Grand plan for a flourishing arts scene

SINGAPORE - Imagine a dedicated arts, culture and lifestyle precinct extending from the Padang to Bras Basah. And how about "no-censorship" zones for the arts, like the Speakers' Corner where people can speak freely on most topics?

Those were among more than 100 proposals to improve Singapore's arts and culture scene submitted to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) last week.

They were included in a 113-page report put forth by the Arts And Culture Strategic Review steering committee. The report details a grand plan for the country's cultural development until 2025.

It comes after seven months of public consultation through channels such as telephone surveys and public forums.

The goal is to "make Singapore a nation of cultured and gracious people, (who are) at home with our heritage, (and) proud of our Singaporean identity", said the report.

Growth in the arts must be driven from the "ground up" by the community, rather than directed by the Government, said the committee's head and chairman of School of the Arts, Mr Lee Tzu Yang.

He said: "Now, we are asking, how can the community get involved? The next step will depend on whether we can succeed in growth from the bottom up".

The 19-member steering committee - comprising members from both the public and private sectors - expects a response from the ministry during the Budget debate in Parliament later this month.

Mr Lee, who is also chairman of the Shell group of companies, noted that building upon the work that has been done is key.

This includes arts mainstays, such as the Esplanade and The Arts House, as well as arts-related funding structures, which were developed from reports and plans in 1989 and 2000.

The arts-review committee was convened by Mica in September 2010, and it aims to get eight in 10 Singaporeans catching at least one arts and cultural show a year, up from four in 10 currently.

And the committee is targeting everyone in Singapore, from students to businesses.

Ultimately, it is the perception that people have towards art and culture - that it is expensive, elitist and inaccessible - that must be adjusted, another committee member, Mr Robin Hu, noted.

"We don't want art to be the privilege of a few but the pleasure of many, if not everyone," the senior executive vice-president of the Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese Newspapers Division & Newspaper Services Division said.

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