From January 2013 all SMU students will have a brand new major to opt for when selecting their Second Major. The Arts and Culture Management (ACM) offered by the School of Social Sciences, has an innovative and practical-oriented slant which aims to prepare graduates for the burgeoning arts and culture industry which is going to drive important economic engines world-wide.
Internationally, the creative industries have experienced rapid expansion over the past 10 years. In Singapore, the Government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the promotion of the Arts and the larger Arts industry. Singapore aims to become a “Global Arts City” by 2015, and has committed significant investment in arts and entertainment infrastructure.
In fact, the ACM second major has been introduced against the background of the strategic report of the Singapore arts and culture review committee announced earlier this year. The report estimates that at least 500 jobs in Arts and Culture will be created annually over the next five years due to the manpower requirements of the two integrated resorts, the demand from the Ministry of Education for trained arts teachers, and the opening of the new national gallery in 2014. There is also a need for arts and culture managers, administrators who understand both the sensitivity of the arts and culture community and the stringent demands of knowledge and experience of the different and varied industries.
Associate Professor Kirpal Singh, Course Coordinator for ACM Major said, “As the global economy grows, the arts are going to be key drivers of economic engines. Cities, especially those like Singapore with aspirations to be global hubs, must offer a lot in the arts and culture arenas to attract top talent, and these offerings have to be matched by people trained to respond to new demands in arts and culture. Hence the importance of training graduates in this respect.”
[Prof Kirpal Singh sharing his knowledge on the arts and culture landscape in Singapore, during the official launch of the new ACM second major.]
The new ACM second major at SMU is open to all SMU students and it provides them the opportunity to combine the renowned expertise of SMU in business and management, with an international best-practice approach to arts leadership sourced both from Singapore and leading global partners.
Prof Kirpal Singh said, “Some of the world’s leading icons in the fields of arts and culture will be coming to SMU to help teach in the exciting new Major in Arts and Culture Management. Some of the big names include Lord Tony Hall, CEO of the Royal Opera House*, London; Jonathan Mills, CEO and Director of the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival; Prof Anthony Jones, Emeritus President of the Chicago Art Institute; Prof David Britton, internationally-acclaimed playwright; Prof Francois Colbert, world authority on Arts Marketing and Duncan Jepson, film-maker and novelist. They will complement a high-powered faculty helmed by Singapore’s own Ong Keng Sen, Pang Eng Fong and Joseph Peters.”
Some of the interesting study areas to be offered at SMU will include visual arts, performing arts (theatrical and musical), literary arts and publishing, events management, venue management, new media and popular culture.
The programme includes a compulsory placement within the industry, either in Singapore or internationally. Student will be given personal and professional guidance throughout the programme.
Professor Anthony Jones from School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) said, "SMU's initiatives are very good, and timely - well-trained managers and administrators who have solid business skills and who understand and love the arts are increasingly needed. This undergraduate option will be an excellent preparation for rewarding work in the creative industries, and is especially relevant to Singapore."
An official launch of the new second major was held on 9 November 2012 and experts in the fields shared their views regarding the arts and culture scenes in Singapore as well as career prospects of students taking the new ACM major.
Speakers included Professor James Tang, Dean, SMU School of Social Sciences (SOSS); Professor Howard Thomas, Dean, SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB); Hilary Boulding, Principal, Royal Welsh College and Professor David Britton, Advisor to ACM, Swansea University.
The School of Social Sciences has launched two other new second majors at the start of the academic year 2012/2013. They are International and Asian Studies, which takes a multidisciplinary approach to examining Asia’s role in the world and Public Policy and Public Management, Singapore’s first undergraduate major in this increasingly prominent field.
*Tony Hall was appointed Director-General of the BBC in November 2012 and will be standing down from the Royal Opera House in 2013.
[There is a need for arts and culture managers, administrators who understand both the sensitivity of the arts and culture community and the stringent demands of knowledge and experience of the different and varied industries.]