A majority of artists in Singapore struggle to build a career based on their artistic talent and craft. Many have to juggle either odd jobs or a non-related full-time job to be financially sustainable to practise their art.
But industry experts have commented that the arts scene in Singapore has improved in the last 10 years, with more opportunities now available to artists. For example, last year, Our SG Arts Plan was launched to improve support for the arts and increase accessibility of art to all from 2018 to 2022. School of the Arts (SOTA) was launched in 2008 as an initiative to raise the profile of the arts, and provide an art-oriented education program for pre-tertiary students who are keen to pursue arts-related careers.
Grants are also given out to artists for their work and programs by the National Arts Council (NAC) rather generously, but there have been growing concerns about the stringent criteria to qualify, and key performance indicators (KPIs) that artists have to meet. Some also feel that the KPIs run counterproductive to their events as the required measures are not reflective of the social impact of the arts.
Increasingly, what has helped artists gain exposure and wider audience are the Internet and social media. More people are willing to purchase artworks online, and artists can use online portfolios to reach audiences beyond the shores.
Read the full article on Channel NewsAsia: The Big Read: For artistic millennials, making a living out of the arts is a craft in itself
Analysis:
Generations in our society have been taught that we need to work hard to get good grades, and make it in life by holding a well-respected, well-paid job. Unfortunately, this narrative was pushed forth at the expense of creativity and arts. Students were taught to rote learn and memorise content and tactics to score well in examinations. Those who are more creative by nature would have somewhat felt stifled in this system along the way.
The artists today have taken a different path from most of their peers, redefining what success looks like to them. Despite the majority’s view that you cannot make a living out of art in Singapore, they persist. It is a known fact that artists struggle, mainly due to lack of accessible means of getting funds to start and remain financially sustainable after.
While the government can tell us about the improving numbers – amount of money spent on the culture sector, number of events and attendees etc. – society may still be stuck in the old mindset that the arts are irrelevant and artists can rarely be ‘successful’ locally. These numbers are meaningless if the efforts are not translated into broadening society’s mindset and deepening our understanding of the value created by the arts.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- What makes it so difficult for artists to get support from our society?
- What value does art provide in a society?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘tutelage’: guardianship
- ‘stringent’: strict, precise, and exacting
Picture credits:https://pixabay.com/en/ballet-dance-ballerina-scene-1376250/