Measures to Ensure Accessibility of Creative Workspaces for Tenant Artists, Including Those at Goodman Arts Centre

19 Ms Gho Sze Kee asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth with rentals at Goodman Arts Centre set to increase significantly (a) what measures are being considered to help tenant artists cope; and (b) what longer-term plans are there to ensure that affordable creative workspaces remain accessible to arts practitioners.

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Baey Yam Keng) (for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth): The National Arts Council (NAC) champions Singapore’s arts sector and recognises that arts infrastructure is key to the development of a vibrant arts ecosystem.

In land-scarce Singapore, NAC works closely with Government agencies and private sector players to unlock and diversify arts spaces. Today, the total arts gross floor area tracked by NAC currently stands at 94,000 square metres, which is a 42% increase since 2010.

Affordable workspaces are also key to ensuring our artists and arts groups remain financially sustainable. To support our arts sector, NAC provides such spaces at rates below commercial rental levels.

In considering the need for any rates adjustment, NAC takes into account rising operational costs for the maintenance of these spaces and the need to ensure that the revised rates remain affordable compared to other commercial spaces in the vicinity and other arts spaces.

The Goodman Arts Centre provides a total of 77 units across both short-term venues and longer-term housing options. This includes 26 Project Studios for flexible short-term tenancies of up to 12 months for artists who have project-specific needs and 51 units under the Framework for Arts Spaces scheme which supports arts groups up to nine years and is subvented by NAC at up to 80%.

The rental rates for Project Studios were last reviewed in 2012 and the Arts House Group, the appointed operator for the Goodman Arts Centre, has absorbed rising operational costs since then. Although the Arts House Group had begun to engage arts tenants on a rate increase for greater sustainability, it will defer rate increases in 2026 to support arts tenants during this period of heightened economic uncertainty arising from the conflict in the Middle East. NAC and the Arts House Group will review the rates at the end of this year for 2027.

In parallel, NAC is studying the sector's longer-term needs and has been engaging and consulting the arts sector on their spatial needs and affordability of arts spaces. In planning for the future, NAC will take steps to ensure that arts spaces remain accessible and affordable for artists and arts groups.

NAC also supports artists and arts groups through existing grants, such as the Creation Grant, Presentation and Participation Grant, which funds the creation, production and presentation costs of our artists and arts groups.

Mr Speaker: Ms Gho.

Ms Gho Sze Kee (Mountbatten): Sir, Mr Speaker, I note that the premises at the Goodman Arts Centre are ultimately Government-owned and leased to the Arts House Group, a non-profit under the NAC, which also operates other arts places such as the Aliwal Art Centre and the Stamford Art Centre. Given this, I would just like to ask if the other centres are facing similar cost pressures or viability challenges, and if so, whether there is a broader review under way to ensure that such government-supported creator spaces remain affordable and sustainable for arts practitioners over the long term?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: I thank Ms Gho for her concern for the arts and the artists. Indeed, it is part of our commitment to provide affordable, accessible spaces for artists and arts groups.

We have announced last year that we are doing a study on how the arts spaces provision can be better improved and the study is ongoing. We will be sharing the findings and recommendations when we are ready.