Press Releases
The Ministry of Education and The National Art Gallery, Singapore’s inaugural collaboration for the Singapore Youth Festival 2010 Art and Crafts Exhibition
The National Art Gallery, Singapore and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are partnering to co-organise this year’s Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Art and Crafts exhibition. This inaugural collaboration features 52 specially selected artworks by 73 students hailing from a total of 48 schools across the island. Co-curated by the Gallery and MOE, the exhibition held at the Singapore Art Museum, provides an opportunity to display the artistic potential of our students in a museum environment. The exhibition will be held for a month from 23 July to 22 August 2010.
Part of the Singapore Youth Festival’s calendar of events, the annual Art & Crafts Exhibition is a national school activity that provides opportunities for students in Singapore to showcase their artistic talents. Through a variety of artistic expressions and mediums, the exhibition also provides critical insights into how students in Singapore portray themselves and relate to the world at large.
Themed “ Torch of Friendship”, this year’s exhibition features works by students aged 13 to 20 hailing from secondary schools, junior colleges and a centralised institute. Tying in with the hosting of the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore, it epitomizes a journey of self-discovery by expressing the personal struggles and challenges of our young people. The exhibition also depicts our youths’ability to transcend their current situations and reach out to the world at large.
Ms Mabel Leong, Chairperson of the Singapore Youth Festival 2010 Art and Crafts Exhibition Committee, says, “ Art education is important for the holistic growth and development of our students. We are glad to collaborate with the National Art Gallery to organise this exhibition and facilitate rich learning experiences for our teachers and students. We also hope that schools will tap on the National Art Gallery to enhance art education” .
Aligned with the museum’s long-term vision of becoming a participatory, education-focused and accessible cultural institution, the National Art Gallery is launching a number of new art education initiatives working with schools. Following the Student Art Ambassador programme piloted in May this year, a formal Art Management (Curating) Training Workshop has been designed. This new programme will equip participants with basic gallery etiquette and guidelines as well as the analytical skills needed to understand art and conduct guided tours.
More importantly, this year’s SYF Art and Crafts exhibition allows our student art ambassadors to play an important role in reaching out to fellow students through the guided tours. For the first time, the National Art Gallery has designed resources for teachers. They include workshops as well as an accompanying resource pack to facilitate teacher-led museum tours for primary and secondary school teachers.
Commented Ms Suenne Megan Tan, the Deputy Director for Programmes, Education & Outreach at the National Art Gallery, Singapore, “ We are happy to work with MOE on the SYF Art and Crafts Exhibition as it provides a voice for our young while recognising their diverse artistic talents. This is closely aligned to our Gallery’s vision of cultivating their interest and involvement in the arts, and making art an integral part of every Singaporean’s lifestyle from a young age. We are committed to working closely with the Ministry and educators through our programmes and resources. Together, we hope to collectively enhance the level of art teaching and learning in schools.”