Category Archives for "Blog"

0 Singapore airport adds interactive art displays in terminal

A traveler’s vacation to Singapore might be arriving at an end once they wheel their bags into the nation’s Changi Airport, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still opportunities to make lasting memories and create meaningful mementos of their time in the country. The airport has recently unveiled new interactive art displays in its terminal, making sure that travelers have one last chance to make memories before getting on their flights.

The theme of the new exhibits is to make Singapore yours — mainly, to tailor the experiences the country has to offer to meet the expectations and tastes of all the millions of travelers who visit. There are many different sides to Singapore, depending on what a tourist wants to embrace, from arts and culture to shopping and technology to sightseeing and luxury experiences to food and gardens. Singapore can be many different things to many different people, and it’s this idea that the art installations look to explore.

A portrait wall transforms visitors’ faces into dot portraits that can be then superimposed on the backgrounds of several different memorable Singaporean landmarks. Participants can then snap a photo of the resulting tableau for a fun and artsy keepsake they can post on their social media accounts, lauding their fun time in Singapore. One of the backgrounds they can choose is actually another famous and popular art display inside of Changi Airport — the moving sculpture of golden teardrops that can transform to more than a dozen different computer-programmed shapes. Other recognizable landmarks, including buildings, parks, and gardens, can be picked for the background. The end result may also be emailed via the terminal located at the portrait station.

Another facet of this interactive art display is a large screen that captures passers-by on camera. If a person stops to look at themselves in the screen, they have the opportunity to interact with animations that also appear on the screen, seeing themselves in live time on the display doing entertaining things in different settings. The display is a perfect marriage of art and technology, ensuring that travelers will be talking about the exhibit for weeks to come after they leave Singapore.

Yet another photo opportunity in the airport is a 3-D display of a trishaw, a form of transportation that visitors can actually climb into for a great picture to preserve. Other iconic sites in Singapore can be found in additional 3-D cardboard art pieces throughout the airport terminal.

Celebrating the cultural sights and experiences a country has to offer through art is a great way to either commemorate traveling or celebrate your home. Enroll today in an art class to explore this notion by visiting SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com is a one-stop shopping opportunity for all things art. Learn about everything from 3-D sculpture to art photography, signing up for a class that helps you explore your art interests.

To learn more about the interactive art displays at the Singapore airport, go to http://www.moodiedavittreport.com/make-it-your-singapore-changi-unveils-interactive-art-installations/

0 Art initiative gives boost to children with special needs

After hearing from parents who wished their children with special needs had more opportunities to engage with the society around them, one art initiative is stepping up to make that happen. An art foundation and a Singaporean government program are teaming up to help students with special needs and those without interact on a creative level — with art.

Groups of students from several different schools participated in the special program, meeting collectively at an art gallery to tour the displays together and take part in creatively geared projects. Hundreds of children visited the gallery as a part of the initiative, interacting with one another and the art that was on display, which was tailored to be child friendly. Young students giggled at displays of reptiles eating dessert items, as well as a jumping activity that led to a representation of the moon. Hands-on activities, like making a rocket ship out of reusable materials, kept children engaged with the special program.

About one-third of the children in the tour had special needs, and the rest of the group were older children, serving as mentors and examples to the rest of the kids. In addition, several older children volunteered to help lead the tours and hands-on projects throughout the trip. The engagement became a special way for children from all walks of life and experiences to relate to one another, building an interaction that the parents of the children with special needs craved. The benefits were multiple. Not only did special needs children get a chance to play with other children around their age, the other students had the opportunity to understand that they had more in common with the special needs children than they might have previously thought — including an enjoyment for arts and crafts. One of the biggest goals of the initiative was met, expanding the social circles of some of the special needs children to include other children. In the future, it wouldn’t be very much of a stretch to assume that these different children would want to play together some more, making connections with each other that could very well be lifelong friendships. It’s important to have such programs to give children the opportunity to better understand the differences and similarities among them.

If you’re stuck wondering how to keep your children entertained throughout the summer without school, consider signing them up for art classes through SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com offers a comprehensive listing of different classes for artists of all ages and abilities right on its website, meaning that you won’t waste any of your precious time having to shop around from studio to studio for that perfect class. Age-appropriate art lessons on recycled art, watercolor painting, sculpture, and much more are available to entertain and inform your child and perhaps even ignite a passion for art and creativity that was previously undiscovered.

To learn more about the special art project, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/art-brings-together-kids-with-special-needs-those-without.

0 Importance of Singaporean culture extends beyond visual art

Singapore has enjoyed a recent boost in its arts scene, partly due to the country’s 50th birthday celebrations last year and the correlating openings of several important new art facilities. The most notable of these openings is National Gallery Singapore, a massive project uniting the historic former buildings for the country’s supreme court and city hall into a thoroughly modern take on an art museum, but that wasn’t the only initiative completed to bolster the arts scene. Along with National Gallery Singapore, several other remodels of existing museums, openings of heritage centers, and gallery unveilings helped cement the new approach to art in the country, embracing numerous cultures in both Singapore and the broader Southeastern Asian region, as well as international art across the world.

Another change to the arts scene meant making admission to all of these new attractions completely free for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, emphasizing just how important experiencing the arts is to a successful society.

However, visual art isn’t the only creative approach these facilities are taking. National Gallery Singapore recently worked with visionary filmmakers to create short art films based on Southeastern Asian art on display inside the museum. These films, a story of art inspiring more art, were just one attempt by one art museum to use a variety of artistic mediums and genres to engage with the public. If a visitor isn’t necessarily inspired by paintings hanging flat on the walls, then perhaps they might instead be inspired by a film stuffed with moving images and storylines based on those same paintings.

Community engagement has been a very visible theme for a majority of art museums in Singapore. From revamped exhibits to special events geared toward drawing in a new fan base for art, museums and their leaderships have been working hard to inspire a new generation of Singaporeans to embrace art. Special programs in a wide range of facilities have used dance performances, plays, music, and much more to lure in more people to interact with the arts. Other shows have featured community components in which people can learn and contribute through participating in a number of projects. Other museums seek to combine art with other subjects, such as science, in order to make connections between ideas that might never have been understood before.

The best way to understand with art is to engage with it, and SGArtClass.com is one of the best websites to do so. Think about enrolling in an art class via SGArtClass.com, exploring the many offerings compiled in an easy-to-navigate list on the website. Whether you’re interested in jewelry making, installation art, mural painting, or other artistic genres, teachers will be on hand to help you complete the projects you’re most intrigued with. Meet with your teachers in the comfort of your own home, or gather a group of like-minded friends together to take classes and grow as a whole.

To read more about the importance of a wide range of artistic opportunities to enrich Singapore’s culture, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/art-of-cultural-education.

0 Head of Singapore Art Museum leaves post

The CEO of the Singapore Art Museum posted to his social media page that he left his position at the beginning of last month, though the museum has yet to release any official statement on the post’s vacancy. Officials say that the search to replace the CEO is already underway, though nothing has yet been announced in terms of possibilities for replacements.

Leng Tshua posted that he was leaving his position at the museum to pursue a new career as the director of a marine exploration firm in the United States. Tshua has extensive experience in various businesses, including an international piano company. He was first brought on to the leadership position after the previous CEO departed to help with the opening of National Gallery Singapore. Tshua has held the position for just around a year.

This isn’t the first high level departure recently for Singapore Art Museum. The facility’s director also announced her departure at the end of last year in order to focus on personal artistic ventures.

Though the dual departures have created something of an absence of leadership at the Singapore Art Museum, officials there have assured the public that the museum will continue to function normally. There will still be curatorial leadership for the Singapore Art Museum, which has recently enjoyed new, successful exhibitions on life on and under the sea — two shows tailored to both adults and children. Otherwise, the Singapore Art Museum, a bastion for contemporary art in Singapore, relies mainly on permanent exhibits of modern art to entertain and open the minds of those who visit. In the interim of hiring new leadership positions for those posts vacated, temporary leaders have been put into place to ensure that day-to-day operations at the Singapore Art Museum will continue as planned. The facility is also responsible for organizing this year’s Singapore Biennale, but all planning is being handled by the curatorial heads of the facility, meaning that the leadership vacuum won’t affect the storied art event.

Celebrate art in Singapore by taking part in it through an art class. Visit SGArtClass.com to begin your art journey by browsing the wide variety of art classes available. It doesn’t matter if you’re an accomplished artist or someone who just wants to explore the possibility of developing a new hobby. Expert teachers will help lead you on your creative journey, offering valuable feedback on your existing projects, helping launch you into a new stage of your art, or giving you instruction on the skills necessary to thoroughly explore the things you’re most interested in. You can take any classes you like, from oil painting to ink drawing, nail art to fashion design, video art to artistic photography. You never know — after taking an art class, you might be inspired to launch a whole new career in the creative world. You won’t discover it until you try.

To read more about the change in leadership for the art museum, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/singapore-art-museum-chief-executive-officer-resigns.

0 Singaporean trees transformed into art pieces

A tree that was more than a century-and-a-half old was chopped down nearly fifteen years ago by property managers, but portions of its trunk will continue to live on as art pieces thanks to the efforts of a group of Singaporean artists. The tree is believed to be the last of its kind in the entire country, making efforts to preserve its wood in whatever way possible even more special. It also is thought to have given the Singaporean neighborhood in which it grew its name, making it just as much a member of the community as anyone else.

Fans of both art and Mother Nature finally located the log of the tree at a sawmill and were able to remove it for their own purposes of art and preservation. The Singapore National Parks Board and others interested in preserving the history of the tree decided that it would be made into nine smaller sculptures and put on display at the zoo, making sure it had a highly visible area to raise awareness of art and nature to anyone who visited the zoo.

It was this tree that inspired the National Parks Board to see what else it could do to reuse wood felled from other trees around the country. After the success of turning the trunk into sculptures, workers have collected logs to transform into art pieces, benches, and much more, making a loving outlet for beloved trees within Singapore. A majority of the trees that see second life as art and functional items are cut down because of safety or disease. The National Parks Board works closely with artists to supply them with the wood, and the artists, in turn, give the finished projects back to the organization for display and use within the many parks in Singapore. One recent such collaboration was wood from a mahogany tree transformed into an electric guitar the artist hoped would help promote nature conservation. Others include an artistic bench that combines music with the wood of a felled tree, as well as a feeding station for birds. It is heartening to see the efforts of both the Singaporean government and Singaporean artists to pay tribute to the beautiful flora of the country with meaningful pieces of art.

Art can be made out of anything — from trees to discarded items to whatever your imagination might come up with. Harness the power of your creative spirit by enrolling today in an art class via SGArtClass.com. SGArtClass.com hosts an exhaustive list of art classes, including earth-friendly lessons like recycled art, assemblage art, landscape painting, and many more. Expert teachers can lead you in projects that interest you the most, like honoring the planet with nature-themed masterpieces. Learn how you can make art from items you find on the side of the road, cleaning up the planet and expressing your creative side at the same time.

To read more about the transformation of the fallen trees all around Singapore, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/wood-to-art.

0 Popular festival promoting local Singaporean products returns

Last year, Singapasar was organized to help celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday. It was meant to be a onetime event, but response to the festival was so overwhelming positive — thousands of people attended and bought uniquely Singaporean objets d’arte — that organizers decided to bring it back for a second year. Singapasar is one of the best festivals all year for visitors to snap up gorgeous works of art by Singapore artists and with a love for Singapore in mind.

Organizers of Singapasar say it’s important for them to include and promote Singaporean artists producing products that remind and inspire people about Singapore. All of the vendors and craftsmen participating in Singapasar must design and make their products locally, ideally with an emphasis on a Singaporean message or story.

Some of the artisans who will be on hand for the festival include a printmaking shop specializing in prints reminiscent of Singapore. Others will be a chocolate maker who will be creating a special batch of flavors specifically for the event, including a chai chocolate and a salted egg variety. Another vendor produces bags and T-shirts with old Singapore images emblazoned on them, reminiscent of a bygone era. While many of these vendors are well established in Singapore, there are still more that are making their official debut at Singapasar, taking advantage of an opportunity to get immediate feedback on the product they’re working to develop. One of the new vendors is a design group that makes printed wallpaper, fabric, and other products for the home. In an appreciative nod to the event for helping launch the business and give it visibility, the group will be presenting a never-before-seen pattern inspired by Singapasar. The pattern, which will be available in both fabrics and tiles, was inspired by the design group leader’s memories of watching parades with his grandfather. The pattern features designs reminiscent of Singapore’s public housing projects. Another design group will be premiering a keychain with a merlion, one of Singapore’s classic cultural symbols, which everyone will now be able to tote around.

One of the hopes from both vendors and organizers alike for Singapasar is that it expands from a yearly festival and takes advantage of the demand for such unique products year round. Organizers say they can see the chance for expansion in pop-up events several different times throughout the year to give everyone the opportunity to catch the vendors and their special products.

Given the right mindset and skills, everything can be art — from handmade T-shirts to cookware painted with fun designs. Explore your artistic side by enrolling in an art class today. Visit SGArtClass.com to see all of the different art classes you can choose to take. Whether you enroll in decorative painting or oil painting, you’ll be sure to get an artistic education that will extend far into your future.

To read more about the Design Pasar Malam, go to http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/love-sg-buy-sg.

0 Malaysia art event gives Singaporeans chance to find roots

Next month’s George Town Festival — now in its seventh year — is a wonderful way for some Singaporean artists to get in touch with their heritage: the fact that their parents are from Malaysia. Some of the creative minds who will be taking part in the art event expressed surprise that, given the history between Singapore and Malaysia, including the fact that the two nations used to be one country, they are not any closer. The George Town Festival is at least one exception to that fact, bring a collaboration of art, food, theater, and much more to the table. There are several exchanges of ideas going on, including the notion of Singaporeans finding their roots. On the Malaysian side of the festival, organizers are learning from the Singaporean way of conducting such art events, making a meaningful partnership between the two entities.

The Singaporean headliners of the show are a husband and wife duo presenting a theater production. What’s notable about the production is the spirit of collaboration within everything. The husband and wife, though living in Singapore, both have family history in Malaysia. Additionally, all of the actors performing in the play are from Malaysia. It’s this spirit that helps bring a special atmosphere to the George Town Festival. One participant commented on the fact that it’s this art event that really hammers home the idea that residents of all Southeastern Asian countries should work to develop closer relationships with their neighbors. The region is what should bind people together, not necessarily the countries themselves. It’s easy to isolate oneself, especially given the history in the region. But the more beautiful realization is the fact that Southeastern Asia is a uniquely wonderful region deserving of recognition and unification.

Another special exhibit that will be on display at the George Town Festival will be a former Singaporean newspaper photographer who now lives in China. This photographer also has links to Malaysia — her father was originally from there. She is taking this opportunity of participation in the George Town Festival to research her family history, as well as learn about the growth in the town she used to visit as a child. She said she is thrilled to see that it has undergone a renaissance of sorts, adding jazz, art, and culture since she has last visited.

Exploring one’s roots is a great reason to look into taking an art class. SGArtClass.com is one of the best resources on the internet to find a listing of many different art classes available to you. Sign up for a class in artistic photography, portrait painting, oil pastel drawing, and much more. Teachers will be able to instruct you in your chosen artistic genre whether you’re an experienced artist looking to develop your skill set or a beginner taking lessons just out of curiosity. Visit SGArtClass.com today to find out more.

To read more about the event, go to http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/when-the-arts-build-bridges.

0 Van Gogh bedroom brought to life in special display

It’s a scene anyone familiar with the work of artist Vincent van Gogh would be intimately acquainted with: a bedroom, slightly askew, with cheerful blue walls sparsely decorated with paintings, a half-open window, a pair of chairs, small side table with glassware arranged on it, a rumpled towel hanging to dry on a wall, a weathered door, and a modest twin-sized bed. It was a bedroom that van Gogh painted several times, one that would immediately cause any student of art or even casual aficionado to have a jolt of recognition. In Singapore, artists have brought that bedroom to life with a life-size and interactive display.

Taking inspiration from the classic painting “Bedroom in Arles,” visitors can literally step inside a classic scene of the famous artist’s residence. That particular bedroom was important to van Gogh. He stayed in it while living in France and it was the last place he lived before being admitted to an asylum, where he would later die.

The Singaporean organizers were inspired by the well-known bedroom, as well as a recent similar display at the Art Institute in Chicago. The Singaporean display is a part of a furniture expo that has morphed into something of an art show in of itself. The people behind the creation of the van Gogh bedroom worked closely with furniture makers to custom make the bed and side table in the tableau. They also employed professional watercolor painters to reproduce the works hanging on the walls of van Gogh’s bedroom. Then, it was a matter of paint. Those who participated in the project were given the unique challenge of reproducing a master’s work — a practice common in art education — but with a twist: everything was going to be life size and in 3-D. However, they achieved the feat admirably — and in just less than a week. The room looks like the “Bedroom in Arles” painting come to life. Many visitors at the furniture and home expo flocked to the display, taking photos and interacting with the irresistible artwork.

Make art come to life in your own world by signing up to take an art class today. Visit SGArtClass.com online to see the wealth of art classes available to you. Whether your passion lies in watercolor painting or acrylic painting, nail art or fashion drawing, chalk pastel art or found art, there is sure to be an art class to pique your passion and lead you on a creative journey. Teachers trained specifically to address the needs of artists of all skill levels will be on hand to give you background and historical information about your chosen class, as well as helping you develop the skills needed to complete the projects you’re most interested in. Take the time from your schedule to find your artistic passion.

To read more about the display of Vincent van Gogh’s bedroom, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/vincent-van-goghs-bedroom-in-arles-comes-to-life-at-show.

0 Singapore gallery owner bringing love of art across the globe

A former resident of Singapore and all-around art lover is bringing wider recognition to art from the Southeastern Asian region by opening a new gallery in her new home, Colorado.

Viviane Jasinski started her art journey at a young age, sparking her collection of fine arts with money from one of her first paychecks in the working world. She was born in Mongolia and raised in China as she built her appreciation for art, collecting such Western pieces like the work of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Her passion for the arts culminated in a move to Singapore and subsequent opening of a gallery there. It was while she was experiencing art and life in Singapore that she discovered her love for Eastern art. Jasinski attended an art show in Singapore put on by a godmother of art in the region. A simple but beautiful lacquer painting of a lotus blossom attracted Jasinski’s attention. She had always been a fan of art, but this was the first piece that shook her from her very core. As soon as she was able to, she sold all of the pieces she had collected over her life in order to purchase the lotus blossom painting, and she hasn’t looked back since.

Jasinski ended up partnering with the woman who gave the art show that so inspired her. They started selling art by the creative minds in the Southeastern Asian region, making sure to donate a portion of the sale back to the community where the artists were from. The money from this went toward purchasing necessities for children, including books for schools and clothes and bicycles.

She and her husband — whom she met by chance as a neighbor in her housing building in Singapore — moved to the United States and settled down in Colorado. Jasinski knew she wanted to continue to promote her love for art from the Southeastern Asian region, so she recently opened a gallery in her new town that caters specifically to masterpieces from that region. Even though there is plenty of local art in and around Colorado that she could have chosen to showcase, it was important to Jasinski that she raise awareness of just how special Asian art is in her new Western home.

Even if you’ve visited art galleries, museums, and festivals, there’s no better way to explore art than to sign up for an art class. SGArtClass.com has an exhaustive listing of dozens and dozens of art classes you can choose from. No matter what you’re creatively interested in, you can be sure to find a set of lessons that will suit your needs. Take a class on lacquer painting, or explore ink painting. Uncover your love for oil landscape painting, or try your hand at portrait drawing. You might surprise yourself with how much you enjoy creating art.

To read more about Viviane Jasinski and her artistic efforts, go to http://www.summitdaily.com/news/22807395-113/silverthorne-woman-to-open-new-gallery-featuring-southeast.

0 Interactive home art inspires visitors

A life-size home constructed by a huge collective of artists and local residents thrilled visitors as a part of an interactive display. The project was filled to the brim with a variety of different art displays, genres, and more and was open for the public to participate in the ongoing show.

The art home consists of six rooms, all featuring different displays completed by various artists. It included rooms like a kitchen and a bathroom, as well as other rooms regularly included in a home. It is the bathroom that is perhaps the most innovative. In this room of the house, which could have been treated very differently, the artists assigned to design it have compiled video interviews of people talking about what stressed them out the most. They chose to go this route because many Singaporeans — especially those living in housing situations with limited privacy, including coexisting with their extended family members — retreat to the bathroom to savor that little slice of solitude. It can be a way to escape stress, sitting down and reflecting on the day, and washing it all away. The artists interviewed hundreds of nearby residents as a part of this particular room, and compiled the highlights of each of the sessions into the video display.

Each of the art home’s rooms had creative twists to reflect the room’s function and true purposes. The kitchen featured a staggering sculpture built with teetering chairs and other appliances one might use in the kitchen, perhaps reflecting the high amount of traffic and activity that takes place there. A bedroom represented people tuning out by representing the shapes of its residents outlined on a sheet with televisions for heads. This perhaps commented on the level of engagement people have with each other when they rely too heavily on television for entertainment and comfort instead of each other.

The art house wasn’t the only attraction as a part of the entire experience. There were sing-alongs organized, as well as an interactive banner creation visitors could take part in. Other parts of the house asked visitors to participate in making masks and pinning them to the walls — perhaps as a way to show all the different personas we take on upon exiting our homes and entering the real world.

Let art reflect your life experience once you enroll in an art class. Art classes can be for anyone — from students or art professionals looking to get feedback and a push to the next level, to people who have always been curious about art but never had a chance to pursue any sort of art project. Art can have a wide range of surprising benefits, including battling stress in your life, boosting a new set of creative problem solving skills, and even helping to cope with everyday life. Visit SGArtClass.com to see all the art classes available to you.

To read more about the life-size art, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/life-size-art-home-brings-art-to-the-heartland.