Arts Management Program :: University at Buffalo

Singapore Summer School

THE CONSTRUCTION AND CONSTITUTION OF CULTURE AND THE ARTS IN A BORDERLESS WORLD

1-9 June 2012

Guest Speakers

Tisa Ho, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Benson Puah, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore's National Arts Council (NAC) and also holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of The Esplanade Co Ltd. which manages Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.

Alvin Tan, Founder and Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage

Alfian Sa'at, writer, poet and playwright

JP Nathan, Director of Programming, The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Cherian George, Author and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Artistic Director of The Substation

Kok Heng Leun, Artistic Director of the Drama Box

Paul Rae, Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore

Khairuddin Hori, Senior Curator at the Singapore Art Museum

Janice Koh, Nominated Member of Parliament

Michael Hor, Professor of Law, National University of Singapore

Audrey Wong, Former Nominated Member of Parliament

Heng Siok Tian, Poet

Our Hosts

T. Sasitharan, is the co-founder and director of ITI which he conceived and established with the late Kuo Pao Kun in 2001. Sasi's article Consuming Political Appetites can be found in the Lying Abroad: A Critical Study of Cultural Diplomacy UB Arts Management Occasional Paper Series #2.

Goh Su Lin, is the General Manager of ITI. She has held numerous positions in Singapore including General Manager of The Necessary Stage and Consultant, Law & Business Affairs at MTV Asia.

Theme

The Summer School will provide students with an overview of Singaporean society, its history, culture and arts. We will meet with arts managers, policy makers, artists, and educators, participate in a public forum and attend performances at the Singapore Arts Festival as well as attend Exhibitions at various Museums and Galleries.

This seminar course will focus upon current issues in the arena of international arts management and will take the form of a study abroad summer school program. It will draw from a broad spectrum of the field such as international models of arts funding, public policy making, and legal aspects of the performing, visual and media arts. The aim of the course is to enhance students’ experience in the international sector of arts management.

We shall explore, through the lens of Singapore, whether it is possible to maintain distinct art-forms and cultural identity whilst also being responsive to technological and other forms of change.

The Venue

The UB Arts Management Program is hosted by Emily Hill and ITI. The group will stay at the Hangout @ Emily Hill. Emily Hill is more than a location. It aims to be "a creative cooperative ... the first, tangible instance of the drive to promote creative industries bearing distinctly Singaporean fruit. It represents a ground-up initiative of creative people, in both commercial and artistic practice, to establish a new kind of enterprise. One in which the dedication and discipline usually associated with cultivating artistic innovation is nurtured together and in tandem with the priority to grow commercial potential and markets."

The Activities

Summer School Introduction (Goh Su Lin)
Framing Cultural Identity in Singapore-Doxa and Dilemma (T. Sasitharan, ITI)
Global Cultural Capital (Paul Rae)
The Freedom Deficit and East-West Engagement (Michael Hor)

Poetry in Singapore (Heng Siok Tian)
Introduction and Tour of The Substation (Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Artistic Director)
Visual Arts Practice (Khairuddin Hori, Curator Singapore Art Museum)
Media and Censorship (Cherian George)
Managing an International Performing Arts Centre: Tour of Esplanade and presentation by senior staff on programming and outreach (JP Nathan, Director of Programming, The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay)
Temple Tour: Sri Mariamman Temple, A site of South Indian pre-modern Singapore (T. Sasitharan)
Tekka Market and Little India (T. Sasitharan)
Renaissance City/ Managing a Clobal City for the Arts (Benson Puah, CEO of National Arts Council and The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay)
Theatre Practice in Singapore (Panel discussion: Kok Heng Leun (Drama Box), Alvin Tan (The Necessary Stage) Paul Rae (NUS Theatre Studies))
Presentation by Janice Koh and Audrey Wong, Nominated Members of Parliament in Singapore
Arts Management Panel Discussion (Moderator Ruth Bereson)
Introduction and Tour of Gillman Arts Center (Sabrina Chin)
Managing the Arts in Singapore and Hong Kong (Tisa Ho, CEO Hong Kong Arts Festival)
Student Presentations: "Cultural Identity in Buffalo and Singapore"