15 August 2017
The MA Arts and Cultural Leadership Programme is designed to build your professional expertise and provide you with the capacity to take on senior positions in the arts and cultural sector.
The programme is led by Audrey Wong, who was a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) for the arts from 2009 to 2011. During her term, she championed the cause of freelance artists in the arts and media sectors in Singapore, as they sought to improve their working conditions.
She was Artistic Co-Director at The Substation from 2000 to 2009, where she produced and presented various arts projects and international exchanges in the visual and performing arts, including launching the Associate Artists Programme. Audrey has served on various committees and boards, including the Singapore Art Museum, National Arts Council and the Arts and Culture Strategic Review Committee.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I joined LASALLE in 2010 after 14 years as a professional arts manager out “in the field”, working at The Substation. I was also then lecturing a few classes each year at LASALLE on a part-time basis and enjoyed the interaction with students and the class discussions. After working for so many years, I realised a few things: There was real-world experience I could share; there is a history of the arts in Singapore that absolutely needed to be communicated to future generations so that they’re aware of their roots and what has shaped us; and I could help students to connect the theory that they learn in class with actual practice in the arts.
What attracted you to the field of arts and cultural management?
When I started working in the arts, it was partly because I didn’t want a regular 9-to-5 job. I had been involved in the arts throughout my school years, from the school band to English Literary Drama and Debate Society (ELDDS) to the NUS Drama Festival. My parents were also heavily involved in Chinese opera. I was always in the arts, in one way or another.
When I joined The Substation in 1996, the idea of “arts management” as a profession didn’t exist in Singapore. We were simply people – misfits perhaps – who started working in the gaps that were opening up as Singapore’s arts scene developed. In those days, we were really learning as we went along, and there were real opportunities to make change and drive new initiatives, so it was very challenging but also enjoyable, and you really felt that you were doing something meaningful.
What can one expect from the MA Arts and Cultural Programme at LASALLE? What is one of the major highlights of the programme and what makes the programme unique?
The MA Arts and Cultural Management Programme at LASALLE enables students to think more critically and more in-depth about the arts, not just in Singapore but also elsewhere; and through this, students become empowered to do more either in their chosen careers or areas in the arts, or even to start their own initiatives such as specialised arts programmes or new arts enterprises.
Students are strongly encouraged to investigate and research their interest areas, and are guided by our dedicated core team of lecturers. The programme also embeds local, regional and international perspectives on arts management and arts/cultural policy in what is taught, through seminars with visiting lecturers, professors, practising arts managers and artists, and study visits. Students also carry out strategic analysis for a real-world arts organisation, which is our way of giving back to the local arts sector. All of these help students build connections and networks, as well as become more familiar with current issues in arts and cultural management.
Share with us a memorable/rewarding experience in your time at LASALLE.
There are way too many to list. I think what’s most rewarding is hearing from alumni and graduates about what they’re doing, and seeing them find fulfilling life-paths especially in the arts, cultural and creative sectors. Sometimes, we invite alumni to come back to speak to current students about their projects and work, and hopefully that inspires the next generation.
What do you envision for the future of arts and cultural management?
I think there will be more cross-connections and collaborations between different disciplines and sectors – with social causes, urban development and planning, building new ‘smart’ cities, community development, the environment, the medical sector, etc. There is a need now to find new solutions to problems in the world, and a need to look for ways to enhance people’s quality of life. Arts and culture will hopefully be part of the bigger conversation about where human civilisation is going in the future. These are perspectives that we try to introduce in the course, as well as that arts and culture should be part of such bigger conversations.
Any advice for aspiring arts managers?
Never stop learning. And keep working closely with artists!
What’s coming up next in your professional practice/research?
In our arts management programmes, we’re becoming more interested in identifying and trying to describe what the arts management models in our part of the world are, what is unique about the way we manage the arts here, and how to give Southeast Asia arts managers a bigger voice in terms of global research. I’m personally interested in the “culture” of arts management in Singapore, for instance, and how the way arts managers and organisations behave and strategise are influenced by Singapore’s structures of governance.
