Recognising our arts and heritage patrons

Ms Yeoh Chee Yan, Permanent Secretary, MCCY

Mr Ong Yew Huat, Chairman, National Heritage Board

Mrs Rosa Daniel, CEO, National Heritage Board

Patrons and supporters of heritage

Ladies and gentlemen

1. It is my pleasure to be here at the annual Patron of Heritage Awards. 

2. Today's awards ceremony is a special one, because we are at our threshold of our 50th anniversary of independence next year. It promises to be a year of great celebration – a time to look back and reflect on our achievements, and how we got to where we are, a time to look forward, and to chart a better future for Singapore. It will also be a time to cherish, and to celebrate our journey as a nation. 

3. Today also marks many “firsts” for cultural philanthropy in Singapore. In 2013, as patrons and supporters of heritage, you have donated over S$20 million – more than double the amount in 2012! And just recently, we had additional donations coming forward, altogether S$37 million pledged to the new National Gallery – S$12 million from Keppel Corporation, and S$25 million from DBS Bank, and we have new donations coming even as we speak. This is great news for the arts and heritage sector as a whole. I would like to thank all patrons and supporters for your generous support. 

4. What is also very impressive is how the number of patrons and supporters continue to grow. Today we honour an unprecedented 108 individuals and organisations who have given generously to the growth and development of our museums and heritage institutions over the past year.  This is an almost three-fold increase from last year. 

5. I have also been told that two-thirds of the awardees with us this evening are joining us as new patrons, many of whom are under the “Supporter” category”, a new category which we introduced this year. This is the highest ever number of new philanthropists. I welcome our new philanthropists on board, and I hope that your generosity will inspire many others to follow in your footsteps.

Recognising enduring contributions

6. Let me take this opportunity to specially thank our long-time supporters – both individuals and groups who have contributed, year after year, to our museums and heritage scene.

7. One example is Mr Mohamed Abdul Jaleel. He has generously pledged an annual donation to the Tamil Language Council for 10 years, beginning last year in 2013. His generous contribution will help to make signature platforms and events like the Tamil Language Festival possible.

8. Another example is Dr Roger and Mrs Betty Mariette. Since the 1990s, they have loaned their outstanding collection of Peranakan art to the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Peranakan Museum. Tonight, they will be receiving the Distinguished Supporter of Heritage award for their significant loan of rare and important artefacts.

9. There are also those individuals, like Ms Agnes Tan and Mrs Julia Oh, who have pledged their support to building up our long-term capabilities in the heritage sector. Ms Tan's most recent donation to the NUS Museum and the NUS Department of Architecture will go a long way in boosting the research and teaching of architectural conservation. Likewise, Mrs Oh's contribution to the NHB International Continuing Education Grant has strengthened the capabilities of our NHB curators and conservators, through the fostering of partnerships and attachment opportunities with museums overseas.

10. Equally important are the many corporations who have remained committed to keeping our heritage alive over the years. This year's Distinguished Patron awardee, City Developments Limited, has not only been donating to NHB's programmes; it also supported the recently-launched Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum and developed the CDL Green Gallery with over S$2 million in cash and in kind, to raise awareness of the cultural heritage of the Botanic Gardens.

11. I'm sure many are aware of our bid to have the Gardens inscribed as our first UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have just submitted our nomination, we have put up a comprehensive bid and I believe we have a good case. But regardless of the outcome, what's important is that Singaporeans feel a connection to the Gardens' rich heritage, and appreciate how it has intertwined with our national history and our development. So I am glad that patrons like CDL have stepped up to support this.

12. The Lee Foundation is another of our long-standing donors. The Foundation's contributions are wide-ranging, from supporting our exhibitions and public programmes, to supporting the restoration of the Gemmill Fountain, which now stands at the National Museum. In 2013, support from the Foundation enabled the National Museum to present unique programmes in conjunction with the Princely Treasures from the House of Liechtenstein exhibition. It also contributed to a book on the history of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. These are some examples of our longstanding donors, patrons and supporters, and once again, thank you for your generous support.

A larger space for sustainable giving

13. Heritage belongs to all of us. It is the joint responsibility of individuals, corporates and the state to ensure that Singapore's legacies and traditions live on. These are traditions not just of the nation, but these are our traditions, our people's traditions; legacies that we would like to leave and pass down to our children and grandchildren.

14. That's why my Ministry and our agencies have been building up more platforms and more incentives for sustainable corporate and individual giving to culture and to heritage.

15. Last year, I announced a SS$200 million Cultural Matching Fund. This fund will provide dollar-for-dollar matching of private donations to art, cultural and heritage institutions. Perhaps that is why it has sparked off more giving in recent months because anytime you give, your donation is going to be doubled with government commitment on a one-to-one basis. We see a lot of interest in the fund, and I hope to see even more supporters join the ranks of our patrons in time to come.

16. I am especially optimistic that more will step forward as we approach next year, our Golden Jubilee. We are just about 8 months away to 2015. Last month, I announced two major projects that we are embarking on which are the revamp of the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) and the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM).

17. MCCY has committed S$35 million towards these two revamps of our museums.  And there will be opportunities for our patrons to also play a part in the process of updating these museums.

18. For instance, the National Museum has a Legacy Fund, which was launched in 2012 as part of the Museum's 125th anniversary. The inaugural gift under the Fund was pledged by the Chinese Women's Association, and the Association has continued to campaign actively to raise more funds for this effort. We hope such support will continue as the Museum gears up for Singapore's Golden Jubilee celebration next year.

19. Likewise, supporters of the ACM can do the same through the Jubilee Fund for the museum.  The Fund seeks donations for ACM to acquire artefacts and objects in line with the mission of the museum, and will also offer naming opportunities for both the galleries and the collections housed at the Museum. Beyond the Jubilee Year, the Fund aims to build up our National Collection, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the museum.

20. These are two major projects for us in MCCY as well as in NHB. It is timely that we prepare them for our Golden Jubilee next year. My guidance to the museum team, is that I would like our museums to resonate more with our people, to have museums that Singaporeans look forward to participating in and visiting. This guidance will manifest itself in the way museums design their spaces and exhibitions so that they are more interactive, more participatory, and have a stronger emphasis in terms of the emotional connection with visitors. We welcome suggestions and ideas from all of you, so that all of you as patrons and supporters can be part of the process of revamping our national museums.

21. More importantly, it's also about being involved in the process of recreating our museums for our Golden Jubilee and beyond our Golden Jubilee so that these museums remain precious to us, and all Singaporeans. And together we can build up and sustain a cultural landscape that all Singaporeans will be rightfully proud of.

Launch of new exhibitions

22. It is only with the support of benefactors like yourselves, that we are able to stage quality programmes that attract both existing and new visitors to our museums.  Today, I am happy to launch two new exhibitions that will present history and culture through the medium of photography.

23. The first exhibition, Genesis, makes its Asian debut this evening. It showcases 245 black-and-white images taken all around the world by renowned photographer, Sebastião Salgado. Salgado's photographs explore the associations between Man, animal and the environment, and reinforce the message of green and responsible living.

24. The second exhibition, called We: Defining Stories is a very special one in light of our approaching Jubilee year. The NHB has partnered The Straits Times to revisit landmark moments in Singapore's history, from the 1950s to the present. Many of these photos are poignant, and each one represents a defining moment in our national journey from pre-independence to our modern times. From the Maria Hertogh Riots, to the Hotel New World Collapse; the SARS crisis, to icons like Ah Meng and the Merlion – these are all stories that unite us as Singaporeans, as one people, regardless of our race, language or beliefs. I am sure that every Singaporean will find something here that resonates with them and with our identity as Singaporeans. So I encourage one and all to visit, and to re-live these shared experiences.

Concluding remarks

25. Let me conclude by expressing, once again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you for the unwavering support to our heritage and cultural development. Your contributions have been invaluable in deepening our understanding of who we are, and where we come from.  They will encourage and inspire others to step up to do the same, and in so doing, benefit generations of Singaporeans to come. 

26. I wish you an enjoyable evening ahead.