepped
jnlo
the Esplanade theatre for the tilst time when she and her
schoolmates walched The Architecture OI Sllence, a contemporary ballet plece accompanied by 65 musicians and 80
She says: 'Jt was so njce 1o see lhe dancerc who were so organised and flexible h was very differenl fiom what I
learnt in dance cJass, and Ienjoyed it very much. lt was an amazing expedence.l
Her schoolmates, Chloe Pek, 16, and Lim Yen, 14, also enjoyed ihemselves.
''Forbidden
City by SRT was my favoudte, says Chloe, who has seen shows as vaned as Ofi Centr and lvoon Bird.
Yen adds: " l really liked Hamlet by TNT B tain, although l d idn't understand some parts.
Once lheystalr, they canl slop, says [,4iss Sukhjeet Kaur,29, lileralure leacherat Swlss Collage Secondary, whose
lileraiure and drama club siudents tch lhetolour plals a year.
She says with a laugh: Belore,lhad lo literally beg the studenls lo come to shows, nowii'son a firsl come{irsL
seNed basis. Four yearc ago, we didn'l even have a dma dub, nowthe upper secondary studenis are putling on
plays
like Stella Kons Birds OfA Feather."
Gaurav Kripalani, SRT'S ariistic director, says: ffyou getlhe two yeaFold and the 14 yearold inlo thelheatre and
they enjoy themselves, iheyare hooked for life.
''Itwillspark oft iheir interest in lhe arts and theywillstarl seeking more shows lowatch, generatrng;ur nen wave of
STATE OF THE ARTS
NOT loo long ago, the best option ior a Singaporcan artist seeking lo grace lheworld stage was to get professional
The late choreographer Goh Choo San staried leaming dance atthe Singapore BalleiAcademy, but honed his cmit
at lhe Dr.rlch Naiional Ballet before he achieved woidwlde fame for his work al The Washinglon Ballet n the 1 970s
and 1980s.
The laie drama doyen Kuo Pao Kun, a recipienl of Frances Chevalier de IOrder des Ans et des Leltres knighthood,
firsl dipped his toes inio theatre wilh the Rediffusion Mandarin Drama Group in the 1950s, but soughi out further
studies at Sydney's Nationallnstltute of DramaticArt in 1961.
Both Andrew Gn and A,shley lsham, homegrown fash ion designers making waves abroad, received theirlraining at
London s CentralSaint Madins College of Art and Design.
And violinist N4in Lee, who has performed wilh prestigious orchestras all overihe woid, is a graduale of lhe Yale
Universily School of Music as wellas lhe Unive6ilyof l\,4ichigan.
But increasinqly. localarts instlutions are producing alumniwho burnjust as bdghtly in lhe inlemationalarena.
Bothpop star Kit Chan and avant gadejewe lery designer Shing Lee, whose pieces are sold in niche European
bouliques, attended LasalleColleoeof lheAris.
UOB art competition evolving with the times
THIS yea/s UOB Painting oi the Year
{POY)
has taken off, wilh enlries beingjudged ihis week and the results 10 be
announced on saluday.
Willthewlnner spark a round of controversy like lastyear? The headline in a newspaperlhe nexi daythen had read
''Grisly images win top pize".
The winnlng entry, tor the filst time in the compeiilion's history, was photographs
-
lhree 1m by 1m black-and-whlte
prints of cow, chicken and pig organs affanged adistically.
Some people said lhatihe photos were gruesomeand morbid;olhers lhoughttheywerc more grotesque than adistic.
Butlhere were also thosewho saw ihe entry as a thoughtfLrl piece that deserved the top prize in a comperition
moving towards a progrcssive and contempomry slant.
ln response 10 the debale, the arlist behind thework, studenl JoelYuen, put itihis way: "Controversy is a good thing,
provided thal ihe questions and discussions raised are rlevanl lowads thegrcvvth of lhe arls "
ln 2006, Namiko Ctun Takahashiwon the mmpetition wilh an oilpainling of a nude. This too had ils own share of
dissenting views. even ihough nude paintings have been showcased eversincethe beginning of aczdemic painlings.
Though these p3inlings may pale in compaison to Chris Ofili's NoWoman No Cry, a painting standing on !!o dded,
vamished lumps of elephant dung while a thlrd ls used as the pendant of the necklace, or Tracey Emin s The Bed,
showing her unmade bed, they do auggest thal edgy and provocative works may be the oder of the day.
However, Kwok Kian Chow, chief judge lor thls yeafs POY, points out: The
judges
have taken a more contemporary
view, deiinitely, bul nol in the sense of choosing a radicalwork. lt is a wa)s abouttheadists peEona I expression and
lhe qualtyof lhe woft.
The contempory view is tnslated to a change in thejudging process and award structure of the competition rhis
There are four main caiegories
-
Reprcsentational, Abstracl, Traditional Chinese lnk, and Photography. UOB used to
award one lop prize for every calegory, and then thetop pdze- Painiing oflhe Year.
This yea.. the bank decided to glve ouifour platinum awards, as wellas the iop Painting ofthe Year award,
acknowledging thetive besl works in the whole competilion regardless of calegory. Hence, allfive works might come
from the same category
The mosi promising young adlsl aw3rd and hlghly commended awardsfor each age grcup remain unchanged
Mr Kwok, who is also direclorol SlngaporeAns Museum and N3tionalArt Gallery Singaporc, says: "Caiegories of
lype oI ad aresllll presentto acl as reiercnces, as lhe indlvldualcalegodes represent the tditional siruclure that
encompasses allart However. we do noi \rvant ihe categories lo be binding."
Transcendina cateqoies, orfixed boxes
,
s one that is thoughlwellby people in the artwodd.
Llm Qinyi. assistant curclor al lhe NUS Art l\.llseum, salsi "Conlemporaryad pclices ate no longer read in relaiion
io catego.ies such as painling or sculplure. Anisls are uslng a range of melhods lo facilitate an engagementwlih the
Says POY 2006 winner IVs Chan:
"Competitions have changed and evolved since Day One We are now seelng
wo.ks lhai cannolfit in so easily lnto categodes, such as abstrccl painting with Chinese ink. or even painting on a
''This shows thal lhe (organise6) are not close-minded We are looking ai the contenl, e)Qression ot the adlst and lhe
.cr.n.r -.rl
n^t
"6
.h 6. r i.ir:
l.
'Conlempory arl, especia Lly, does not fli into a box. lt !s about the mind and the expression ot ideas lherefore the
are no boundaies. Perhaps lheywould conslder an open calegory."
Anoiher updale on the competition this year is thai lhewinnerwould be given a one_month Residence Prcgramme at
the Fukuoka Aslan Art Museum (FAA[4), ifthewinnrng enlry is deemed to be ot exceptional slandard
t\4s Chan sa): lguess for Singapore,10 see a nude painiingwin isground brcaklng UOB POY ls trving 1o
PUsh
the
envelope. notalw;vs choosinq ihesafeoplion lsee thal as weLlin lhe addition ofihe arllsl sidencv al FAAM ThiS
residency progmmrne is veryfoMard looking and ground breaking in itself, as UOB is looking into lheiuture and
deve opmeni of the ariist
lndeed,lhe slint ln the wotld's only arl museum thatfocuseson Asian modem 3rt shows lhe impodance ol coporale
supporl for lhe a s beyond
just prize money
[,4r Kwok says: ll is fudher engagement wilh ihe modern a.l history of Asia Creativily is all about looking backward
Goh Beng Kwan,lhefilst winner ofthe compelilion back in 1982, says: "The residency in Japan shows thal UOB is
laking a regional slanl and shows that lhis cornpeiition is getting more highly regarded in Asia
Russell Pensyl, associale chair (academic) ofthe schoolofart design and media ai Nanvang Technological
Univetsity, sald: A corn petition like ihis serves 10 gradually evolve the ads ll is very encouraging that a major
Singaporean coForation has seen ihis as a valuable oulreach eflort "
So aslhe competition evolves, don't be surprised totind even morc grcund brcaking changes.
As MrYuen,last yeals winner, put it: lf we stick to iradition alone, withoul cutting edge ideas without being up to
daie, lihink lt is going to be qulte stifling iorlhe arts scene."
[,4r Goh, who is also a recipientofthe CulturalMedallion, adds: "Nowadays youngeradisls ate moredaring
vibrani
and aggressive Thls novel development olour artists is beneficial, andthe artsceneshallbe letttothe vounget
generation to develop.
Wmpping up, Mr Kwok explains: "Art challenges ihe wavwe look al lhings tfit helps us see things in newwavs' lhen
ad wouldh;ve tulfilled
jts
purpose. We think ih3l by challensing our viewers bv engasins our viewerc' a ce'lain new
U