Arts 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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Arts is the manifestation of creative expression. Singapore's cultural variety is its greatest strength. Given the island's polyglot races, the arts scene invariably incorporates many cultural elements, but it is still trying to find a definitive Singaporean voice.
Working in an urban environment where the strongest unifying impetus is rapid acquisition of a first world economy, Singaporean artists were for a long time of marginal significance in the nation-building process. Happily, this has changed. In the 1990s, the National Arts Council (NAC) was formed, and policy makers articulated Singapore's aspiration to be the cultural hub of the region with a lively arts scene catering for both residents and Tourists.
So, over the course of a year, there is more going on in Singapore on an average day than in most cities in East Asia; three or four plays, a couple of Concerts, some Dance, and a clutch of exhibitions augmented by showings in a dozen galleries. Performances will include everything from Chinese Opera to Indian classical dance to British pantomime. International ballet troupes, touring theatre companies from the West, and major international pop artists drop by regularly. While big visiting shows like Les Miserables and the Phantom of the Opera tend to hog the limelight, it is homegrown work that forms the bulk and ballast of the city's cultural life.
Shoppers pick up local art and sculptures from the region, although it's a fraction of the price if you go to the source and buy in Hanoi or Bali. Creative Locals are encouraged to express themselves in more economically ways, such as computer-generated animation for George Lucas' new studio, which opened in Singapore in 2005.
A mix of Architectural styles makes wandering the streets an eclectic delight, with Indian temples in Chinatown, and the brand new Foster Partners-designed New Supreme Court looming like a spaceship over the old colonial quarter. Arts and Architecture go hand in hand, as the spiky, endearing Esplanade shows, and many colonial buildings are reinventing themselves as art venues, such as the Arts House at the Old Parliament House.
Music and Dance performances, such as the WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) festival and Ballet under the Stars in Fort Canning Park, are often held in open spaces and shopping malls to appeal to a wider audience. The annual Singapore Arts Festival (June or July) ranges from larky street theatre to impenetrably avant-garde.
The Government has sought to boost art in a number of ways. It has introduced an Arts Education Programme administered by the National Arts Council (NAC) in schools, and established arts schools at both the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
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