LASALLE College of the Arts: The ABCs of Art Education in Singapore

31 Aug 2016

Pablo Picasso once said: “every child is an artist”. There is creativity in all of us from the time we start painting as toddlers, to dancing along to nursery rhymes. This creativity must be nurtured in the right environment to bring out the best artist in everyone.

Singapore provides a vibrant art environment conducive for the next generation of artists to grow. At the heart of Singapore’s exciting art scene is LASALLE College of the Arts.

What makes LASALLE and Singapore the perfect choice for your art education? The answer is as simple as ABC.

Arts Hub of the Region

Singapore is fast becoming the arts hub of the region. The National Gallery Singapore, which houses the largest collection of Southeast Asian art in the world, was opened in November last year. There is also a wide array of local and international art festivals taking place in the city, such as the Singapore International Festival of Arts, Singapore Biennale, Singapore Theatre Festival, and much more.

If you are a budding artist, this increasingly vibrant arts scene creates a conducive environment for you to learn, grow and develop holistically. There are many chances for industry collaborations, performance opportunities, and exposure to art programmes that are important in your professional development.

Evident of Singapore’s commitment to the arts is the demarcation of an entire district dedicated to arts and culture in Bras Basah, located right in the city centre. It is no coincidence that LASALLE College of the Arts is positioned within this district, to offer students like you the opportunities to learn in a full-fledged arts college where you eat, breathe and live creativity 24/7.

Best of All Worlds with Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Exposure to various disciplines of art is important to a student’s creative development. Imagine taking part in a dance course, while also being introduced to electronic media working with media arts and music programmes. This is the kind of holistic education that students at LASALLE enjoy with its interdisciplinary curriculum.

LASALLE’s interdisciplinary curriculum offers students the chance to collaborate with other art faculties to produce creative collisions. For example, the Puttnam School of Film and Animation students work regularly with budding actors from the School of Dance & Theatre to present films that have received critical acclaim. The College’s discourse and research-based practice also stimulates critical art, nurturing all-rounded artists.

Soundtrack, a collaborative project, features BA(Hons) Musical Theatre students performing against the animation backdrop created by Diploma in Animation students and live sound effects produced by Diploma in Technical & Production Management at LASALLE Open House 2016.

Cutting-edge Education

LASALLE is the first and only home-grown local institution to be awarded the EduTrust Star – the highest accolade of quality for a private education institution in Singapore. In addition to the over 30 highly-regarded undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at LASALLE, the College also offers robust internship programmes and industry collaborations with established partners across various art disciplines. For example, the College’s graduating fashion students worked closely with local retail icon TANGS to showcase their creations at a runway show held at TANGS’ department store, with selected items immediately available for purchase at the popup store in TANGS.

LASALLE partners local retail icon TANGS to showcase ready-to-wear collections of BA(Hons) Fashion Design & Textiles graduates at a pop-up store in TANGS at TANG Plaza, Orchard.

LASALLE’s programmes such as the Public Lecture Series also invites practitioners across art disciplines to share their experiences and impart their expertise to the students at the College. Prominent names include theatre visionary Robert Wilson, Academy award-winning producer Lord David Puttnam, noted architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick and Turner Prize winning artists Gilbert & George.

These experiences contribute to LASALLE students’ marketability in the employment market. In fact, 92 per cent of LASALLE graduates who work in a full-time permanent job received their first job offer within 3 months after graduation, as shown in the recent Graduate Employment Survey 2015.

Pablo Picasso once said, “every child is an artist”, and the second part to the quote is: “the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”. Immerse yourself in the right environment for a quality education that brings out the best artist in you, and enables you to pursue and retain your passion for the arts. Choose Singapore, come to LASALLE.