Growing Home: An Interactive Showcase on Highlights of Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027)

The National Arts Council (NAC) launches a public roadshow, Growing Home: A showcase about The Arts Plan and You, inviting the public to embark on an interactive journey that explores the endless possibilities of the next five-year masterplan for Singapore’s arts, and to share their views. From live silkscreen printing sessions to becoming a curator for a day, visitors will see The Arts Plan (TAP) come alive through meaningful and exciting art collaborations by over 80 artists and arts groups presented at The Arts House. 

“The past month has seen the Council’s continued efforts since July 2021 to engage and seek feedback that will shape Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027). This week, we present a physical roadshow demonstrating the future of Singapore’s arts with greater inclusivity, vibrancy, and creative opportunities, and look forward to the insights collected. Growing Home: A showcase about The Arts Plan and You invites all to provide further ideas and feedback on the strategies for Singapore to bring the arts to the next level of excellence and to grow audiences both locally and internationally. We are deeply grateful for the deep conversations we have had so far and welcome all to join us at Growing Home as we round up the last phase of our engagements before the launch of Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027)”, said Mrs Rosa Daniel, Chief Executive Officer of NAC.

Running from 6 to 15 January 2023 at the heart of the Civic District, Growing Home invites visitors on a three-part journey anchored by the strategic thrusts of TAP: a Distinctive City, a Connected Society, and a Creative Economy. Across the two floors and front lawn, visitors will encounter artworks by over 80 artists in various forms that serve as successful case studies of what Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027) can look like in the coming years. 

The Growing Home Experience

The public can traverse the following spaces at The Arts House and provide their feedback on the next iteration of the Arts Plan:

1. A Distinctive City – Vibrancy

At the front lawn of The Arts House, visitors can view various artworks that collectively showcase the makings of a Distinctive City. The public can come up close with a miniature Odd the Otter sculpture by Howie Kim, specially commissioned for this roadshow. The cityscape takes on a whimsical twist that lends a fun touch of play to the Civic District, with Odd the Otter sculpture photographed against the background of the heritage building. A few metres away is a hut-like installation titled Dwelling, part of the Singapore literature festival Textures happening concurrently at The Arts House. When night falls, passers-by can also look forward to a spectacular light projection on the building’s façade as part of the Light to Night Festival, one of the key marquee events during Singapore Art Week 2023. With the arts all around, visitors can immediately envision how the city can be invigorated by the arts to become iconic, cultural, and inspiring, making Singapore an endearing home.

2. A Connected Society – Inclusivity

Featuring works by over 45 artists across different abilities, life stages and experiences, this showcase at the Living Room on Level 2 captures what a Connected Society anchored through arts and culture can look like in practice. Fostering an inclusive community bonded by mutual understanding, the projects and activities in the room will present themes that resonate with visitors of all ages and backgrounds. 

What will an art collaboration between local artists and the public look like? The TAP Art Generator brings together the works of 12 visual artists, including Sarah Choo Jing, Sam Lo ‘SKL0’ and Sujak Rahman, through technology to create never-before-seen digital artworks. Visitors are invited to select five words on how the arts make them feel. Based on this prompt, a unique piece of art that blends the artworks of three artists will be created, and this will be exhibited as part of a digital collaborative art wall, which will grow as more works are pieced together. Participants will get to view these original art pieces, learn more about our local artistic talents, and receive an email copy of their digital mementoes.

Also on display are a variety of art initiatives and projects involving different communities, including NAC’s very own #SilverArts and #ArtsInYourNeighbourhood programmes. Visitors can be inspired by System Sovereign’s Brilliant Corners showcase, as they present collaborative artworks produced by residents and participants of their community arts initiative in Toa Payoh East, including a Potluck Zine featuring a compilation of food stories and childhood memories inspired by their neighbourhood. Other projects to look forward to include Kata-Kata Kita, part of ArtsWok and Drama Box’s Both Sides, Now engagement initiative that explores what it means to live well and leave well.

On the weekends of Growing Home, visitors can also look forward to other arts activities, including participating in live t-shirt silkscreen printing sessions, among other programmes.

3. A Creative Economy – Opportunity

A visually dynamic illustration of the interplay between the arts and the marketplace, this showcase provides visitors with a glimpse of the opportunities that Singapore can unlock through facilitating new business models for the arts sector, encouraging artistic excellence, and supporting arts professionals’ success in the global market.

Key highlights illustrating how the arts play a significant role in the creative and adjacent sectors, such as lifestyle and design, include artist collaborations with major brands and fashion labels. Look out for a special edition calfskin watch strap developed by Mr Sabotage (SBTG) x IWC Schaffhausen based on their shared passion for craftsmanship, design, and detail. An ART:DIS x Hook Coffee collaboration embraces the creative imagination of young people with disabilities as they design and illustrate the homegrown coffee brand’s Christmas advent calendar. Other featured works include merchandise from well-known brands such as Fred Perry Subculture and leather products by Bynd Artisan x Lee Wei Song School of Music. 

Visitors will also be able to rediscover the realm of technology and the arts through Meta’s interactive Augmented Reality (AR) showcase of artworks by three renowned Singaporean artists – painter and Cultural Medallion recipient Goh Beng Kwan, interdisciplinary artist and sculptor Kumari Nahappan and traditional Malay dancer and choreographer Norhaizad Adam. They can also immerse in a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) horror story experience with Tusitala Books and generate excerpts of Singapore literature on-demand with the Sing Lit Cloud.

To round off the Growing Home experience, visitors who complete an activity card can stand to redeem a limited-edition pin produced specially for the TAP roadshow and an F&B voucher (limited redemptions per day). After their ‘artventure’ at The Arts House, visitors are encouraged to read the full draft of TAP on NAC’s dedicated webpage and participate in a public poll. Their feedback will contribute to refining Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027) into one that propels inclusivity, vibrancy, and more creative opportunities for both artists and the masses alike. 

The Growing Home roadshow will travel to One Punggol from 10 to 12 February 2023, with more details to be released closer to the date. Join the conversation with #OurSGArts and follow NAC’s Facebook and Instagram (@NACSingapore).