• News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us

Logo

Navigation
  • Art News
  • Art Listings
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    • Auctions
    • Workshops
    • Talks
    • Guided Tours
    • Festivals, Markets, Parties
    • Kids’ & Families’ Events
    • Performances
    • Film
    • Open Calls
  • Art Venues

Supporting the Arts Community during COVID-19 Period

News

The evolving COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all of Singapore including the arts and culture. Since 13 March 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced enhanced border restrictions and travel advisories, as well as additional precautionary measures and stricter safe distancing measures, to reduce the risk of further local transmission of COVID-19. Many other countries have also announced border and travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

The National Arts Council (NAC) has released an advisory notice to all arts groups and practitioners (Annex), and will continue to update this based on relevant government advisories. NAC urges all in the arts community to obtain accurate information from the NAC website (www.nac.gov.sg); Self Employed Persons (SEPs) in the arts and related creative fields can also access NAC’s Arts Resource Hub (ARH) website (www.artsresourcehub.sg).

NAC recognises that the arts community has been affected by COVID-19, and acknowledges the concerns reflected by many arts practitioners and organisations. All arts and culture stakeholders are encouraged to take this opportunity to upskill and/or grow their organisational capabilities, and position themselves for the post COVID-19 recovery. In addition to broad-based measures announced during Budget 2020, the Support and Stabilisation Package includes two specific schemes to support the arts community during this period. Applications for NAC’s Capability Development Scheme for the Arts (CDSA) are open from 16 March to 15 June 2020. Arts practitioners and organisations also enjoy an additional 30% subsidy for venue rental and associated costs for arts and culture activities at our national cultural institutions, including productions, workshops and masterclasses, taking place from 7 March to 30 June 2020. NAC will continue our engagements with the arts community to consider other assistance to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on our stakeholders. Details of both schemes are available on the NAC website.

NAC as commissioner of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), has assessed the current situation together with Arts House Limited (AHL) and its Festival Director, Gaurav Kripalani. As a significant number of SIFA programmes comprise international acts, the current border and travel restrictions have severely impacted festival planning. To ensure the safety and well-being of our audiences and performers, programmes would also need to be further adjusted to put in place safe distancing measures. Given the impact to the overall festival experience for audiences, NAC supports the decision of AHL and its Festival Director not to stage SIFA 2020 from 15 to 31 May 2020.

Notwithstanding this decision, NAC believes that every effort should be made to continue the creation and enjoyment of arts and culture experiences with the necessary precautionary and safe distancing measures. The arts and culture can inspire us and elevate our spirits, especially during challenging times like these. Therefore, NAC welcomes the SIFA Festival Director’s proposal to continue working with our local arts groups commissioned for SIFA 2020 (namely Nine Years Theatre, The Finger Players, The Necessary Stage and Toy Factory Productions), to rethink and replace elements of their programmes so that audiences can look forward to new experiences – such as webcasts, behind-the-scenes profiling, work-in-progress showings, as well as digital conversations – in the coming months.

NAC will also continue to work closely with the arts community to get through these challenging times. Together with the arts community, we will explore different ways of bringing the arts to audiences such as through digital platforms. ~ Low Eng Teong, Deputy Chief Executive (Sector Development), National Arts Council

Share this story:
  • tweet

Comments are closed.

Art Calendar

SAGG on Facebook

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 day 18 hours ago

cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/watch/singapores-founding-fathers-pop-art-cartoonist-sonny-liews-nostalgic-tribute-467716

Singapore’s founding fathers as pop art: Cartoonist Sonny Liew’s nostalgic tribute

For the upcoming art exhibition Artist’s Proof: Singapore At 60, cartoonist Sonny Liew reimagined three of Singapore’s founding fathers as toy figurines.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

3 weeks 3 days ago

theindependent.sg/national-gallery-singapore-reveals-untold-legacy-of-asian-artists-in-modern-art/

National Gallery Singapore reveals untold legacy of Asian artists in modern art - Singapore News

This new art show tells the story of Asian artists in 1920s Paris that most people have never heard.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

3 weeks 3 days ago

thesmartlocal.com/read/retro-places-singapore/

14 Retro Places In Singapore To Feel Like You've Travelled Back In Time

Retro's back in fashion, so here's a list of 14 retro places in Singapore you can go to to immerse yourself in an old-school charm.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 1 week ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/national-gallery-singapores-ink-show-ambitious-unsatisfying

National Gallery Singapore’s ink show is ambitious – but unsatisfying

[SINGAPORE] National Gallery Singapore’s new ink exhibition sets out with an ambitious goal: to show ink not as a fixed tradition but as a living, changing language shaped by calligraphers, poets, abstractionists and experimental artists over time and across cultures. Read more at The Business Tim...

2
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 1 week ago

www.littledayout.com/ocean-diving-into-the-unknown-exhibition-alliance-francaise-singapore/

Ocean: Diving Into The Unknown At Alliance Française Singapore

Take a dive into the blue world at Alliance Française’s latest exhibition, Ocean: Diving into the Unknown. A collaboration with the French National Museum of

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 3 weeks ago

www.eco-business.com/press-releases/uob-partners-sg-eco-fund-to-bring-sustainability-and-art-to-the-community/

UOB partners SG Eco Fund to bring sustainability and art to the community

UOB, one of Singapore’s leading banks, and the SG Eco Fund have announced a two-year partnership to drive greater community awareness of sustainability and art.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 4 weeks ago

www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/eight-singapore-indie-booksellers-launch-bookshop-sg-as-amazon-alternative

Eight Singapore indie booksellers launch Bookshop.sg as Amazon alternative

The online store, which launches on May 14, describes itself as an act of "radical cooperation". Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

2
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 4 weeks ago

www.asiaone.com/singapore/over-50k-gold-coins-cash-stolen-veteran-artist-koeh-sia-yongs-home-while-he-was-bali

Over $50k in gold coins, cash stolen from veteran artist Koeh Sia Yong's home while he was in Bali

SINGAPORE — While veteran Singaporean artist Koeh Sia Yong was away in Indonesia for nearly two months earlier in 2025, his bedroom drawers back home were emptied of more than $50,000 in valuables. The 87-year-old returned to his two-bedroom unit at The Interlace condo in Depot Road on March 15 to...

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 22 hours ago

danamic.org/2025/05/11/order-is-essential-what-we-learnt-about-fernando-zobel-at-his-national-gallery-exhibit/

Order is Essential: What We Learnt about Fernando Zóbel at his National Gallery Exhibit

Come learn with us about the life, thoughts and works of Fernando Zóbel in a truly transcontinental exhibition that's open right now!

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 2 weeks ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/how-one-man-made-nude-art-possible-singapore

How one man made nude art possible in Singapore

Yeo Workshop celebrates the legacy of Solamalay Namasivayam, who fought for nude figure drawing when it was still considered 'indecent'. Today, nude figure drawing is a cornerstone of artist training in Singapore Read more at The Business Times.

2
View on Facebook
Share
  • News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
© 2020. Singapore Art & Gallery Guide
We use cookies that are necessary for the website's functions. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.