Details of Spending for Funds under the Community Engagement Masterplan

Ms Janice Koh asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (a) if he can provide the details of spending proposed for the $210 million to be spent over FY12-FY16 under the Community Engagement Masterplan; and (b) what is the breakdown of expenditure in terms of (i) direct grant funding to community-based and professional arts groups and artists (ii) the upgrading and building of facilities and (iii) the increased headcount and manpower costs within Government.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: As announced at MICA's COS 2012, a total of up to $210m will be spent on the Community Engagement Masterplan for arts and culture over FY12-FY16. This Masterplan seeks to broaden opportunities for exposure to arts and culture, make arts and culture more accessible to the community and deepen engagement of our arts and culture practitioners and enthusiasts.

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In implementing the Masterplan, the Government will work closely with both artists and the community to create a wide range of quality programmes and content that resonate with and reach out to all Singaporeans. These initiatives can be broadly divided into three priority areas: (i) promoting learning and appreciation; (ii) seeding new interest groups, community networks and ground-up initiatives; and (iii) providing more community touchpoints for arts and culture. To ensure their relevance to Singaporeans, various initiatives under this Masterplan would be continually reviewed, and funding will be adjusted according to the needs and responses of the ground.

At present, MICA intends to channel approximately 30% of the $210 million committed towards increasing interest and appreciation for arts and culture. Under this area, MICA and its partners would be putting in place initiatives, many in partnership with community and professional arts groups, to build up a larger pool of audiences and participants for arts and culture programmes and activities. These include:

(a) Arts and Culture 101 programmes, an appreciation series designed to be accessible and easily digestible, and conducted in partnership with arts and culture practitioners. This will range from introductory talks pitched at novices, to more interactive programmes such as workshops and learning journeys. Over the next five years, more than 6,000 sessions will be conducted to reach over 300,000 Singaporeans;

(b) A one-stop portal for arts and culture (ArtsCultureSG), to provide comprehensive, consolidated information on arts and culture activities taking place across the island. This will enable the public to easily discover and enjoy the myriad of arts and culture options presented by community and professional practitioners;

(c) A Silver Arts Programme for seniors. Apart from community drumming which has grown in popularity in many constituencies, NAC will introduce, grow and tap on programmes such as community singing and arts and craft to give seniors citizens an outlet for their creativity and keep their minds active.

(d) To promote appreciation of literary arts, NLB's annual reading campaign, READ! Singapore, will extend its title selection and programming to include a younger audience (7-14 years old). READ! Singapore will raise the public's appreciation of literary arts through mass outreach activities, author sessions, book discussions, performances and library programmes. It will also organise writing programmes, workshops and competitions to encourage the public to engage in writing activities.

Up to 30% of the budget under this area would be used to provide additional manpower to agencies. This would include cultural concierges stationed at each of NLB's public libraries to provide information on arts and culture activities, serve as advocates to the public on arts and culture, and link up the public with relevant interest groups, facilities and resources.

Approximately 25% of the budget for the Community Engagement Masterplan would be channelled towards seeding new arts and culture interest groups and networks, encouraging ground-up initiatives by professional and community-based arts groups and enthusiasts, and creating additional platforms for both community and professional arts groups to deepen and gain greater exposure for their practice.

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Specific initiatives to be supported under this priority include:

(a) Providing start-up grants and support for community interest groups through starter toolkits, workshops, masterclasses, and partnerships with professional instructors. Community Arts and Culture Clubs would also be set up at each of the 87 constituencies. This initiative seeks to strengthen and grow a network of interest groups, so as to catalyse a nationwide movement for arts and culture;

(b) Building the capabilities of arts practitioners to work with the community, as well as the capabilities of community organisations (such as Community Clubs) to programme and sustain arts activities. This initiative would include programming grants to community and professional arts groups, greater training opportunities to help artists design and implement community projects, and supporting exchange of capabilities and best practices between the artistic and general community.

(c) Providing community and professional arts groups with more showcase opportunities, by enhancing support for community arts and culture events such as the District Arts Festivals, as well as through niche platforms such as Noise Singapore for the showcasing of young creative talent.

To support the above initiatives, new manpower on the ground would be needed to direct practitioners, hobbyists and enthusiasts towards relevant resources. Up to 20% of the budget under this first priority area would be used to support these new community-based positions.

The remaining budget for the Community Engagement Masterplan (45%) will go towards increasing community touchpoints for arts and culture. One quarter of this budget would be channelled towards upgrading existing community spaces and facilities to enhance their use for arts and culture and provide more affordable facilities for practice and showcase for both community and professional arts groups. This would include:

(a) Community heritage galleries and community exhibition spaces to deliver arts and heritage content closer to the heartlands, including both artworks and artefacts from the National Collection, as well as community co-curated exhibitions. This will also provide professional arts groups and community enthusiasts with greater opportunity to showcase their works.

(b) Additional travelling exhibitions and heritage trails, led by the community where possible, to intensify community outreach and showcase national and community stories.

(c) Upgrading community facilities for practice and showcase, such as by enhancing stage lighting and soundproofing music studios in CCs. Between FY12-FY16, the Government aims to upgrade up to 25 community spaces.

In addition, the Government is considering the feasibility of establishing Regional Cultural Centres in town hubs, where larger-scale facilities could be built to serve a wider catchment. This would be studied separately due to the higher costs involved.

The remaining three-quarters of the budget would go towards supporting community engagement field officers to serve the Community Arts and Culture Clubs set up at each of the 87 constituencies. These officers will serve as key touchpoints for both practitioners and the community, and play a vital role in bridging arts groups with community institutions, building networks at the local, regional and national level for greater synergy, and connecting enthusiasts with interest groups, training opportunities, facilities and resources. They will also work closely with community and professional arts groups to programme community spaces, so as to enhance the vibrancy of our neighbourhoods.

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