Arts and culture in Singapore to resume gradually with pilot small-scale performances
SINGAPORE — Pilots of small-scale live performances will soon be commissioned in Singapore, as the arts and culture sector begins to progressively resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
These performances will incorporate safe management measures based on prevailing guidelines, with the safety of artists, crews and audiences as a priority. They will help identify new models and best practices for these live performances to be conducted safely, and in a sustainable manner.
This comes amid a series of measures announced by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) on Friday (21 August) to protect the livelihoods of arts and culture practitioners and encourage longer-term development of the community.
The additional measures will complement the government schemes and support given under the $55 million Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) announced in April.
“We recognise the significant challenges that the arts and culture community continue to face, particularly with the impact of safe distancing on live performances,” said Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.
“Singapore’s arts and culture landscape has blossomed over time, and we must continue to nurture it, so that we can weather the pandemic to emerge stronger together.”
Additional operating grant for arts and culture organisations
MCCY will also provide an additional operating grant to support operating costs of arts and culture organisations, as well as of those in related sectors such as media and design.
The new grant will seek to preserve core capabilities amid the arts and culture ecosystem, which will be difficult to recover if lost, MCCY said. These capabilities are also critical in areas such as production and distribution of cultural content.
The National Arts Council (NAC) and relevant agencies will be engaging the organisations eligible for the grant directly.
Enhanced support for arts freelancers
Arts and culture freelancers will continue to be eligible for the ACRP’s Capability Development Scheme for the Arts and Digital Presentation Grant for the Arts. The application window for both grants has been extended to 14 September, to support training or projects until 31 March 2021.
After the new deadline, freelancers can continue to apply for NAC’s regular project grants, some of which have been enhanced to offer higher funding for projects planned to take place in the next financial year.
The Arts Resource Hub, established in November last year, will also enhance its support for arts and culture freelancers by provide resources to sustainably continue their practices and grow their careers.
For example, co-working spaces at Goodman Arts Centre and Stamford Arts Centre will be reopened in the coming weeks, with the necessary safe management measures in place. Arts freelancers can access these co-working spaces for free.
NAC will also continue to explore commissioning more projects under ACRP-funded initiatives, which will provide more opportunities for arts and culture practitioners, including freelancers.
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