INCREASE OF ARTS-RELATED cOURSES
Efforts by the government to create more opportunities for Singaporeans to experience and appreciate the arts can be seen with the addition and renewal of many art courses at community clubs. The National Arts Council (NAC) has collaborated with the People’s Association, to boost awareness of the arts scene to Singaporeans and to encourage more residents to join more art courses.
Courses like dressmaking, ceramic arts and flower arrangement classes are just a few out of a whole range of art classes that the CCs offer. Each class has a relatively small intake of about 10 to 20 people. Participants will be guided by an instructor who is experienced in that specific art field.
Mdm Tan Yee Khim, 81, a dressmaking instructor at Bishan CC, has been teaching at CCs since 1999.
She said that she enjoys teaching this course as she feels that she is imparting an important skill to her students. One of her students, Mdm Elizabeth Yun Nhar, aged 51 this year, had recently signed up for the dressmaking course after coming across it in the newspaper.
Mdm Yun says that she wants “to learn something new because of her age” and would like to give dressmaking a try as it is not as vigorous as other non-arts courses.
Despite the rise in the number of art courses at community clubs, the majority of participants are still mainly children and the elderly. Many youths are aware of these courses but have not actively signed up for these enrichment classes.
In a survey conducted among youths by The Walking Sun in May 2019, 64 per cent of respondents have heard of arts-related courses at community clubs, however, 55 per cent of them have not attended such courses.
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Jerica Owng, 20, a subcommittee member of Ace the Place Community Club, says that she does not attend art courses because she feels that most of the available courses are meant either for young children or for the elderly.
In the same survey conducted by The Walking Sun, it was found that many youths are still reluctant to join such courses. 38.8 per cent of respondents said that they do not have the time and 66.3 per cent of them said that they did not have anyone to go with.
Although youth participation rates are low, Ms Han remains positive that arts-related courses will continue to bring the community together and would help expose more youths to the art scene.
“It’s not easy, but we will continue trying to enrich and to actually gain awareness for arts among the youths,” says Ms Han.
An increasing number of arts-related classes have been recently rolled out at various community clubs across Singapore but has failed to reach the youth
By Tan Yan Hui
Published 7 August 2019
A rise in the number of arts-related courses can be seen at various community clubs as the government is trying to increase the level of arts literacy among Singaporeans.
Many new arts-related courses were strategically introduced at different community clubs to cater specially to the residents in that neighbourhood. This would allow more people to gain easier access to the arts in Singapore.
Constituency manager of Tanjong Pagar Community Club (CC), Ms Maureen Han, 24, says: “I think [the government] is trying to push out a lot of arts [programmes] towards the people so not just in community club but throughout the whole Singapore.”