Building a sustained culture of appreciation for the arts

Ms Kathy Lai, CEO of the National Arts Council (NAC)

Ladies and gentlemen

Good evening

1. It is a pleasure to join you the evening for the launch of The A List. We hope that this will be Singapore's definitive guide to the arts and culture. I think it could not have come at a better time because our cultural scene has grown rapidly in recent years. To give you a sense of this vibrancy: In 2013, more than 21,000 arts events were held in Singapore, which works out to about 60 per day on average. These range from plays, to dance performances and literary readings, to music recitals and exhibitions. 
   

2. If we look at the past four months alone, we've seen blockbusters like the Singapore International Festival of the Arts, the Singapore Night Festival and the da:ns festival at the Esplanade. We also had a very broad and inclusive range of programmes, with events like the PAssionArts Festival and Silver Arts for different segments of the community. 
   

3. I'm encouraged that we not only have a very packed schedule for the arts but we are also achieving both high quality and broad accessibility in our arts and culture programmes – for example the PAssionArts Festival reached over 125,000 residents, and the recent Singapore Night Festival attracted a record high of more than 500,000 visitors! 
   

4. With so much happening, I think it is time the scene deserves its very own arts guide. I've been looking to something like this for quite some time. Because, when you want to find out about the latest happenings in the art and culture today, there is no central resource to turn to. Some of you will turn to the newspapers, some of you will search online, some of you will look at magazines. But none of them are fully comprehensive, so you would need to do a bit of homework to find out what is really happening if you want a definitive guide to all the events that are happening in the arts and cultural scene in Singapore. 
   

5. I speak from my own experience, because about two years ago, when I wanted to find out more about what was happening during the Singapore Art Week, I Googled the phrase online and the top link was a link from the STB website! Now of course, STB should do its own promotion of arts events to attract tourists to Singapore. But I think we really ought to have our own guide designed for Singaporeans. That was when I told Kathy that we needed to have a definitive arts and culture guide for ourselves. And I was very glad to here at that time that the team was already working on something.     
   

6. So now we have The A List – it will help all of us keep track of up and coming events, and make it easier for art lovers to find out more about what is going on in the arts scene. It will provide a calendar that brings together many different arts and culture events in Singapore. It will also publish quality content that is informative yet entertaining, which hopefully will engage all of us as readers in expanding our cultural horizons. The coverage of The A List will be wide-ranging, spanning heritage as well as the arts, and exploring different art forms from the traditional to the contemporary. 
   

7. I believe The A List will serve many different groups: the art sector, as a channel for publicity and awareness; our artists and arts groups, as a way to profile their talents and their work; and most importantly, it will serve today's information-savvy community. We hope to reach new audiences and build a sustained culture of appreciation and awareness of the arts in Singapore through The A List. 
   

8. That is why we need The A List to spread the word. And we are also making use of different media to do so. The A List will be published fortnightly, so it is quite a high frequency. It is a high demand for the editorial team, to produce with new content every two weeks, but they are planning do this so there is something for all of us to enjoy and pick-up once every two weeks. Importantly, it is available for free at a community centre, library or arts venue near you. So do grab a copy and pass it along to your family and friends. 
   

9. The A List will also have a web portal for you to check out the latest arts activities, and plan ahead which ones to attend with your family and friends. Weekly updates from The A List will also be available on radio and TV soon. Whether you are an avid arts buff or curious newcomer, I am sure that The A List will be an accessible gateway to ignite your interest in the arts! 
   

10. Finally, I would like to acknowledge that there are many partners who have helped make this possible. The A List would not be possible without the support of our partner agencies, like-minded corporations, as well as the arts and culture community. I want to acknowledge companies like M1, Mediacorp, and Singapore Tourism Board as well. To all our friends and partners, please give The A List your full support. Let's work toward a common aim together: to make Singapore a cultural city, with distinctive character and soul.
    

11. On that note, I officially launch The A List!