Role of The Government

Role of The Government

Over the years, National Arts Council (NAC) has provided support for the sports and arts industry in Singapore through many ways. This support is seen through 3 main areas. First being championing the industry, NAC takes on a personal approach. A thorough study was conducted based on different demographical groups, and by understanding the target, NAC can make arts relevant to their lives by appealing to their concerns and communicating with them through channels that the demographic uses. In relation to advocacy and support for the industry, NAC encourages individuals and corporate organisations to volunteer for the arts through their many different activities. One example of such is the ‘Patron of The Arts’ award, where monetary, in-kind donations to the industry are being recognised.

Patron of the Arts Awards 2016 video

Secondly, NAC has taken steps in not just promoting the industry, but also getting Singaporeans to be part of the products of the industry. This usually comes in the form of community events and activities where participants can actively join in and be part of the process. NAC has quite a wholesome event line-up annually to fit different target markets, one example being AYN targeting communities in the form of bringing art experiences right into the neighbourhoods. Other than AYN, another of such engagement events would be ‘Silver Arts’. Mainly targeted at the silver generation, the event offers a series of performances and workshops, specifically designed to enhance overall well-being of seniors through learning a new skill or using their creativity to complete an activity.

Silver Arts Festival 2018 video

Lastly, the government provides grants to many different purposes for the industry. This can be grants to encourage creation, production etc. The purpose behind these grants is to encourage artists and entrepreneurs to come forward with their fresh ideas, and let it come to fruition with support from the government. Such support does encourage artists knowing that their ideas don’t have to stay as simply ideas forever.

Tackling the industry through promotion, involvement, and funding, the system is indeed very comprehensive and effective thus far. However, if one wants to build a sustainable industry, we must focus on developing the next generation for the arts. Despite detailed market research being done on the youths, the follow up actions seems a little lacklustre. One of the key notes that can be derived from the research conducted, being the societal expectations of getting a job that is sustainable mainly since we live in a result-driven society. As Navin Kumar, a 26-year-old researcher was quoted from the report, “Arts is like, when you got money then you do, when you no money, then just shut the f*** up”. Looking pass the language of choice, it does give a perspective of how the younger generation views the industry. In response to this, NAC concluded that they needed to get their message across as arts is a platform for self-expression and a clear voice.

In my opinion, the conclusion requires a firmer action in place, which I see as a two-step approach. First, the industry needs to be more appealing where one would consider it as a career pathway without worrying about not being able to feed themselves. Secondly, education for the younger generation needs to focus more on developing artistic skills through holistic programmes to develop interests. All in all, to move the arts industry upwards in terms of both sustainability and interest, there is still much to be done, mainly to widen the perspective of Singaporeans when it comes to the social stigma when it comes to an arts related career.