Information Technology, Art Education and Creativity in Singapore

Abstract

In recent years, the study of art had slowly gained in importance with many countries in the world actively seeking to integrate art into the everyday life of their countries. Art, for many people, has in the past been neither accessible nor pervasive. It was to be found only in museums and galleries and was just another subject in school. It is an interesting coincidence that many governments now promote art extensively now that it has been associated with the new economy, which leverages on the knowledge, creativity and cultural capital of its citizens. Creativity has in recent times become part of everyday discourse and has gained much attention from scholars and governments, and at the same time, organizations like UNESCO are promoting the more integrated role of art and creativity within the primary and secondary school educational system in the face of the challenges that will confront today’s children in an uncertain world (UNESCO [b], n.d.). This article looks at the island nation of Singapore, a country currently committed to the pursuit of arts and culture, as well as new technologies and creativity. Art, creativity, technology and prosperity, previously separate entities, are now linked in the concepts of the new knowledge economy, the creative city, the creative cluster and the like, and Singapore, like many cities in the world, acknowledges and embraces these new concepts. The pursuit of more creativity, more information technology (IT) and more art manifest themselves in various part of life on the island and the essay will focus the discussion on the educational system, and especially on art education in the country, as it looks at Singapore’s quest to become a creative and vibrant Renaissance City.