Appointment of Independent Panels/Juries to Assess Programming for Major Government-supported Arts Events

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.