Recognising patrons who have donated to Singapore's arts and heritage sector

Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of the National Arts Council
Distinguished guests 
Ladies and gentlemen

1. I'm very happy to be here with all of you tonight to celebrate and honour your support for our arts community. I thank all our patrons who are here tonight, especially our long-time donors and supporters.
   

2. Tonight is an important night not just to celebrate and to recognise our patrons, it's also a special milestone because it is the 30th year of the Arts Awards. We've reached a long way from where we started in 1983. The then-Ministry of Culture recognised four organisations with the inaugural Awards. Today, we are recognising 353 awardees – more than a hundred-fold increase and that is quite an achievement. So thank you very much for all your support. The progress shows how far we have come in terms of supporting the arts and culture in Singapore and developing our cultural landscape.
   

3. It's also good to see that more than 120 of the recipients we are recognising tonight are first-time contributors, including many who are contributing in their individual capacity. In fact, this year we had over 70 per cent increase in the number of individual givers. It is a welcome trend to see people in their private capacities wanting to make a meaningful contribution in the arts.
   

4. To our patrons, whether you're corporate or individuals, I would like to say that you are part of a grand tradition of private support for the arts which goes back centuries. Art patronage is not new. The arts has always thrived on patrons. Without patronage, we would not have the great artistic works we enjoy today – Michelangelo would not have painted the Sistine Chapel, Beethoven would not have composed his symphonies, and Shakespeare would not have written his plays. Beyond medieval and Renaissance Europe, patronage of the arts can also be found throughout Asia – in ancient China, in Japan and the traditional Southeast Asian kingdoms.
   

5. Of course, these days, patronage is no longer bestowed by emperors, kings or popes. Today, all of you are our art patrons. We count on you to support our artists, as well as our cultural institutions like our museums and theatres. Your contributions may be in the form of a donation, or it may be as simple as purchasing an original local artwork for your home, or encouraging a child with an unusual talent. In fact, for many artists, their first patrons are their parents. Their parents are the ones who first identified and nurtured their artistic talents. Every individual action to support the arts matters is an act of patronage, and will go towards helping the cultural development of our nation.
   

6. We would like even more people to contribute and have a stake in the growth of the arts in Singapore. All of us – the government, corporates and individuals – have a shared responsibility in developing our local arts scene. This is why my Ministry has set aside $200 million to match private donations to arts, cultural and heritage sector. Since we announced this matching grant scheme in the Budget this year, we have been actively consulting with the public on how to go about designing the scheme. We have since wrapped up our consultations, and will launch the scheme in the coming months.
   

7. Through the matching grant, I hope that we will see even more donors stepping forward to share in developing the arts and culture. The government will and is doing its part, but the arts cannot be shaped solely by state patronage. We want all of society to develop our cultural sector, and I hope even more people will join your ranks, as Patrons of the Arts. So on behalf of NAC, artists, arts groups and the community, let me thank all of you once again for your belief, commitment and generosity to grow the arts in Singapore. We look forward to seeing you here again next year. I wish you all a very pleasant and enjoyable evening ahead. Thank you.