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Culture Academy
The Culture Academy plays a key role in championing the development of the next generation of Singapore’s cultural leaders.
Last updated 19 November 2025
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The Culture Academy (CA) of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), plays a key role in championing the development of the next generation of Singapore’s cultural leaders. It is a centre of excellence for cultural thought leadership that develops and aligns cultural leaders of MCCY institutions towards MCCY ’s strategic outcomes, centred on two key areas: Leadership & Corporate Development and Research & Partnership.
Leadership & Corporate Development
CA champions the development of the next generation of Singapore’s cultural leaders in the public and private sectors, in alignment with Singapore’s strategies to foster a caring people, cohesive society, and confident nation.
The Programmes enable participants to enhance their understanding of and alignment with Whole-of-Government (WOG) and Whole-of-Nation (WON) priorities. The Programmes are undergirded by the Culture Sector Leadership Competency Framework which seeks to build participants’ leadership capabilities.
Participants will gain a better appreciation of operating context and challenges faced, learn about leadership and governance, cultural sensitivities, and stakeholders’ management and engagement, and acquire the knowledge and skills to chart future challenges and opportunities in the Arts and Culture and Creative Economy. The programmes also help one to build network, camaraderie and collaborations within and outside the Culture Sector.
Research & Partnerships
CA drives strategic research initiatives and international partnerships to strengthen Singapore's position as a regional cultural hub. Through collaborative research with universities, cultural institutions, government agencies, and private sector partners, we generate valuable insights that inform MCCY family policies and programmes. We share our research findings through various platforms including symposia, online resources, and publications, reaching policymakers, cultural sector stakeholders, and the public. Our partnerships complement this work by positioning Singapore as a leading centre of excellence in cultural policy, while building confidence among domestic stakeholders and reinforcing Singapore's endeavour as a cultural hub in the region.
Key Programmes
Leadership Programmes
Future Leaders Programme (FLP)
The Future Leaders Programme (FLP) is a 1-week initiative designed for high-performing mid-level officers who demonstrate leadership potential and aspire to higher management positions. The programme aims to broaden participants' perspectives on the Cultural and Creative Sectors by enhancing their understanding of the operating context and identifying opportunities and challenges posed by dynamic geopolitical, economic, and social issues in Singapore.
Through lectures and discussions, participants will learn about sound leadership and governance practices, cultural sensitivities, and better engagement practices to navigate future challenges and opportunities in the Arts and Culture and Creative Economy. The overarching objectives include strengthening participants' understanding of MCCY’s strategic outcomes, fostering a common ethos and mission, building effective teams, and promoting camaraderie and inter-agency collaboration at the Middle Manager level.
Cultural Leaders Programme (CLP)
The 2-week Cultural Leaders Programme (CLP) is designed for high-performing Directors with leadership potential in senior management positions, aiming to gain broader perspectives on the Cultural and Creative Sectors. The programme deepens participants' understanding of their operating environment to better navigate dynamic geopolitical, economic, and social issues in Singapore. Through lectures, discussions, and leadership dialogues, participants learn about sound leadership and governance practices, cultural sensitivities, and effective stakeholder engagement. Equipped with knowledge and skills from case studies, they explore sectoral issues to chart future challenges and opportunities.
The programme includes an overseas trip for mutual exchange and learning with international counterparts. The overarching objectives are to strengthen understanding of Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Nation contexts, foster a common ethos and mission, build consensus on sector challenges and opportunities, and promote strong professional relationships, camaraderie, and inter-agency collaboration among leaders in cultural agencies and institutions.
CAx
CAx Events feature intimate fireside chats that bring together distinguished speakers and cultural leaders for meaningful conversations about arts and culture. Through partnerships with key institutions, these curated sessions explore contemporary themes, trends, and opportunities in the cultural sector, fostering knowledge exchange and professional networking. The programme leverages expertise from both local and international thought leaders to strengthen Singapore's position in the cultural landscape while creating valuable dialogue that benefits industry professionals, policymakers, and cultural leaders.
Research Reports
Read about Singapore Cultural Statistics here.
Newsletters
Culture Bytes
Building Singapore Through Arts Education: Six Decades of Institutional Development and Cultural Growth
Culture Bytes – October 2025 [PDF, 1MB]The Kebaya: Weaving Southeast Asian Unity Through Shared Heritage:
Culture Bytes – May 2025 [PDF, 585 KB]How is Arts and Cultural and Cultural Education Relevant for Today and Tomorrow?
Culture Bytes – September 2024 [PDF, 847 KB]Arts and Cultural Companies: Their Environments, Everyday Experiences and Growth
Culture Bytes – February 2024 [PDF, 396 KB]Arts and Culture: From Education to Employment
Culture Bytes - August 2023 [PDF, 936 KB]Data Matters: The Arts, Culture and Big Data
Culture Bytes - January 2023 [PDF, 2.1 MB]
Publications
Cultural Connections
Culture Connections Volume 1-10
As Singapore celebrates 60 years of nation-building, the tenth issue of Cultural Connections adopts a twin focus: looking back on how the foundations of our arts and culture have developed and deepened, while also contemplating new trajectories and energies in an increasingly challenging world. We hear from voices that are both established and emerging, harnessing both accumulated wisdom and experience, as well as innovation and transformative potential. The issue will balance both continuity and change, the old and the new, fundamentals and new directions, as we contemplate the past, present and possible futures of Singapore’s arts and culture. | |
The theme for the ninth edition of Cultural Connections, “A Future-Ready Workforce – Thinking about Tomorrow’s Jobs in Culture”, will resonate with many, as the cultural sector grapples with fast-changing technologies, including generative A.I. as well as the complex geopolitics and competing allegiances in a turbulent world. | |
The theme for Cultural Connections' eighth issue, “Of Tailwinds And Turbulence”, explores how the cultural sector can navigate post-pandemic challenges amidst global uncertainty. The publication examines how geopolitical complexities and economic pressures affect cultural planning, while identifying potential opportunities. | |
The seventh issue of Cultural Connections examines post-pandemic adaptations through the lens of "Learning, Unlearning and Re-tooling for the Future". It focuses on two main areas: the Creative Economy and the development of Cohesive and Liveable Societies. The publication features global arts and cultural leaders' insights on how communities are adapting to fundamental changes, while offering perspectives on managing change and future planning. | |
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the sixth edition of Cultural Connections delves into the broader question of crises and their impact on the arts and culture sector. This edition presents the perspectives and experiences of arts and cultural luminaries and thought leaders from Australia, Japan, Singapore and the UK – providing a pause for reflection. Step back in time with us as we uncover how institutions, governments and communities have weathered turmoil through the years, transforming crises into lessons and hope for future generations. | |
The fifth volume of Cultural Connections focuses on the arts and culture’s response to the year 2020 - a year that will be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic that tested the entire world economically, socially and politically. This edition is a testament to the arts and culture communities who rallied together to bring solace, entertainment and joy during an isolating time. Volume V offers a range of perspectives from thought leaders across Australia, China, France, Germany, Indonesia and Singapore on how institutions, governments and communities responded to the pandemic, as well as the way forward to keep the arts and culture alive well into the future. | |
In commemoration of Singapore’s Bicentennial in 2019, the fourth volume of Cultural Connections focuses on the themes which are relevant to our cultural development over the past 200 years. The articles in this issue remind us of how fast and far Singapore has progressed from our early colonial days to a modern liveable cosmopolitan nation rooted in its multicultural heritage. This issue thus explores the bicentennial through an exciting collection of essays, contributed by notable personalities and culture professionals. | |
In commemoration of Singapore’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2018, the third volume of Cultural Connections is dedicated to everything ASEAN from the arts and cultural front. It celebrates the uniqueness, beauty and richness of Southeast Asia through its essays, which have been presented in two parts. The first showcases the close and longstanding historical and people-to-people links Singapore has had with her Southeast Asian neighbours over the centuries, through thought leadership articles contributed by academics, diplomats and domain experts. The second features the interrelatedness of the histories and heritage of Southeast Asia by showcasing artefacts from the Southeast Asian collection within Singapore’s National Collection. | |
The second volume of Cultural Connections is dedicated to the theme of how arts, culture and heritage contribute to the creation of Liveable Cities. This issue contains essays from public sector leaders from the arts and culture sectors as well as eminent diplomats, academics and scholars. | |
The inaugural issue of Cultural Connections features essays from esteemed cultural professionals working in Singapore, who have contributed their perspectives on new developments in the museum scene as well as technologies being pioneered in conservation sciences in Singapore. |
Contact us
For feedback or general enquiries, please fill in our contact form here or email us at culture_academy@mccy.gov.sg.
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