National Arts Council of Singapore launches Int'l Arts Residency

The National Arts Council (NAC) has unveiled recently its third initiative under the third phase of the Renaissance City Plan, the International Arts Residency.

Under this scheme, the performing, visual and literary arts sectors will benefit from $2 million in funding over five years, to support Singapore arts practitioners'participation in prestigious residencies overseas on the one hand, and the development of hosting entities for international residencies located in Singapore, on the other.

"Many Singapore arts practitioners have the talent and are ready to make their mark internationally but lack the opportunities on the world stage. The International Arts Residency provides this critical boost by opening doors for Singapore artists to prestigious residencies where they can immerse in new spaces, widen their horizons and gain new insights into arts-making. In these world-class environments, they will have ample opportunities to be exposed to and connect with the best in their fields from around the world. This Initiative will also facilitate international residency in Singapore. This will add to Singapore's attractiveness as a magnet for talent and a crucible for creativity and cross-cultural exchanges.",said Mr Lee Suan Hiang, Chief Executive Officer of NAC.

Overseas Residencies

NAC, in consultation with its resource panellists and industry practitioners, will identify and establish partnerships with prestigious international residency providers and invite Singapore artists to apply to the joint residency initiatives organised overseas.

Singapore artists can aspire to undertake some of the best residency programmes overseas, such as stints at the well-known studio complex, Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, facilitated under the Singapore-France cultural agreement signed in January 2009.

Visual artists can also apply for residencies at prestigious centres like Germany's Künstlerhaus Bethanien international studio programme and Japan's Arts Initiative Tokyo. Residencies for writers include centres like the University of Iowa International Writer-in-Residence programme in the United States and the Arvon Foundation in the United Kingdom.

In performing arts, residencies for playwrights and theatre directors include the Royal Court International Residency for Emerging Playwrights in the United Kingdom and Italy's annual LaMaMa International Symposium for Directors.