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ARTS (Economic Development (Accessibility
Growing availability of a…
ARTS
Economic Development
Accessibility
- Growing availability of a local arts education: SOTA // Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) --> increasingly viable career path
- Increasing efforts to incorporate the arts into daily lives and common spaces --> brings enjoyment of the arts closer to the hearts of residents and promote the notion that it is not an exclusive hobby for the wealthy
- Financial support from govt makes appreciation of arts more affordable for the masses and offers better resources (infrastructure and platforms) for artists to create higher quality artworks which can be shared with a greater part of society
- Technology
The Internet facilitates inexpensive art viewing
Introduction of social media platforms provide a convenient and accessible means to create and share
Counter
- Appreciating the arts is an expensive endeavour, often playing a frivolous role in supporting the luxurious lifestyles of high-income earners --> millions of dollars lavished on art pieces as an extravagant showcase of the exorbitant and outlandish lifestyles of the rich and powerful
- art appreciation as a hobby can only occur when one's economic security is paired with a basic education in art
- short-lived curiosity, not cultivation of habit of arts appreciation
- dubious quality of art involved in highly accessible artworks --> not a true appreciation of arts
- World class infrastructure for arts industry: Arts Scinece Museum has hosted renowned galleries of prominent figures in the Arts such as Andy Warhol
- Underground tunnel leading to the Esplanade is a public space for dancers and performers to have their gigs and performances
- Gardens by the Bay: allow people to lose themselves in the creative landscaping in the sprawling gardens
- Highly accessible art fills the everyday spaces of Singaporeans: subway stations on Circle Line often feature elegant or breathtaking artworks, eg mullti coloured mural at Serangoon stations and the thrilling sports-themed illustrations at Stadium station
- Entry into National Museum of SG and Singapore Art Museum is FOC for all Singaporeans
- Children's achievements in the arts can be used to apply for Direct School Admission into secondary schools
- Free websites dedicated to the promotion of both amateur art eg Deviant Art, Concept Art and Japan's Pixir and high art eg Google's virtual art museum
- MOE offers the Art Elective Programme in secondary schools, which provides in-depth knowledge of art history in addition to art skills
- Singapore Biennale // Venice Biennale: month-long art festival-cum-exhibition provides free tours to tourists, to deepen their understanding of art works
- Promotion of fashion on the Internet: OOTDS/ youtube video series
Counter
- PAssionArts aims to bring the arts to community centres and heartlanders, but quality of art involved may be compromised while trying to include more laymen accessible forms of art that can be easily understood
Viable Career Path
- Local artists rely on this industry as a source of income
- Increasing demand for art mkt
Counter
- Arts industry is not stable/lucrative because most SGporeans do not engage in the arts enough to sustain this sphere of business
- In terms of sustainability, less-successful artists are forced to discontinue their passionate pursuit of the Arts (high uncertainty) due to insufficient local demand
- Only viable for those who come from higher income families and do not have to worry about their livelihood in the future and are better able to afford expensive education in prestigious institutions of art eg New York University film programme / University of California's animation programme
- Students who pursue an arts-related CCA do not pursue the skills after graduation
- In a VIP Preview of Art Stage Singapore in 2014 (art fair): local artist Ruben Pang saw his nine works snapped up for a hefty sum
- Lin and Lin Gallery reported substantial earnings in the millions
- Changi Airport's Singapore Freeport: allows art sellers and artists to store their work in a safe place --> conducive for artistic endeavours <infrastructure>
Counter
- Relatively low unemployment rates of the arts student graduating from arts institutions eg Singapore of the Arts (SOTA) --> only the exceptional ones are picked by the few gallerists in SG who help with the promotion of art pieces through their gallery premises &&& a large number of students drop their art subjects and become a pure science student in their final years
Source of economic revenue
- At the start of our history, Singapore was a low-cost manufacturing nation where we mainly only required technical skills. In the 21st century, the skills and capabilities gap between other countries with a low cost base and Singapore are closing. To move up the value chain of an economy, we need to re-imagine, innovate and create to stay competitive in a world of cut throat competition
- Arts help Singapore to stand out as a dynamic cosmopolitan city that is comparable with other world-renowned economic centres eg Tokyo/HK
- Emphasis on Arts can attract tourists, investors and mobile talent because the love for Arts is synonymous with diversity, creativity and tolerance for differing opinions
- Increasing affluence of society + education levels: venture into the arts in search for more meaningful activities that will enrich their lives now that they have achieved economic stability && spurred inner desire to engage in more sophisticated forms of leisure
Counter
- Ultimately, the main driver of SG's economic growth is still finance and banking
- Health and wellness firm Osim sells hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of imaginative health products such as massage chairs globally each year.
The imaginative recipes and designs are forms or art that allowed us to achieve such leaps in economic value
- Home-grown food and beverage company The Bread Talk Group has opened over 800 bakery outlets across Asia with its artistic recipes
- SG organises film and arts festivals that showcase world-class acts and works
Intangible, emotional well being
- Arts provide the catharsis and healing function which people demand for, esp in highly competitive societies that subject its people to overwhelming levels of stress and unhappiness
- Arts can re-sensitize us to our emotions and help us see the bigger picture in life that lies beyond the chase for material success
- provides a fleeting moment of escape from reality and its emotional burdens, allowing oneself to refuel
Counter
- fluffy and impractical pursuit, esp prevalent in SG where pragmatic mindsets are developed in our relentless pursuit for economic growth
- dismissive attitudes towards arts persist despite funding to make arts more accessible
- Low turn-out at arts events is aggravated by insufficient media coverage, relative to that on healthcare and the economy
- Fast-paced lifestyles results in lack of time for appreciation of arts, which is ironically related to the aim of art
Singapore
- Among the longest working hours in the world: 2287 hours a year, according to the Federal Reserve Economic Data website
- Contemporary artists such as Marc Quinn construct their art pieces for the sole function of healing
- Art therapists use art to help patients get out of trauma: a form of therapy for child abuse victims involves encouraging these victims to express their pent-up emotions through drawings, serving as emotional release
Counter
- @ Events such as Biennale Fair and the Affordable Art Fair see only a small proportion of turn-ups due to lack of time
-
Tool to foster stronger bilateral ties as the Arts propagates SG onto global platform,
adding to international prestige
- Utilising the arts as a platform to export SG's brand internationally
- Cultural exchanges through the arts have been recognised to be effective in providing SG's allies with a more nuanced and layered understanding of our way of life beyond mere economic talks
- In an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, the arts have become a pivotal form of cultural diplomacy in helping SG strengthen its alliances and forge new partnerships for its continued survival --> staying relevant in international arena
- secure reputation as a vibrant and cosmopolitan city
- "Laselle College of the Arts" showcased some of its students' fashion pieces in the Paris Fashion Week, highlighting the illumination of the looming arts presence of SG on the global stage
- 'angst child' (original artistic products) // 'Runway Bandits' and 'Young Hungry Free' (fashion labels) are internationally acclaimed for their web stores and even have celebrities who endorse these fashion lines
- Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have launched a $25M Cultural Diplomacy Fund which can be tapped on by local artists and performers to showcase the local arts scene abroad --> singer-songwriter Inch Chua performed at the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 Asain Games held in Incheon
- In Beijing, local artist Janice Wong has created an edible art installation which was displayed in London and New York - a homage to SG's culinary diversity
Expression and Advocacy
- Instrumental in provoking debate about the affairs of state, encouraging candid discussions that may other wise have been shushed by the authorities (esp pertinent in SG where govt is rather restrictive)
- Thought-provoking nature is integral in helping SGporeans think for themselves, rather than blindly receiving orders from the govt without questioning
- Art effects concrete changes to help address and improve upon many of the world's pressing problems, by inspiring its audience to take interest in it and stand up for its cause
- Photography is a form of expression to raise awakening on taboo issues. It creates a medium to document the plights of those who are facing the issues and it can expose the social ills that need to be rectified
Counter: Restrictions in the arts impede appreciation of arts on an all-encompassing level
- Deemed 'inappropriate' by the govt as a result of heavy censorship laws, the society is restricted to limited rights to express freely on any issue to provoke thoughts and reconsider certain beliefs or attitudes
Singapore
- Wild Rice has been producing theatre works that were potentially divisive, described as "not compatible with the beliefs and values of the govt", resulting in their lack of funding from the govt --> <even so> work has been applauded for its candour and have encouraged many SGporeans to be more critical in their analysis of issues
- Royston Tan's film '15' which depicts an obscure but real-life story of youths and gangsters in SG was banned for its violence and coarse language, even though Royston Tan was an established film maker whose works would provoke deeper thought in viewers
- British artist, Luke Jerram, wanted to challenge the social injustice on ignorance of homeless populations on the street, thus creating a glass sculpture of a sleeping body resting on a bed of cardboard, to represent how homeless people struggle to be seen on city streets.
- A series of posters, titled "Stop Telling Women To Smile" carry a big message about a type of gender injustice women face regularly: street harassment. The publicly displayed posters feature the portraits of women, along with a quote relaying their experiences with street harassment., in hopes that the captions speak directly to offenders by placing the posters outside in public spaces where harassment happens.
- In a refugee life jacket installation,Chinese artist Ai Weiwei showcased 14,000 used life jackets previously worn by refugees traveling from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos. hoping to highlight the severity of the ongoing refugee crisis.
- A knotted gun, titled 'non-violence' , has become a symbol of the ongoing struggle for non-violence and gun control worldwide, serving as the symbol of the The Non-Violence Project, a nonprofit advocating for social change through violence-prevention programming.