The Arts Receives Strong Support from 353 Individuals and Organisations in Singapore

National Arts Council,
24 July 2013, Singapore

The National Arts Council honoured 88 individuals and 265 organisations for 2013 at the Patron of the Arts Awards Ceremony held at the Conrad Centennial Singapore this evening. The Awards were presented by Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information.

Now into its 30th year, the Patron of the Arts has come a long way with 353 awardees who generously contributed a total of $35.3 million to the arts in 2012 as compared to just four organisations at its inaugural ceremony in 1983.

The total number of award recipients rose by 27% from 278 in 2012. One-third of the recipients were also contributing for the first time, representing a 65% increase of first-time recipients from the previous year.

$33.2 million of the total contributions came from corporate donors and $2.1 million from individual donors. This represents a 13% increase from the previous year, with $25.3 million in cash contributions and $10 million worth of in-kind sponsorship.

Chief Executive Officer of the National Arts Council, Mr Benson Puah noted: “We appreciate the steadfast support of these individuals and organisations as their generous donations and contributions make a big difference to nurturing the arts in Singapore. This partnership between individuals, corporations and the public sector is critical in ensuring the sustainability and growth of our arts scene. Ultimately, our whole society reaps the benefits when we all have a vested interest in the arts.”

Keppel Corporation has been awarded the Distinguished Patron of the Arts for the past five years, and the company received the accolade once again this year. Ms Wang Look Fung, Keppel Corporation’s Director of Group Corporate Affairs elaborated: “The Keppel Group has cultivated audiences for the arts and provided numerous platforms to showcase talent, both local and foreign, for close to 30 years. Our strong support of the arts stems from our corporate principle to nurture communities. Through supporting the arts, we are promoting the exchange of ideas and fostering creativity and innovative expression. This will in turn enrich the lives of Singaporeans and contribute to the vibrance of our city."

A first-time Patron of the Arts donor, UnUsUaL Productions is no stranger to the arts and music scene with a long track record in organizing world-class events and concerts.  Director of UnUsUaL Productions Mr Leslie Ong commented: “The arts scene in Singapore has evolved and grown tremendously in the last decade or more since we set up our business, and it has been heartening to witness its growth and transformation. We would like to extend our involvement in the arts beyond just providing solutions for arts and music-related events, but also by giving back to the arts and reaching out to more segments of our community.”

Similarly, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove has also shown their support for the arts through their maiden contribution this year and received the Associate of the Arts Award.  Ms Michelle Kam of W Singapore remarked: “Since our inception in New York City nearly 15 years ago, design has been central to the DNA of our brand and we believe that every hotel has its own design personality – a “design narrative” that is inspired by local cultural, social and historical influences of the country. In that respect, we are very proud to be doing our part to support cutting-edge creativity and innovation in Singapore’s burgeoning arts scene.”