Strengthening Singapore’s arts ecosystem: New performing arts theatre in Tanglin and record arts patronage

• Good evening. It’s good to see many familiar faces again this year. I am very happy to join you at the 2026 Patron of the Arts Awards, or POAA, tonight.

Arts and the Singapore Identity

• Every year since 1983, we have recognised supporters of the arts – all of you – whose generosity and commitment have enabled our Singapore arts scene to grow and to flourish.

  • Over the years, and among all of us here tonight, we share a common conviction – that we should uplift the arts, because the arts uplift us too.

• Through its many genres and forms, the arts play a powerful role in distilling our distinct Singaporean identity.

  • They are how we know ourselves and they remind us where we come from.

  • And just as importantly, in a diverse multicultural society like ours, the arts serve as a bridge.

    • They connect us. They help us understand one another and express our collective aspirations.

  • By expanding the common space between our different communities, the arts don’t just reflect who we are.

    • They shape who we become, as one united people.

    • And in doing so, they lay the foundation for a more caring, more inclusive and more resilient Singapore.

  • In our latest Population Survey on the Arts, 8 in 10 Singaporeans who attended local arts events expressed that the arts and culture gave them a greater sense of belonging to Singapore.

    • 9 in 10 felt that arts and culture gave them a better understanding of people from different cultures and different backgrounds.

Nurturing the Arts

• The Government has consistently invested in the arts, recognising its value in building our cultural confidence and in deepening our cohesion.

  • We support our local arts groups in their operations and programming through platforms like the Cultural Matching Fund and Major Company Scheme.

  • In July, the National Arts Council launched a new Multicultural Arts Programme Grant, seeded by MCCY and the President’s Challenge, to encourage greater cross-cultural creation and exchange within the arts ecosystem.

  • One year ago, we launched the SG Culture Pass to develop new audiences for local arts, and it is being received very well by both practitioners and by Singaporeans. And to all of you in the audience today, I hope you have already used your SG Culture Pass. If you have not, please use it.

  • The Government also supports arts practitioners in developing their professional and business competencies through the Arts Resource Hub and other work-based training programmes.

  • But sustaining and deepening the impact of the arts require more than government support.

    • It requires a collective whole-of-nation support, especially all of you: our arts patrons.

• POAA 2026 bears encouraging testament to how far we have come in nurturing the arts philanthropy in Singapore together.

  • We are honouring a record 585 organisations and individuals.

    • This is the highest number recognised since the POAA was initiated.

  • Collectively, this year’s honorees contributed close to $90 million to the arts.

    • This is almost double the sum in 2024 and this is the highest in a decade.

• Corporate patronage remains an important anchor.

  • The 105 organisations recognised this year have also contributed not only financial resources but also expertise and networks.

• I am especially encouraged by the significant growth in individual patronage.

  • A record 480 individuals are being recognised tonight, up from 412 last year.

    • This is more than 82 per cent of the honorees this year.

  • About $58 million, or 65 per cent of the total sum contributed this past year, are all from individual patrons.

Strengthening the philanthropy ecosystem

• Sustaining the momentum we are seeing in arts patronage is key as we look towards the future.

  • This requires stronger connections between patrons and arts organisations.

    • It also calls for more innovative fundraising and patronage models, and a deeper understanding of the impact of the arts on our society.

• To further accelerate the growth of arts philanthropy both in Singapore and in the region, NAC will organise the inaugural Singapore Arts Philanthropy Forum in 2027.

  • We have three main objectives for the Forum, and NAC will announce more details in the months ahead.

    • First, to enable more people to discover the transformative impact and value of the arts, and to deepen the culture of giving to the arts.

    • Second, to equip arts organisations with the networks and the capabilities to diversify their funding.

    • Third, to galvanise greater collective support for the arts to unlock more private investments.

Unlocking spaces to uplift the sector

• Let me expand on this last point in particular.

  • The Government is keen to work with private sector partners to channel investments in support of the arts.

    • This extends not only to financial contributions but also in the form of transformative infrastructural investments.

  • Space to create and to present works is one important enabler in uplifting our artists’ capabilities and raising their ambitions.

    • MCCY and NAC have been studying the sector’s space needs, including through direct engagement with the sector.

    • We have a rich and increasingly mature arts sector with great breadth and depth.

    • We recognise that there are diverse needs across the sector, with arts groups requiring spaces of different types and different sizes at different phases of their development.

    • We are therefore planning for a pipeline of differentiated spaces with a phased development approach.

  • To accomplish this, the Government is working with private sector partners to expand our cultural infrastructure in lasting and meaningful ways.

    • One way we have done so is through the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Strategic Development Incentive or SDI scheme, which supports the private sector in redeveloping older buildings into new mixed-use developments that transform and rejuvenate an area.

    • This includes bringing in arts and cultural uses to inject new energy and vibrancy, creating more engaging places for people to enjoy.

• The performing arts scene has grown in the past decade.

  • There were over 7,100 ticketed performances in 2024 – this is more than double the number in 2014. ¹

  • But we have heard feedback from many arts groups, especially in the performing arts, on the competition for spaces to showcase their works to larger audiences because of the growth in the number of performances.

• So, we will continue to grow spaces to support our local arts groups.

  • I am happy to announce that NAC is working with developer Pacific Eagle Real Estate to launch a new 1,000-seat performing arts theatre in Tanglin, the gateway to Orchard Road.

  • This new theatre is part of the redevelopment of the former Tanglin Shopping Centre – announced by the Singapore Tourism Board earlier this year and supported by the SDI scheme.

  • With around 98,000 square feet of space, the theatre built by Pacific Eagle Real Estate will be a world-class venue that further enhances Singapore’s distinctiveness as a major arts and culture destination.

• From the Government’s perspective, we see this as an opportunity to create a theatre that is globally connected while remaining deeply rooted in Singapore’s vibrant arts scene.

  • We hope to bring in new and exciting productions to Singapore.

    • More importantly, the theatre will feature local programming.

    • This will generate opportunities for Singapore’s arts groups and artists to bring their work to audiences, build partnerships and grow their ambitions and practice.

  • NAC will be launching an Expression of Interest for potential operators soon.

    • We have secured the use of the theatre for 20 years at very favourable terms, including a waiver of base rent.

    • These savings will help keep operating costs lower. This will enable the operator to look into working with arts groups to grow audiences sustainably.

    • Local arts groups can bid on their own or they can partner international companies, while international companies can also bid with one or more local arts partners.

• The theatre will also sit alongside a new contemporary art museum to be operated by the Tanoto Art Foundation.

  • Taken together, this venue represents an iconic new cultural development in Tanglin.

  • In the years ahead, we hope that it will contribute to enhancing the arts, cultural and lifestyle offerings in Tanglin, in line with our vision for Tanglin as a neighbourhood with a strong arts and artisanal feel.

  • This is what is possible when the Government and the private sector come together with a shared vision and purpose for what our arts ecosystem can become.

    • As I mentioned earlier, this is one in a pipeline of spaces that the Government is looking at.

    • I encourage more private organisations to consider working with us to find new and innovative ways of supporting the arts.

Conclusion

• Let me conclude.

  • Singapore’s arts philanthropy scene is becoming diverse, broader, and more strategic.

  • The Government will continue to partner the arts sector, our community of patrons and the wider public as we chart the next chapter of Singapore’s cultural development.

  • Ultimately, all of us, together, are building what is a more cohesive, inclusive and resilient Singapore.

    • One where the arts deepen our multiculturalism, strengthen our shared identity, and are a living part of who we are.

    • At this juncture, I want to thank all of you for your unwavering belief in this vision. Can we give a round of applause for everybody.

    • I thank you once again, and I hope your example will inspire others to come forward and join us to be part of this collective effort.

  • Please enjoy the evening ahead. Thank you.

¹ Source: Singapore Culture Statistics 2018 & 2025