Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu welcomes first guests

Minister Grace Fu, Mrs Rosa Daniel, Ms Yeoh Chee Yan and Gallery Management at the opening of the Gallery doors – Padang atrium entrance. (From left: Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman National Gallery Singapore, Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary, MCCY, Minister Grace Fu, MCCY, Yeoh Chee Yan, Permanent Secretary, MCCY, Chong Siak Ching, CEO of National Gallery Singapore, and Eugene Tan, Director of National Gallery Singapore)

National Gallery Singapore opened its doors to the public after a decade of planning, building restoration and art research. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Ms. Grace Fu was at the Gallery to welcome the first visitors at 10am. The first visitors through the doors included over 50 children and community volunteers invited as part of “50 Experiences for 500 Kids”, an initiative by social enterprise The Collective Effort, in support of its goal to nurture, enrich, build confidence and provide happiness by letting each child enjoy a day of unique experiences that they will remember for many years to come.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu giving out “The Gallery’s First Guest” stickers to students.

Visitors explored the expansive interior of the 64,000 square-metre Gallery, which has been transformed from the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings. Complimentary tickets have been made available for booking via the Gallery’s website since 5 November. The Gallery expects to welcome more than 120,000 visitors throughout its fortnight-long opening festival.

Images from left to right: Visitors exploring the DBS Singapore Gallery. Image on right: A visitor exploring the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery.

Displaying about a thousand Singapore and Southeast Asian artworks, the Gallery is the only museum in the region with an art education centre to make the learning of art enjoyable and accessible to young visitors. An art destination that aims to appeal to all the senses, the Gallery also presents a range of education programmes, unique art-inspired dining and retail offerings.

Images from left to right: Minister Grace Fu and children showcasing their completed pocket sculpture at the Children’s Museum in the Keppel Centre for Art Education. Image on right: Minister Grace Fu with a student creating the “Nomadic Bus” at the Project Gallery in the Keppel Centre for Art Education.

Minister Grace Fu, who was at the Gallery to welcome its first visitors when doors opened today, said: “I think everybody is really looking forward and curious about what National Gallery Singapore has to offer. We hope that the Gallery will be one where everyone can find something that they like, something to talk about, and a place to share their common experiences. So whether you are a group of children learning about art, or a group of elderly who may have many stories depicted in the picture, or even if you are a young dating couple, this will be a place for every Singaporean. National Gallery Singapore can offer a lot, not just for art, but also to understand who we are as a people in Southeast Asia.”

All visitors will enjoy complimentary entry to National Gallery Singapore, its exhibitions and the opening celebrations until 6 December 2015. Thereafter, there will be free admission for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents as well as children six years and under, into all exhibition galleries (except selected Special Exhibitions) and Keppel Centre for Art Education. For more information about the upcoming activities and registration requirements, please visit www.nationalgallery.sg