The National Arts Council (NAC) has launched Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027), inviting artists, audiences and stakeholders to play their part and join the development of the arts scene in Singapore. Officiated by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, the launch of Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027) is a culmination of engagements with more than 16,500 stakeholders on their hope for the arts scene in Singapore.

Guided by insights derived from close consultations with industry partners, various artists and creatives, as well as public feedback since July 2021, Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027) sets out the masterplan for the arts and culture in Singapore for the next five years. The plan is centered on three strategic thrusts that will guide the future of the Singapore arts scene – to build A Connected Society where our community is anchored by the shared arts and culture, A Distinctive City where spaces are invigorated by the arts, making Singapore an endearing home and attractive destination, and A Creative Economy where the arts sector is powered by excellence, innovation and close collaboration with the larger creative industry, through partnerships, data and insights, as well as technology and innovation.

Eight initiatives will be rolled out as a start across the arts, lifestyle, community, and technology sectors, among others, exemplifying how everyone has a part to play in the future of Singapore’s arts scene, and its progress over the next five years. 

Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, said, “The arts have an important role in forging a connected society and enhancing the dynamism and vibrancy of Singapore – it has the power to unite our communities, and anchor us to our core Singaporean identity. We will continue to encourage collaboration within the arts sector, and across, with adjacent industries, so the flow of ideas and talent can uplift our society as a whole. We hope that the arts can continue to flourish with new ideas, themes, and aesthetic forms, and that these works can collectively inspire and enrich us as a society. Our SG Arts Plan (2023 -2027) is more than a policy blueprint for what we hope to achieve. It is a statement of belief in the power of the arts to foster creativity, inculcate a sense of belonging, bond people together and distinguish Singapore globally.” 

Singaporeans of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can look forward to more accessible and quality arts initiatives that foster closer bonds to build A Connected Society. According to NAC’s 2022 Population Survey on the Arts, the public’s interest in the arts and overall arts engagement is on the rise. Physical arts attendance rose to 59% in 2022 from 43% in 2021, returning close to pre-pandemic attendance levels in 2019. Importantly, arts attendance has improved across different audience profiles. Besides attending arts events, more Singaporeans are also participating in arts and culture activities such as workshops and classes.

To ride on this positive momentum and further boost the public’s attendance in the arts, NAC has worked with the National Heritage Board (NHB), Arts House Limited (AHL), National Gallery Singapore (NGS), and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay (Esplanade) to develop Catch, a one-stop digital platform for arts and culture content. Catch features events and programmes and allows Singaporeans and visitors to browse and book tickets for arts and culture events. The platform also provides smaller arts groups with an accessible platform to promote their initiatives free of charge and reach new and diverse audiences. The public can sign up as a platform member to gain access to events, previews and personalised recommendations.

“Catch is going to be super helpful in raising the visibility for us. As a young contemporary dance company with limited resources, we can never afford high advertising prices on popular websites and magazines, and have to rely on luck on getting our projects listed on certain websites. With Catch, not only we are able now stay visible, we are able to learn a lot about marketing from working with the Catch team,” says to Edwin Wee, Co-founder of Decadance Co.

The 2022 Population Survey of the Arts continued to show that engagement with, and interest in the arts, was higher among those who had exposure to the arts in their childhood. This affirms the importance of developing core learning experiences through the continued partnership between NAC and the Ministry of Education (MOE) to offer students access to more arts and culture experiences. This includes artist-led programmes at professional arts venues such as museums and concert halls that bring to life the curriculum taught in classrooms. Beyond encouraging students to continue engaging with the arts in adulthood, research has shown that these arts experiences can nurture students’ social and emotional well-being, and develop their 21^st Century Competencies to thrive in a changing world.

Spaces across the island will be invigorated by the arts, transforming Singapore into an endearing home and A Distinctive City that inspires. To achieve this, NAC will collaborate with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Housing & Development Board’s Lively Places Programme over the next three years, to encourage and support communities to co-create arts-based initiatives, projects and experiences at everyday spaces such as housing estates and places of commute. This initiative aims to enliven public spaces, bring the arts closer to where we live, work and play, strengthen bonds between members of the community, and create a more loveable city. The public can look forward to participating in arts-based community projects across the island. Upcoming projects include A Place I Call Home by artist Clarence Ho in Pasir Ris, and A Particular Place by Leonard Yang, Leow Wei Li and Akai Chew in Kampong Glam. 

On 30 August, NAC and SMRT Trains Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enliven spaces of commute through music, poetry and busking to broaden exposure to Singapore’s arts in public spaces. This opens up more avenues where locals and visitors to Singapore alike can enjoy and experience Singapore’s unique arts and culture even in unexpected places. The partnership will kick off with a nationwide roll-out of the year-long Hear65’s ‘I Play SG Music’ campaign with SMRT – a landmark partnership that celebrates local music and bringing it closer to over 3 million commuters, enabling commuters to discover local music and artists daily as they are broadcast across 125 MRT, LRT and bus interchanges for the first time. 

Says Mr Lam Sheau Kai, President, SMRT Trains Ltd: “This landmark partnership with NAC is one of the ways in which SMRT hopes to connect communities around our public transport network through the common language of art and music. We are happy that our spaces in the transit network can become an enabling platform for homegrown artists and buskers with disabilities to share their works with a wider audience.”

Extending into the virtual space, NAC will be launching an industry-led Alliance for Action (AfA) comprising key stakeholders from the arts and culture community to develop pilots for projects in the metaverse. Project Arts Metaverse will provide a supportive environment for our arts organisations to innovate, experiment and test-and-learn to remain agile and confident in the face of future technology disruption. The AfA also encourages cross-sector collaboration as the arts and culture sector is provided with the capabilities and networks to clinch opportunities that could present themselves in these new virtual worlds, and expand the playing field for arts creation and presentation. Project Arts Metaverse is focused on creating novel arts experiences in the metaverse such as virtual concerts, exhibitions and festivals to reach and engage our audiences of tomorrow, with pilots to be developed by the end of 2024.

Says Kevin Lim, Director (Innovation & Technology), National Gallery Singapore: “While the metaverse has yet to be mainstream, the opportunity remains for the Gallery, SAM, to come together with NAC and other arts groups/institutions to envision and shape what the Arts Metaverse might look like, potentially as a natural extension of both museums and our art ecosystem. Both institutions proactively outreach and engage current and new audiences beyond their physical walls, by programming arts events in public spaces, as well as being as accessible online. The exploration of new online platforms like the metaverse continues to align with the mission and purpose of the Gallery & SAM to promote active dialogue through the presentation of visual arts to inspire a more thoughtful and inclusive society.”

NAC is committed to developing a strong Creative Economy with an arts sector defined by excellence and close collaboration with the larger industry. NAC recognises that arts practitioners are the key drivers of artistic excellence, growth in the arts sector and contributors of creative capital to the larger creative economy. To build a future-ready workforce, NAC will elevate artistic excellence and skills development through the Skills Framework for Arts and enhanced development support. This includes nurturing a strong talent core through diversifying development opportunities and a greater emphasis on skills applicability through hands-on components such as apprenticeships and workplace-based learning.

In line with the evolving work opportunities for arts education, as well as the growing arts, entertainment and recreation scene, the Skills Framework for Arts (Arts Education and Technical Theatre & Production) promotes skills mastery and career progression to support the development of a strong core of practitioners in these fields who are central to the arts sector. This also includes Self-Employed Persons, as many working in the arts choose to take on freelance or gig work. Jointly developed by NAC, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), industry partners and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), the framework contains key sector information, career pathways, job roles, and existing and emerging skills. 

Says Dr Soon-Joo Gog, Chief Skills Officer, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG): “Singapore is a vibrant city for arts, which is made possible by a diverse and talented community of arts professionals and the strong government commitment to the arts. The arts sector is constantly evolving as key trends such as greater synergies in the creative industries, inclusivity and diversity, and digitalisation continue to shape the creative production of arts. The Skills Framework for Arts aims to provide clearer direction of emerging and in-demand skills for people working in Arts Education and Technical Theatre & Production, for their decision-making in careers and professional development.”

“The arts sector also features portfolio work and many working in the arts choose to take on freelance or gig roles as Self-Employed Persons (SEPs). The Skills Framework for Arts addresses this group of individuals by highlighting the critical skillsets that SEPs need, such as Legal, Contract and Negotiation Management, and Personal Brand Management, and Entrepreneurship. These skills are important in enabling them to capitalise on work opportunities, to thrive and build meaningful careers in the arts.”

In recent years, technology has changed how artists create and audiences consume and engage with the arts. To further encourage arts practitioners to explore the possibilities of integrating technology into their practice, NAC has partnered with Esplanade for the Performing Arts x Tech Lab, the 2023 edition of the Arts x Tech Lab, which champions innovation and experimentation through seeding collaboration between the fields of performing arts and technology. This will allow performing arts companies to explore, innovate and integrate technology into their creation process. For this nine-month-long initiative, NAC is also continuing its partnership with technology partner the Keio-NUS CUTE Center to provide technology consultancy to the Lab’s participants as they did with the previous edition. Participants can also benefit from professional workshops curated along the themes of performing arts, technology and user design, that can further add value to their lab experience. 

NAC will continue to work closely with corporate partners from adjacent industries to provide new opportunities to showcase and profile Singapore arts globally, elevating Singapore arts in the international arts landscape.

Finding intersections between the arts and media, NAC will be partnering with Mediacorp to celebrate and amplify arts and culture content by providing greater exposure and support for local artists and arts groups across all Mediacorp platforms for the masses, as well as foster the development of cross-industry connections and new opportunities for arts professions. This will be done through three key areas – arts advocacy, cross-sector interactions, and content creation. 

Says Angeline Poh, Chief Customer and Corporate Development Officer, Mediacorp: “Mediacorp is excited to join hands with NAC to bring the arts to a wider audience in Singapore. As the national media network, we are proud to be a platform to promote local arts, which we have done over the years through stage-to-screen adaptations such as Fried Rice Paradise and TiTouDao, and print-to-screen adaptations such as Teenage Textbook, as well as showcasing homegrown talents such as Yung Raja and Iman Fandi on our audio platforms as well as at national celebratory events like Let’s Celebrate and the National Day Concert. Through this partnership, we hope that more Singaporeans develop a deeper appreciation for our local arts, culture and heritage.”

The Council has also embarked on a multi-year partnership with Marina Bay Sands to tap on their industry expertise and networks to bring added value to the wider arts sector and the creative economy, especially in the areas of arts thought leadership and arts showcase. Beyond this, local and international visitors to Marina Bay Sands can experience Singapore’s vibrant arts scene through marquee arts events, recorded and live music by homegrown artists as well as enhanced art programming at the integrated resort.  

Says Ong Wee Min, Vice President, Sales and MICE Marina Bay Sands: “Marina Bay Sands is pleased to partner NAC to elevate the vibrant art programming and experiences available at the integrated resort today. Making art accessible to our guests has always been a priority for us, starting with our Art Path programme of 11 public art installations on property in 2010. We look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to play a bigger role in the arts landscape in Singapore.”

NAC will also be partnering with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to bring Singapore’s arts to global audiences. Singapore’s arts and culture scene will be promoted to SIA’s passengers and KrisFlyer members, through direct channels such as the KrisWorld digital in-flight magazine and SilverKris website, and on SIA’s in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld.

Said Mr Low Eng Teong, Chief Executive Officer of the NAC: “Over the years, we have seen new possibilities and growth within the arts sector. Beyond investing resources in the industry and audience development, NAC remains committed to developing our artistic talents and will work with stakeholders across the public, private and people sectors through partnerships and technology, to enable artists, and arts organisations to drive artistic excellence and bring Singapore’s arts to local and international audiences. Since July 2021, more than 16,500 stakeholders across various sectors and members of the public have been part of this Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027) journey and shared their hopes and aspirations for Singapore’s arts scene. As we carry out the plans for the next five years, we are excited for more to join us in the making of Singapore’s vibrant and sustainable arts scene.” 

More information on Our SG Arts Plan (2023 – 2027) and the eight initiatives available here