Navigating Singapore's arts ecosystem: A unique learning experience at Yale-NUS

Yale-NUS students visit the National Gallery Singapore as part of their Learning Across Boundaries (LAB) programme. Images provided by Kei Franklin.

Yale-NUS College places a strong emphasis on experiential learning, enriching the student journey beyond the traditional classroom setting. One example of this is the Learning Across Boundaries (LAB) programme, which offers unique opportunities for immersive learning. In late September, the Centre for International & Professional Experience (CIPE) organised the ‘Navigating the Arts Ecosystem in Singapore’ LAB, which aimed to expose students to the arts ecosystem in Singapore, so they can be better prepared to navigate this industry after graduation.

Designed and led by two Yale-NUS alumni artists Kei Franklin and Jevon Chandra (both from the Class of 2017) and artist Alecia Neo (winner of the Young Artist Award 2016), whose experiences span the performing arts, interdisciplinary arts, and socially engaged-arts spaces, the programme offered a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create art in Singapore.

The LAB participants watched a play on the first night of the programme.

Through workshops with arts practitioners, opportunities to engage in dialogue with artists, producers, curators, and arts managers, and visits to arts spaces, participants experienced first-hand different aspects of the arts industry.

Aside from broadening their networks in the arts industry, participants also benefited from the opportunity to engage with like-minded peers from Yale-NUS.

Participants sharing their learning reflections.

Sega Areklayan (Class of 2024) was initially drawn to the LAB because it would give him the opportunity to practise his art. However, it ended up being much more than that as he learned the importance of “putting yourself out there and sharing your art with others”.

He shared, “I realised during the LAB that I have been mostly keeping my art to myself because I didn’t feel it was appropriate to openly talk about the complex emotions and ideas that my art dealt with.” However, having the opportunity to engage with like-minded peers helped Sega realise how sharing his work adds to the overall creative process.

Similar to Sega, one of the most memorable aspects of the LAB for Darryl Sim (Class of 2024) was being able to listen to and learn from other participants in the LAB as well as from guest speakers.

“The most interesting takeaway was an insight shared by Yale-NUS alumnus and playwright Myle Yan Tay, which has given me a new perspective to the way I approach my songs. He said that we should treat every individual work as a building block towards becoming the artists we want to be. In other words, we shouldn’t treat a single work as a magnum opus as doing so would put a cap on our creativity,” shared Darryl.

LAB leader Kei Franklin said that she and her fellow LAB leaders Jevon and Alecia initiated this LAB to share the insights they had gained from six years of working in the arts. “One of our objectives is to help participants forge connections both within and outside the community and to demystify the arts scene in Singapore, which can sometimes be difficult for an outsider to enter into,” said Kei.

She explained that while she wanted to generate excitement and inspiration, she also wanted to prepare participants for the challenges that accompany a career in the arts such as obtaining sufficient funding.

Participants shared that it was very helpful for them to hear different perspectives on financing and sustaining an art practice after graduation, including practical advice on job-seeking and the process of grant applications.

“Their words were reassuring and encouraging, and it opened my eyes to the many permutations of carrying my passion for songwriting and music production forward,” said Darryl.