Appreciating the volunteers and honouring the best of the PAssionArts month

Mr Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Director, PA; 
Chairmen and members of Community Arts & Culture Clubs; 
Distinguished guests; 
Ladies and gentlemen

1. Tonight, we celebrate the very best of this year’s PAssionArts Month.

2. I remember attending the launch of PAssionArts Month at Jurong Central Park last month. Just an hour or two before the launch, there was a very heavy downpour leaving the park very wet.

3. But the rainy weather did not dampen our spirits and many residents of all ages and backgrounds turned up to enjoy the activities. The enthusiasm of the artists and volunteers too was unshaken, as they poured themselves into every performance and every interactive art installation. Because of the energy and spirit shown by every single participant, it was a memorable evening for all of us - family, friends and neighbours - who came together to appreciate and bond over arts and culture. Throughout the different events held during the PAssionArts Month, I saw that same determination to bring the beauty and inspiration of arts and culture to all Singaporeans.

4. This year’s PAssionArts month was bigger and better than the one held last year. We had close to 50 PAssionArts Villages all over Singapore, and events reached more than 100,000 residents. Well done! This would not have been possible without all of you whom we are honouring this evening.

Crucial Role of Local Arts and Culture Champions

2. All 4,000 of you – grassroots leaders, volunteers, and community artists – are our “arts and culture champions”. You bring with you a deep passion for arts and culture. You bring with you a special knowledge of your respective local communities, and help to come up with programmes and artworks which the residents can relate to and find meaningful.

3. But more than your ground knowledge, what is most inspiring is your heart for the community. I know that each of you have work or family commitments. Devoting your time and energy to bring the arts and culture to your communities therefore means real sacrifice of your other priorities. Yet all of you, our champions, have worked tirelessly to bring arts and culture to virtually every neighbourhood.

4. I would like to give special mention to the arts and culture champions who conceived specific programmes for the less fortunate. Some of the PAssionArts Villages included projects that delivered the arts’ healing and transformative power to youths-at-risk, the elderly and the less privileged, involving for instance the Yellow Ribbon Project and senior citizens’ homes. These champions have not forgotten those who otherwise may not have the chance to experience the arts. I applaud their passion for arts and culture, their spirit of volunteerism and desire to engage the community, without forgetting the marginalised. They are an inspiration to all of us.

Nurturing Role of Professional Artists

5. I would also like to recognise the efforts of our professional artists. At this year’s PAssionArts Month, more than 40 professional artists and art groups of different genres have co-created artworks with the residents. With the guidance of artistic professionals, residents have been able to create higher quality artworks. And I believe that the artists have also found that by working with the residents, their works now also reflect the community’s stories, making the co-created works much more meaningful for the residents.

6. I believe that our professional artists have a responsibility to nurture the community’s talents and I encourage them to continue reaching out to residents, not just during PAssionArts Month, but all year round.

The Next Phase of our Cultural Development – Organic, Ground-Up Growth

7. This year, more than 4,000 arts and culture champions stood up to meet the challenging task of organising the PAssionArts Villages islandwide.

8. These PAssionArts Villages exemplify the authentic, ground-up efforts in the arts and culture, which we want to nurture. Each one of them showcases the unique characteristics of the neighbourhood, and you can see some of the examples here today. One of them is the “Tampines Tree”, which has contributions from more than 2,000 residents to create the artwork. Another example is the painted masks installation, where 450 residents from age 5 to 70 came together to paint the masks. Each of these villages showcases the efforts of the residents and their unique talents, and this is something that we want to encourage. To have Villages that are authentic, ground-up, and through this effort we can encourage even more participation from more residents.

9. The PAssionArts Villages also showcased the unique community spaces found in each neighbourhood. Familiar and well-loved settings such as parks, pedestrian malls and even the beach were transformed into vibrant arts and culture venues. They made use of the uniqueness of each neighbourhood, and tapped on the different resources found in each location. One Village created a black box theatre in an open-air area, using black cloth and canvas. Another set up a makeshift recording studio in a Community Club’s multipurpose hall, to help the community understand what goes on behind professional music productions. And so with simple innovations, the community was able to enjoy the black box and studio recording experience.

10. Uncovering the many resources available around us, discovering the rich history and character of our different communities, and forming connections and bonds with our neighbours - all these will instil a greater sense of belonging among the neighbourhood’s residents. As we adapt our own brand of arts and culture to our unique surroundings, we make our neighbourhoods much more our own. So I am proud of what the Villages have done for the residents this year.

Sustaining the PAssionArts Movement

11. This year’s PAssionArts Month exemplifies much that we would like to see in our arts and culture landscape – local champions who stand up for arts and culture in their communities; partnerships with professional artists who guide this ground-up growth; authentic, organic expression that reflect the uniqueness of each neighbourhood.

12. So it is fitting that tonight, we honour the best PAssionArts Villages and ideas, created through the combination of these factors, in the inaugural PAssionArts Awards. Let me once again congratulate all the Community Arts and Culture Clubs (CACCs) for a job well done, and in particular commend those who are receiving the PAssionArts Month Awards this evening.

13. Arts and culture help to enhance our quality of life, and to make Singapore a better home for all of us. Arts and culture should be a habit, a lifestyle and a daily inspiration. Let us not stop with PAssionArts Month, which is just one month a year, but celebrate arts and culture all year round.