Singapore's Arts Sector Receives $64.8 Million Boost With Increased Individual Giving In 2016
- 118 organisations and 186 individuals honoured for giving to the arts in 2016
- Individual giving increased by more than two-folds from year before
SINGAPORE, 12 July 2017 – This evening’s Patron of the Arts Awards ceremony and dinner honoured a total of 304 awardees that gave to the arts in 2016. Held at the Conrad Centennial this evening, Minister for Culture, Community & Youth, Ms Grace Fu, was present at the ceremony to confer awards to a total of 118 organisations and 186 individuals at the annual event organised by the National Arts Council (NAC).
2 A total of $64.8 million in contributions from arts patrons were celebrated this evening, comprising $44.2 million in cash and $20.6 million in-kind to boost Singapore’s arts scene. Besides cash contributions, corporate and individual donors were also honoured, for the first time, for providing artwork loans and donations to arts organisations to enable education and facilitation of arts events. 2016 also saw the largest amount of in-kind contributions.
3 “NAC is refreshing its mission to reflect our strong commitment towards championing the creation and appreciation of the arts as an integral part of our lives. Our vision is for Singapore to be home to diverse and distinctive arts which inspire our people, connect our communities and position Singapore globally. We are grateful to our arts patrons who continue to be NAC’s invaluable partners in developing artistic excellence and capabilities, expanding access to and appreciation for the arts, and advancing the social value of the arts,” said Mrs Rosa Daniel, Chief Executive Officer of NAC.
4 Artistic Director of Pangdemonium, Adrian Pang, said, “As a charity, Pangdemonium’s rapid growth and evolution over the years have been enhanced in significant ways through generous donations and sponsorships, and with the CMF doubling its impact. We are very grateful for the support, which is helping us to run our daily operations efficiently and productively, to keep our production values high, and to continually push ourselves to produce challenging and meaningful work for our community."
5 Compared to the year before where the arts sector saw an exceptional record of contributions, attributed to Singapore’s Jubilee Year and increased awareness of the CMF, contributions to the arts in 2016 were expectedly lower. However, the total number of recipients have been steadily increasing since 2014 by almost 35% with 226 awardees in 2015 and 304 awardees this year.
6 This year, we also saw more individuals heeding the call for greater private investment to the arts scene. We recognised a more than two-fold increase in individual contributions at $19.4 million compared to $8.2 million last year. This year’s Awards also feted first-time Distinguished Patron of the Arts (DPOA) recipient, Mr Alexander Tedja, Chairman of Pakuwon Group. The avid collector, who made a long-term loan of a collection of paintings to National Gallery Singapore, firmly believes art should be accessible to all people. In response to his motivation behind his immense passion for art and generosity to share his prized collections, Mr Tedja said, “The arts have become a part of my daily life since I started my collection in the late 1980s. Everything is closely connected to, and revolves around art. Exposing art to the public is not only for enjoyment, but to educate and inspire.
7 Long-time supporters of the Singapore Symphony Group, Mr Christopher Ho and Mrs Rosy Ho, believe in cultivating the love of classical music in young people. Apart from donating cash to support the development of Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir, Mrs Rosy Ho has also been a volunteer on the Singapore Symphony Orchestra Ladies League for over a decade and is a key member of its fundraising committee. “Classical musical is something beautiful that needs to be preserved and we want to do our part to keep this for our future generations,” said Mr and Mrs Ho.
8 In the area of corporate giving, more organisations are looking to streamline their efforts to give in a more meaningful way. An example is Temasek who reorganised its 17 endowment funds under six new foundations last year. One of the six foundations is DPOA recipient, Temasek Foundation Nurtures CLG Limited. Mr Liew Mun Leong, Chairman, Temasek Foundation Nurtures said, “We take a holistic and inclusive approach to nurturing youths, including enabling a greater appreciation of artistic works in communities. As a long-time supporter of the arts, we are committed to the sustainable development of the arts, for the generations to come.”
9 Instituted in 1983, the Patron of the Arts Awards aim to celebrate the generous contributions of arts patrons who leave their mark on Singapore’s local arts scene in their own way. The 2017 Awards is the 34th edition and recognises contributions made between 1 January and 31 December 2016.
10 This year’s corporate recipients span across automotive, health, hospitality, financial, retail and technology sectors. For the list of 2017 Patron of the Arts Awards recipients, refer to Annex A For more information on the Patron of the Arts Awards, refer to Annex B, or visit https://www.nac.gov.sg/whatwedo/championing-the-arts/arts-philanthropy/patron-arts-awards.html.
*The information on this page has been updated after the award ceremony and is accurate as of 10 August 2017. Changes includes minor amendments in contribution figures and the award recipient list.