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Ran out of things to watch online while staying home? Take in performances, virtual exhibitions, and more from the local arts scene through a new digital platform.
Launched this week by the National Arts Council, #SGCultureAnywhere is a channel for bringing Singaporean culture into the home and supporting artists affected by the economic crisis. All sorts of online activities and shows from various arts and culture bodies have been compiled on the A-List.Sg events page.
Institutions like the National Gallery Singapore, The Esplanade, National Museum Singapore, are among those to collaborate on bringing digital art experiences to the platform.
Past performances and recordings, virtual tours of exhibitions, art workshops, and fun creative activities for the family are some of the things that can be enjoyed anytime via the platform.
For the binge-watchers and couch potatoes, you can now stream full-length recordings of performances held at Esplanade Offstage, including acts such as the Guitar Prasanna Trio, as well as plays, short films and video interviews with artists like Tan Swie Hian, who’s known for work with Chinese calligraphy and poetry.
A series of jazz concerts will also be live-streamed on the platform in conjunction with UNESCO International Jazz Day 2020 on Thursday.
How about something for the kids? Children can participate in coloring contests led by mural artist Yip Yew Chong, attend traditional dance lessons or sit for storytelling sessions.
Arts aficionados who miss visiting the galleries can go on a virtual walk through of different art spaces on the #SGCultureAnywhere platform. Things to check out include the Chinese opera stage and the priceless works of art from the Van Gogh Museum and the Singapore Philatelic Museum Heritage Room.
Whether you are an artist or not, there are several craft workshops and insightful artist interviews available for everyone. Among them is a workshop on how to create a cyanotype print and a past interview with the late Cultural Medallion recipient, writer, and artist Abdul Ghani Abdul Hamid if you’d like to brush up on your poetry skills.
To further support the local arts and culture scene from your home, you can also donate to small arts organizations via the Sustain the Arts fund.
You can contribute to all other arts organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic under the COVID-19 Rally for Singapore’s Arts page.
Artists looking to create digital works for the online platform can apply through the Digital Presentation Grant for the Arts, which opened earlier this month.
One of the first projects to be supported that viewers at home can catch online would be a series of jazz concerts by the JASS@Home by Jazz Association (Singapore) to be live-streamed in conjunction with UNESCO International Jazz Day tomorrow. The concert features local jazz musician Jeremy Monteiro.
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