Appointment of Independent Panels/Juries to Assess Programming for Major Government-supported Arts Events
Ministry of Culture, Community and YouthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the appointment of independent panels to assess programming for major Government-supported arts events, as raised by Ms Usha Chandradas. Minister Edwin Tong Chun Fai responded that advisory panels already exist for the Singapore International Festival of the Arts and the Singapore Writers Festival. These panels comprise diverse members from the arts, entertainment, media, and education sectors to advise on artistic direction and ensure quality offerings. For Singapore Art Week, a workgroup co-led by the National Arts Council and Singapore Tourism Board facilitates collaboration between visual arts institutions and private partners. These existing mechanisms foster the cross-sharing of ideas and ensure that major festivals effectively engage different segments of the public and stakeholders.
Transcript
33 Ms Usha Chandradas asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry has considered appointing independent panels or juries composed of members from the arts community and outside of it when assessing the programming for major Government-supported arts events, such as the Singapore Art Week and the Singapore International Festival of the Arts; and (b) if so, what factors has the Ministry taken into consideration in its deliberations.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Such advisory panels already exist and information on these panels are available online. For example, the current Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) Advisory Panel not only includes members from the arts community, but also a representative from the entertainment sector. The current Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) Advisory Panel comprises members from the arts sector as well as professionals with education and media experience.
These advisory panels ensure the major festivals offer quality arts offerings for different segments of Singaporeans. They also provide advice to the festival director and commissioners ranging from the overall artistic direction of the festivals to areas, such as marketing.
For the Singapore Art Week (SAW), the National Arts Council co-leads a workgroup with the Singapore Tourism Board. The workgroup includes key visual arts institutions as well as private and public sector partners, to facilitate the cross-sharing of ideas and foster collaboration across major stakeholders in Singapore's visual arts industry.