PROJECT: Singapore Public Art Study
DATE: 2024-25
LOCATION: Singapore
CLIENT: National Arts Council
City People was appointed by the Singapore National Arts Council to develop a ten-year public art study for the city-state from 2025-2035.
PUBLIC ART IN SINGAPORE
In the 1980s and 1990s, public art became prevalent in Singapore as a tool to beautify urban spaces and to build an independent, postcolonial, post-war national identity. Contemporary artists engaged with similar themes around Singapore’s rapid urbanisation and its push for progress.
Following a 1989 Report of the Advisory Council on Culture and the Arts, the government spearheaded several initiatives to promote and support arts and culture.
- 1991: National Arts Council formed
- 1993: National Heritage Board formed
- 2012: Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth formed
- 2010: Framework for Arts Spaces formed
In 2014, the National Arts Council established the Public Art Trust (PAT) with $10 million in seed funding. PAT had a remit to make art part of Singapore’s urban landscape and bring it closer to Singaporeans. PAT represented a significant shift towards an organised approach to promoting commissioning and maintaining public art.
OBJECTIVES
With an outlook spanning the next decade, the Public Art Study outlines mid-to-long term strategies for public art in Singapore to elevate its global reputation as a culturally vibrant and distinct city.
Underpinned by consultations with public, government, artists, cultural institutions, curators, fabricators and private sector developers, the Study seeks to mobilise siloed government agencies and private stakeholders towards a common vision for public art in Singapore.
The key objectives for this masterplan are to:
- Provide a multi-layered overview of existing and future elements in Singapore’s public art scene
- Link various drivers of public art to identify synergies and opportunities.
- Encourage inclusion of art and artists in civic planning and design
- Foster best practices in funding and creating public art
- Adopt best practices in maintaining and decommissioning public art.
PROCESS AND OUTCOMES
As specialists in public art, culture-led placemaking and strategy, City People is leading the co-development of the study with the Singapore National Arts Council.
We have engaged public art consultant Sarah Wang and a local advisory reference group (below) who are providing local knowledge and strategic insights.
- A/Prof Lilian Chee (Dept of Architecture, NUS)
- Ahmad Rashadi (Head, NUS Museum)
- Dr Karin Oen-Lee (Head of Art History, NTU)
We are undertaking:
- 20 focus groups
- 10 x 1:1 interviews
- Online survey
- Public art definition workshop
- Core stakeholder workshop
Photos: Kiki Ertug
This project is part of the Public Art Trust – an initiative supported by the National Arts Council Singapore, Singapore’s statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth that champions the arts in Singapore.