Mr. Edmund Cheng as NAC Chairman for Second Term

Paul Anka comes to Singapore!

The Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts has appointed Mr. Edmund Cheng as Chairman of the National Arts Council (NAC) for a second 3-year term with effect from 1 July 2008. Mr. Cheng was first appointed to this position on 1 July 2005.

Under Mr. Cheng's leadership, NAC has taken the arts scene in Singapore to a higher plane. The number of arts activities now exceeds 20,000 yearly or more than 50 activities on any day of the year. One out of three people in Singapore has attended at least one arts event in the past year, compared to one in ten a decade ago.

Besides the established stable of arts events such as Singapore Arts Festival, Singapore Writers Festival and National Piano and Violin Competition, NAC introduced several new major initiatives under Mr. Cheng's leadership. These include Singapore Biennale, which has become the most important contemporary visual arts exhibition in Singapore and the region; Noise Singapore, an innovative media-based festival to engage the creativity of youth; and District Arts Festivals, which engage the community with the arts.

On the international scene, NAC now holds leadership positions in international networks such as International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) and the Association of Asian Performing Arts Festivals (AAPAF). In addition, NAC has signed Memoranda of Understanding with key arts agencies such as Arts Victoria, Arts Council England and the Scottish Art Council to facilitate exchanges and inter-agency cooperation in arts development.

Information Courtesy of National Arts Council. Photography by Eugene Tang. All Rights Reserved.