New road map for the arts scene seeks to build up creative industry, infuse art into everyday life

SINGAPORE: Where others noticed a run-down staircase, Upper Thomson resident Joanne Teh saw an opportunity to liven up her neighbourhood with art. 

She took things into her own hands and gathered her neighbours to see what they could come up with. That led to stories of how life and the area were 60 years ago.

“We discussed how we can incorporate some of those elements here,” she told CNA.

The final result was a mural that incorporates old houses at Yew Lian Park and wild-roaming monkeys and roosters done up by visual artist Muhammad Izdi.

It was made possible through the Lively Places Programme, a joint initiative by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority which sponsors such projects. 

The fund can also support projects like arts and craft workshops and dance performances as long as they bring the community together. Since its launch in 2016, the programme has supported over 220 community projects across HDB towns.

The agencies are now teaming up with the National Arts Council (NAC) to expand the programme. The NAC will inject an additional S$5,000 on top of the existing S$20,000 given to each project.

The expansion is part of the NAC’s new five-year road map for the arts scene.

NEW FIVE-YEAR PLAN

The Our SG Arts Plan was moulded by over 16,500 stakeholders. They weighed in on how to build on efforts by the previous roadmap in 2018, which aimed to develop the domestic arts scene but was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local interest in the arts has grown, rising from 29 per cent in 2020 to 34 per cent in 2022, according to NAC’s Population Survey on the Arts.

Launched at the Sands Expo And Convention Centre by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong on Tuesday (Sep 5), the roadmap includes the launch of a new portal.

Named Catch, the digital platform will allow patrons to browse and book cultural events in Singapore.

It was developed with the help of other arts organisations, including the Esplanade, and also gives smaller arts groups an accessible platform to promote their initiatives for free.

To provide them with even greater exposure, NAC will partner Mediacorp to build up cross-industry connections.

“The walls or the borders between arts and media are very porous. So the talents move between the two sectors pretty freely,” Mediacorp’s chief customer and corporate development officer Angeline Poh told CNA’s Singapore Tonight on Tuesday.

Other partnership initiatives include the Hear65’s year-long I Play SG Music campaign, a collaboration between NAC and SMRT Trains which will allow commuters to listen to Singaporean music at train and bus stations.

Mr Clarence Chan, founder of music and entertainment media company Bandwagon, which produces Hear65, was also on the segment. He said that people like what is familiar, giving the example of how they know popular singer Taylor Swift because her songs are heard on radio, but this is less so for Singaporean artists.

“What we did was to think about how we can increase the touch points, but unfortunately, changing the YouTube or Spotify algorithm (to local artists’ benefit) is not so easy, but what we can do is (use) public spaces,” he said. 

The Hear65 platform features 7,000 albums by 3,000 artists.

NEW SKILLS FRAMEWORK

The plan will also include a new Skills Framework for the Arts, which offers a directory of training resources and career guidance for workers in the creative industry. This also includes self-employed persons, as many working in the arts choose to take on freelance or gig work.

Artist Kamini Ramachandran said she appreciates the effort.

“All of these skills that we can acquire over time, and have continuous learning and personal and professional development is a bonus for all of us. Because it means that you're not just planning for the next day or the next week. You're planning for six months to a year or maybe years ahead,” she told CNA. 

Created in collaboration with SkillsFuture, industry players and institutes of higher learning, the framework covers over 40 job roles across arts education and technical theatre and production. 

Users can get key information such as the competencies required currently and emerging skills they may need in future. They can then tap a training directory that offers close to 100 different skills, like set design and stage management.

If they are looking to take on new job roles, they can find out about the skill sets that are needed, and then look at the development pathways to get there, said NAC’s director of education and manpower development May Tan.

“Within our skills framework,we also include adjacent occupations that are relevant to them if they do have a skill set. So they can look at perhaps adjacent job roles in other sectors that they would like to expand their career portfolios,” she said.

FREELANCERS MAY RETURN

Head of technical production at The Esplanade Co Kenny Wong said the new skills framework may encourage the return of freelancers who left the sector during the pandemic.

"The new framework provides something a little bit more holistic than we ever had before. The most important part is it has taken into account freelancers or self employed persons, which has been left out in previous attempts. And they are integral in our industry, they form the bulk of our workers, both in shows as well as in venues like the Esplanade,” he said.

The framework is now live on NAC's website.

Mr Tong said the latest plan shows the government's commitment and dedication to co-create with the public. He added that the plan will change as needed.

"I also want to emphasise that this plan is not meant to be a static one-time plan and it should not be seen as one. It has been conceived as a dynamic, responsive and evolving roadmap that will continue to be refined, shaped, built upon, changed even, as we go along,” he said.

“NAC will not stop its efforts to continually seek public input, artistic feedback and to work on building more collaborations with various stakeholders to continue to refine this plan.”