SINGAPORE, 18 March 2025 – Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) welcomes three new arts residents with the launch of its new Arts Residency Scheme (ARS) and renews its Venue Partnership Agreements (VPAs) with eight local visual arts societies, as part of its continuing efforts to support for the local arts and cultural ecosystem.

Building upon the success of the Arts Support Framework introduced in 2019, the new ARS represents a significant evolution in SCCC’s commitment to nurturing arts organisations in Singapore. This enhanced scheme will provide resident arts groups with affordable administrative spaces, capability development opportunities, commissioning possibilities, and complimentary use of SCCC’s venues for presentations, training and rehearsals.

Under the new scheme, resident arts and cultural groups will enjoy a 3+3 year residency period, during which they will receive opportunities to enhance their artistic and organisational capabilities. The three arts and cultural groups selected for the ARS are Reverberance, Tampines Arts Troupe and Drum Feng. Their residencies will commence from April 2025 onwards, and they will present an annual production at SCCC as a part of their residency obligations.

According to Mr Glen Ng, Music Director of Drum Feng: “We are honoured to be accepted into the ARS as it provides us with the support and stability to refine our craft, expand collaborations, and push the boundaries of Singapore Chinese percussion. The scheme aligns perfectly with our vision of evolving and defining the Singapore Chinese percussion sound while fostering innovation and cross-disciplinary partnerships. With this residency, we look forward to creating impactful works, engaging new audiences, and elevating our presence both locally and internationally. We are excited for the journey ahead and can’t wait to showcase what’s next!”

Dr Tan Qing Lun, Artistic Director of Reverberance, adds: “It is a great honour for Reverberance to be selected as an Arts Resident at SCCC. As a company dedicated to preserving and evolving Singapore’s Chinese wind-percussion traditions, we see this residency as a significant milestone in our artistic journey. Under SCCC’s support, we look forward to deepening our exploration of this unique art form, fostering collaborations, and presenting innovative performances and educational initiatives that celebrate Singapore’s rich Chinese cultural heritage. This partnership will undoubtedly inspire us to amplify our artistic voice and contribute to a vibrant cultural landscape.”

Mr Alvin Tan, CEO/SCCC, said: “With the ARS, SCCC hopes to provide a one-stop solution to the pressing needs of emerging arts and cultural groups which often struggle to find suitable spaces to operate from as well as affordable venues for rehearsals and performances. In doing so, we hope to position SCCC as a nurturing arts space where these groups can focus on creating new works and building up their capabilities, and to transform SCCC into a vibrant production and performance hub for local Chinese arts and culture.”

Besides welcoming new arts residents, SCCC is also renewing its partnerships with eight local visual arts societies under its Visual Arts Partnership. They comprise The Society of Chinese Artists, Singapore Art Society, Modern Art Society Singapore, The Singapore Watercolour Society, Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving Calligraphy & Painting Society, Federation of Art Societies (Singapore), Sculpture Society (Singapore) and Artists Society of Singapore. These partnerships have been instrumental in addressing the challenge faced by visual arts societies in finding suitable and sponsored exhibition spaces, by enabling them to present their annual exhibitions at the centre on a regular basis.

According to Mr Donald Tan, President of Singapore Watercolour Society (SWS): “This partnership with SCCC has provided significant benefits to SWS, primarily through the use of the exhibition space to host our annual exhibition. It has allowed SWS to showcase our members’ works without the financial burden of venue rental fees. It also fostered greater public awareness of watercolour art and attracted a wider audience annually, including potential members, collectors, and art enthusiasts, thereby expanding the society’s reach. The renewal of this partnership will contribute to SWS’s development in terms of increasing visibility and outreach, access to logistic resources and marketing support and development of emerging artists. More importantly, it contributes to SWS’ goal of becoming a vital part of Singapore’s cultural heritage by preserving and promoting watercolour art in the region.”

Mr Alvin Tan, CEO/SCCC said: “By renewing our partnerships with local visual arts societies, we hope to show our support and contribute to a more vibrant and sustainable arts and culture ecosystem. More importantly, these partnerships result in win-win outcomes for all parties involved – the visual arts societies are assured of affordable exhibition spaces on a year-to-year basis and could afford to make long-term plans, while their annual exhibitions add to SCCC’s calendar of arts and culture offerings.”

For more information about SCCC’s ARS residents and visual arts venue partners, please click here or download the event’s media kit here.