SPEECH BY MR CHAN SOO SEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SPORTS AND PATRON OF NAFA (NANYANG ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS), AT THE NAFA CONVOCATION 2004 ON SATURDAY, 24 JULY 2004, AT 10.00 AM AT THE ACADEMY THEATRE, NAFA 2 BUILDING, 151 BENCOOLEN STREET.

Prof Cham Tao Soon, Chairman of the NAFA Council

Mr Choo Thiam Siew, President of NAFA

Distinguished guests

Parents and graduands

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning.

1      It gives me great pleasure to join you this morning to witness a proud moment for the graduands and their loved ones. My heartiest congratulations to you for working hard to earn your degrees.

Advantages of the Arts
2      The benefits that a vibrant arts scene confers on a nation are immeasurable. The arts serve to enrich our cultural experience. They create a sense of identity unique to our nation. In our multi-cultural society, we enjoy many art forms that reflect our colourful roots. But artists are not content to merely reproduce traditional art forms. They are constantly experimenting and creating new forms of art. They even apply innovations in technology to produce works of art. For instance IT tools can be used to design, view and refine the blueprint for a sculpture.

Building a Renaissance City
3      The advantages of the arts are sound reasons for Singapore to pursue its vision of transforming into a Renaissance City. The realisation of this vision cannot be limited to building concert halls and other arts infrastructure. Shaping Singapore into a Renaissance City requires the development of arts education.
Many children possess innate artistic abilities that may go untapped if not for the encouragement and guidance of intuitive teachers. And such an endeavour must depend also on quality institutions that serve as hothouses to groom our nation’s creative talents.

NAFA’s Achievements
4      The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) is a fine example of a reputable establishment devoted to arts education. With the aid of dedicated academic staff and a capable management, NAFA has consistently produced countless artistic talents for Singapore and the region. Looking at the present impressive campus and state-of-the-art facilities, it is easy to forget the situation faced by NAFA in 1938 when it commenced operations. NAFA had to function with bare essentials and little resources.
Tenaciously, with increasing support from the Government and the community over the years, NAFA managed to overcome all odds. Today NAFA stands tall as a well-established, respectable institution for the arts.

5      The brilliant graduates who emerge from NAFA annually are testament to the institution’s passion for the arts. Graduates like Teresa Teo Guttensohn who clinched a Merit award at the 2003 Della Butcher Awards; Raymond Seah who represented Singapore at the prestigious Singapore/London Fashion Graduate Showcase; Liew Wei Keong who was a finalist at the 2003 Mitsubishi International Car Design Competition. These young talents are indicative of Singapore’s potential to contribute significantly to the global arts scene.

Conclusion
6      In conclusion, I would like to once again congratulate all graduands on their achievements. I hope that you share my vision of forging a dynamic, artistic future for Singapore. I wish you all the very best in your future endeavours.

7      Thank you.