Building a strong and inclusive society through the arts

Mrs Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary (Culture) for MCCY and Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council;

Ms Maureen Goh, Executive Director, Very Special Arts Ltd

Mr Ichiro Kabasawa, Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation

Dr Indrajit Banerjee, Director, UNESCO Knowledge Societies Division

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you at the inaugural Arts & Disability International Conference 2018.

2. Today, we have a large gathering of international delegates, as well as guest speakers from Singapore. You represent a diverse group of stakeholders – social service organisations, artists, foundations, donors and sponsors – who are all committed to the development of arts in the disability sector. Thank you very much for your support!

3. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Very Special Arts Singapore (VSA) for co-organising this Conference with the National Arts Council. The Conference is part of the True Colours Festival, which the VSA is also driving. Some of the most talented performing artistes with disabilities in the Asia Pacific region will be featured in the True Colours Festival, and I am very excited to watch them perform tomorrow.

Building a 3C society through the arts

4. At the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), we believe that the arts have the power to build three important ‘C’s, a Caring people, a Cohesive society, and a Confident Nation. We believe that this is the foundation of a strong Singapore, and that is why we work to develop and promote the arts across diverse audiences, from different backgrounds and of all abilities. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in and be inspired by the arts.

Initiatives by key players in the scene

5. We can only achieve this goal through the collective efforts of different communities to embrace and derive strength from inclusivity and diversity.  This is why our cultural agencies and institutions actively partner artists to offer opportunities for under-reached but important groups and individuals.

6. For example, the NAC’s Artist-in-School scheme supports collaborations between schools and practising Singaporean artists and writers to co-develop customised arts education programmes. Among the various schools, the scheme has since worked with 10 special education schools to enable nearly 800 of their students to gain exposure to the arts, learn from practising artists and deepen their appreciation of various art forms.

7. Through the WeCare Arts Fund, we aim to increase arts access for beneficiaries in the social service sector, through collaborations between social service organisations and artists to bring art-making opportunities to persons with disabilities. Under this initiative, 27 students from the Down Syndrome Association performed at the M1 Peer Pleasure Youth Theatre Festival in 2017, under the guidance of Singaporean theatre practitioners Jean Ng and Julius Foo.  Metta PreSchool -  which offers early intervention programmes for young children with special needs - also worked with multi-disciplinary artist Angie Seah to create beautiful visual art works.

8. In addition, the ArtReach initiative seeks to promote arts access to underserved communities such as the elderly, low-income families, at-risk youth, and Persons with Disabilities. Through ArtReach, the NAC partners artists, government agencies, community partners and social service organisations to collaborate on projects that use the arts to enhance the mental and emotional wellness of beneficiaries, and strengthen their social connections.

9. Across different players and platforms in Singapore, there has also been an increase in efforts to enhance inclusivity. For example, nationwide platforms such as Singapore Writers Festival and Arts in Your Neighbourhood have extended their programmes to profile artists with disabilities.

10. Some of our Museums have also developed programmes specifically to facilitate accessibility and inclusion. For example, the National Museum Singapore presents GosTan Back as part of its annual Children’s Season programme. This is an inclusive, roving family theatre programme specially designed to support children with additional needs.

Strengthening cross-sector collaborations

11. The initiatives I have just described point to the work already being done to provide persons with disabilities with greater access to and benefits from the arts.

12. But there is still more that we can achieve together.  We will therefore continue to provide platforms like this Conference, to help like-minded parties forge stronger partnerships with one another. Whether you are a corporate donor, caregiver, volunteer, artist or social service practitioner, I hope that the discussions at this Conference will give you new insights on how we can work together to make our societies more caring and inclusive. I encourage all of you to share your views and ideas openly, and strengthen our efforts by adapting best practices from regional and international case studies.

13. Thank you, and I wish you a fruitful day ahead!