其他
新加坡该如何走出“艺术沙漠”?
近年来,新加坡政府对本地艺术越来越上心,南洋艺术学院和拉萨尔艺术学院等院校办学红火,华艺节、妆艺大游行等融合了新加坡特色的艺术盛宴每年也在如火如荼地举行。新加坡官委议员何伟山在国会进行演讲时,谈到过去的成果时,又进一步提出发展本地艺术的建议。
《艺通八达 艺心艺邻》
以下是何伟山英文演讲全文:
The arts strive to enrich the individual, encourage self-expression, while at the same time seeking to reach out, communicate and bring people together. The National Arts Council (NAC) Arts and Culture Nodes at various venues island-wide energise and excite Singaporeans. A wide array of quality arts programmes, for people of all ages and walks of life, are available. With the SG Arts Plan in place, the arts scene has been thriving, as artists chart professional careers and arts groups grow in strength.
I have three recommendations, to build a Sustainable and Vibrant Community Arts Ecosystem:
1) To build under-one-roof performing arts housing for music, dance and theatre.
Sharing resources; putting the same genre of performing arts under one roof. For example: different hubs that are specifically designed for the music, theatre or dance groups, will allow the groups to effectively share resources and rehearsal spaces.
The Stamford Arts House is a multidisciplinary arts centre with a focus on Traditional Arts. Currently, the centre houses various professional arts companies of different arts form. The government can consider this: A shared acoustically treated recital hall for the orchestra/ensemble, a black box for theatre performances, dance theatre with treated flooring and height for dance companies. This re-energises the building, and audiences just need to visit one particular location to watch the performance of a particular art form.
Earlier on in September 2019, SPS Baey Yam Keng announced that Arts freelancers will have an arts resource website, and will also have dedicated working spaces at Goodman Arts Centre and Stamford Arts Centre. In addition to this, perhaps we can also consider a central shared warehouse for the arts community, where props and sets can be stored, shared or reused. This is one of the ways we can do our part to save the Earth from climate change, reducing wastage and disposal issues.
2) To reconsider and revisit the plan to reinstall the arts radio and TV Channel.
Traditional media such as the radio and television still play an important role in sharing content, and informing the public. We used to have an arts radio station – Passion 99.5 FM. Back then, the NAC launched this radiao station on 31 December 1997, to increase awareness of the arts and provide the arts community with a public voice. It featured magazine programmes on arts and culture. However, the station was shut down in December 2003 because its listenership was “too small to attract sustained sponsorship and advertising revenue to cover its operating cost”.
However, today, with the increasing number in arts event and attendance, we ought to deepen and further the reach of our performances and productions through the mainstream media. There is now larger number of performing arts events offered over the years. According to data released by the MCCY on 22 January 2019, the numbers have increased from around 7,700 in 2011 to more than 9,500 in 2017, Also, more than 11 million attended non-ticketed arts and cultural events in 2017, a rise of nearly 20 per cent from the year before and the highest turnout in seven years. The content creators for mainstream radio stations and TV channel can even work hand in hand with the social media team for audience development purposed and wider audience reach.
3)To foster and further the establishment of community arts groups with school/institution alumni and students
Partnership between schools/ institutions and community arts group establishes a vibrant and sustainable ecosystem. Community clubs can provide the space to support these alumni arts groups. With these arts groups housed in the CCs, they can regularly engage in activities and perform, contributing back to the larger community. The potential for working together between the arts groups is limitless. With more collaboration opportunities, this will encourage and inspire arts groups to reach the pinnacle of excellence. However, I understand that a few community clubs have closed down the arts groups housed in their venues. So where will all these groups go to?