SMU-Centre 42 Series: Arts Leadership and Choices for Change in Singapore

What is arts leadership and what does it entail? How different are arts leaders from other leaders? Why does arts leadership even matter? How crucial is arts leadership to the future of societies in the twenty-first century?

This session examines the value of arts leadership in developing platforms for difference within the Singapore context. Looking at three Singapore theatre artists – Kuo Pao Kun, Ong Keng Sen and Kok Heng Leun – whose experimental, interdisciplinary and intercultural frameworks have advanced how difference is felt and understood, this session considers how their choices reflect a dramaturgy of leadership that prioritises imaginative provocation and collaborative decision-making.

This session argues that when these artists engage critically with their location, they make choices for change that significantly alter the arts landscape and prod towards more inclusive modes of engagement. Identifying key skills in the process, this session will also raise questions about what is needed for more artists to engage with leadership as part of their artistry.

The Arts and Culture Matters Series is a platform for robust, lively and collegiate discussion of the issues and challenges related to the arts and cultural landscape. Each discussion will collectively convene members of the arts and creative community including artists, scholars, students, and policy-makers, to explore timely topics that will nurture and advance understanding on the arts and culture, especially in and from the context of Singapore. This series is organised by the Arts and Culture Management Program, in the School of Social Sciences at the Singapore Management University. For 2018, the series is produced in partnership with Centre 42, a non-profit theatre development space.