Type | Publicly-funded Arts institution [1] |
---|---|
Established | 1984 |
Parent institution | University of the Arts Singapore [2] |
President | Steve Dixon |
Students | 2,700 |
Location | 1 McNally Street , Singapore |
Campus | McNally Campus, Winstedt Campus |
Website | lasalle.edu |
LASALLE College of the Arts, simply known as LASALLE, is a publicly-funded post-secondary arts institution in Singapore, and a constituent college of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) from 2024. [3] [4]
Founded in 1984, LASALLE has eight art and design schools that offer more than 30 diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in contemporary arts and design education. [5] LASALLE's bachelor's and master's degrees are validated by Goldsmiths College, University of London, one of the leading universities in the world for arts and humanities. [6]
Many leaders in the Singapore arts scene are linked to LASALLE, including Alan Oei as artistic director of The Substation and Eugene Tan as director of the National Gallery Singapore. [7]
Brother Joseph McNally, the founder of LASALLE College of the Arts, was known for his outstanding educational and artistic contributions in Singapore, which he made his home in 1946. [8] He spent almost 40 years in Singapore teaching in various affiliated schools of the De La Salle Order including St Joseph's Institution and St Patrick's Secondary School. Upon retirement, McNally decided to follow through with his vision to elevate the arts culture in Singapore, holding the belief that the arts is instrumental to a nation.
In 1984, McNally founded LASALLE College of the Arts. Originally known as the St Patrick's Arts Centre, the institution was funded largely through McNally's own pocket, given the low priority, the Singapore government placed on the arts at that time. As an integrated arts college, the first cohort had a strength of 27 students who were offered diplomas in Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, and Music. [9]
In 1993, [10] McNally's effort in securing resources finally paid off when Singapore Airlines contributed S$15 million to enhance campus facilities. [11] The college was subsequently renamed LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts. Other financial contributors to the college include the Khoo, Lee, Shaw and Hong Leong Foundations, and Airbus Industries. [9] In the same year, an agreement was formalised with Australia's RMIT University for its bachelor's degree in Fine Arts to be awarded to graduates of LASALLE's Fine Arts programme.[ citation needed ]
Following the government's plans to rejuvenate Singapore's art space, LASALLE began receiving financial support from the Ministry of Education. At LASALLE's 10th anniversary celebration in 1995, then-Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong remarked that LASALLE played an important role in developing artists and their audience in Singapore, and announced that the Singapore government would be extending financial assistance to the college by providing an estimated sum of $4 million in grants. [12] The college also started offering degrees, designed and developed in Singapore, to support the local and regional creative industries. [13]
In 2010, LASALLE launched the MA Asian Art Histories programme, the first of its kind worldwide. Its focus is on Asian modern and contemporary art, where students are able to investigate recently emerged artists and movements within the geographical domain, and undertake a plethora of research subjects. [11] In 2012, LASALLE established a partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London, to introduce 14 publicly funded undergraduate arts degree programmes. A year later, the college introduced the MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice Programme. Its most recent programmes include MA Creative Writing and MA Design, bringing its range of programmes to more than 30.
In March 2021, Minister for Education Lawrence Wong announced that Singapore's first arts university will be established in an alliance between the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts. [11] The formation of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) will see both colleges under the umbrella university be given degree-awarding powers independent of their current foreign partners, where the current long-distance degrees are issued through foreign universities. Singaporeans and permanent residents enrolled in the approved degree programmes at the university of the arts will pay subsidised fees, comparable to the autonomous universities in Singapore. [14]
LASALLE moved to its new city campus at 1 McNally Street in 2007, and was re-branded as LASALLE College of the Arts. The Winstedt Campus opened in 2013, giving the college an additional 5,000 square metres of studio and workshop space. [15]
The McNally Campus is located in the Rochor area of Singapore, which is part of Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority zoning of an Arts, Culture, Learning and Entertainment hub. [16] The campus offers 1,500 square metres of contemporary art exhibition and gallery spaces, and is also equipped with the region's first Theatre and Art Production Workshop for the construction of full-scale stage sets. It also has a variety of facilities that are accessible to students, including 10 computer labs, 6 classrooms, 3 lecture theatres, and 56 studios.
As LASALLE's second campus, the Winstedt Campus is located near the Newton area. The campus was designed for students involved in studio-based modules, such as the visual arts, to develop and complete their semester projects. It is equipped with 14 Fine Arts, Media Arts & Design Studios, 4 Fine Arts and Design technical workshops, 7 computer labs, and 5 classrooms.
LASALLE is a partner institution of Goldsmiths, University of London. Goldsmiths has approved LASALLE as an appropriate tertiary institution in Singapore to offer degree programmes leading to Goldsmiths’ validated awards. All degree programmes offered at LASALLE have been designed and developed by LASALLE to fulfill the needs of the creative industries in Singapore and Asia-Pacific. These programmes have been validated through a process of external peer review by Goldsmiths' College, University of London, as being of an appropriate standard and quality to lead to a Goldsmiths' award.[ citation needed ]
LASALLE has eight distinct schools offering a range of arts and design programmes.
All Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) programmes are offered in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London. [6] [17]
The School of Contemporary Music has two diploma programmes: Diploma in Audio Production and Diploma in Music. The School also offers a BA(Hons) Music programme, which has five specialisations in Pop, Jazz, Classical, Composition or Electronic Music.
The School of Fine Arts involves all levels of education for Fine Arts, with contemporary research and practice-based programmes including Diploma in Fine Arts, BA(Hons) Fine Arts, and MA Fine Arts. The School offers a variety of Fine Arts disciplines, including sculpture, printmaking, drawing installation, photography, technology-based art, performance art, interdisciplinary art, and critical studies in art history and theory. The School also offers MA Asian Art Histories, which is the first MA programme worldwide to focus on Asian modern and contemporary art. [18]
The School of Dance & Theatre focuses on dance and performance. For dance, the School's programmes include Diploma in Dance and BA(Hons) Dance. The four branches of dance techniques taught by LASALLE can be categorised into Urban Dance, Jazz, ballet, and Contemporary Dance. For performance, the School's programmes include Diploma in Performance, BA(Hons) Acting, and BA(Hons) Musical Theatre. The School also offers a Diploma in Theatre Production and Management.
It is common for programmes under the School of Dance & Theatre to collaborate with other Schools, such as the Puttnam School of Film & Animation and the School of Contemporary Music. [19]
The School of Creative Industries offers programmes that focus on the development and expansion of creative industries. Programmes include foundation courses such as a Certificate in English Language for the Creative Arts. The School also has a BA(Hons) Arts Management programme.
Additionally, there are five postgraduate programmes, including:
The School of Fashion offers one Diploma and two Honours Degree programmes. The Diploma in Fashion programme has components in Textile Design, Marketing, Styling, and Art Direction, while the BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles programme, has four specialisations: Womenswear, Menswear, Creative Pattern Cutting, or Fashion Textiles. There is also a BA(Hons) Fashion Media and Industries programme, which offers two specialisations, the first comprising Fashion Journalism, Styling, Art Direction, Fashion Photography, and the second comprising Marketing and Branding, Fashion Curation, Entrepreneurship.
LASALLE holds an annual Graduate Fashion Show. In 2015, LASALLE's Graduate Fashion Show was part of Singapore Fashion Week.
The School of Spatial & Product Design offers a Diploma programme, Diploma in Interior Design, and two Honours Degree programmes, BA(Hons) Product Design and BA(Hons) Interior Design.
Alumni often continue into design industries, such as interior design, architectural practice, furniture design, and product design.
The School of Design Communication consists of a Diploma in Design Communication programme, which involves disciplines of Graphic Design, Advertising, and Illustration. The School also has a BA(Hons) Design Communication and MA Design programmes. In 2017, the School hosted Open Studios to showcase the works of Design Communication students.
Many alumni have continued into the advertising industry like Creative Director Ang Sheng Jin of MullenLowe Profero Singapore [21] and Art Director Sid Lim Xian Hao of DDB Singapore.[ citation needed ]
The Puttnam School of Film & Animation focuses on animation, broadcast media, and film.
For animation, the School has a Diploma in Animation and a BA(Hons) Animation Art programme where students can specialise in either 2D or 3D animation. These programmes also have practical components such as Acting for Animation, and Drawing Classes and Programming. Animation students often work with external partners, such as the partnership between LASALLE students and local company Presence Pictures in which students transformed their 3D videos into virtual reality. [22]
For broadcast media, the School offers a Diploma in Broadcast Media. Students collaborate with other programmes, such as Music, Fashion, Film, Animation, Technical and Production Management, Fine Arts, and LASALLE's Media Lab. [23]
For film, the School offers a BA(Hons) Film programme. [24]
LASALLE offers multiple scholarships to eligible students. Eligible students are able to receive grants and subsidised tuition fees. LASALLE students, from Diploma, BA(Hons), and postgraduate programmes may also apply for externally sponsored scholarships.
A Nielsen survey highlighted that nine in 10 LASALLE alumni are currently employed, happy with their jobs, and find skills taught in school relevant at work. [25] More than 700 former LASALLE students were surveyed.
Various LASALLE alumni, also known as A-Luminaries, that are recognised as notable professionals in the arts and design industries include:
While the majority of LASALLE alumni are based in Singapore, it is common for alumni to engage with countries like China, Malaysia, the United States of America, Australia, and Indonesia in their management of multi-country projects. [30]
Inaugurated by Singapore Art Museum in 2001, the President's Young Talents recognises young artists under the age of 35. The award involves participating in the mentoring and commissioning exhibition programme. A number of LASALLE alumni were recipients of the award, including:
In February 2016, two items that were part of the group show Fault-lines: Disparate and desperate intimacies were removed from artist Loo Zihan's installation "Queer objects: An archive for the future". This action was agreed between the staff of Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) Singapore, part of Lasalle College of the Arts, curator Wong Binghao and Loo, and was due to the nature of the objects which could be potentially considered offensive to some members of the public. [31] The items were a penis sheath and a butt plug. The ICA Singapore, curator and artist emphasised that the decision was taken to make the exhibition accessible to all, including students of the LASALLE College of the Arts, half of whom are under 18 years old. [32] [ non-primary source needed ]
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, more commonly known as IADT Dún Laoghaire or simply IADT is an institute of technology with a focus on art and design located in Deansgrange near Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. It was established in 1997 and incorporated the former Dún Laoghaire College of Art and Design as its School of Creative Arts.
Arts University Bournemouth is a further and higher education university based in Poole, England, specialising in art, performance, design, and media. It was formerly known as The Arts University College at Bournemouth and The Arts Institute at Bournemouth and is the home of Bournemouth Film School.
The Northern School of Art is a further and higher education art and design college, based in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool in the north-east of England. The college was called Cleveland College of Art and Design after the former non-metropolitan county of Cleveland, operational from 1974 to 1996. In April 2018 it was announced that the college would change its name to The Northern School of Art effective from September 2018.
Leeds Arts University is a specialist arts further and higher education institution, based in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a main campus opposite the University of Leeds.
Norwich University of the Arts is a public university in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom that specialises in art, design, media, architecture and performance. It was founded as Norwich School of Design in 1845 and has a long history of arts education. It gained full university status in 2013.
Hereford College of Arts is an art school based in the West Midlands, UK, and is the only specialist college in the region dedicated to the Arts.
South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, also known as SGS College, is a college of further education and higher education based in South Gloucestershire and Stroud, England. It was established in February 2012 following the merger of Filton College and Stroud College. The college is made up of six campuses located in and around Bristol, North Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Stroud. In 2021, the college launched a University Centre at its WISE campus after being awarded university centre status by the Department for Education.
Ravensbourne University London is a digital media and design university, with vocational courses in fashion, television and broadcasting, interactive product design, architecture and environment design, graphic design, animation, moving image, music production for media and sound design.
The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England.
Sri Venkateswara College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi established in 1961 in New Delhi, India. It is managed by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams & UGC and awards degrees under the purview of the University of Delhi. The college offers courses both at the undergraduate level and the postgraduate level. Vocational courses and short-term add-on courses that serve as significant supplement to the academic profiles of the students are offered by the college. Admissions are done purely based on merit and as per the Delhi University norms. It is ranked 14th among colleges in India by NIRF, 2022. Subsequently, in 2021 Outlook has ranked it: 6th in the Humanities stream, 9th in the Science stream and 13th in Commerce stream.
Gray's School of Art is the Robert Gordon University's art school, located in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of the oldest established fine art institutions in Scotland and one of Scotland's five art schools today, and ranked among the Top 20 Schools of Art and Design in the United Kingdom. The School is housed in a modernist building at the university's Garthdee campus in Aberdeen. As well as degree-level training in fine art, applied art and design, Gray's School of Art offers short courses and evening classes to the general public in a wide variety of mediums. Many of these are designed for those with no previous formal training, and can also be used to develop a portfolio prior to applying for degree-level study. The School also mounts exhibitions, including the annual Degree Show which showcases the work of students on its programmes.
The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of the most important Irish artists, designers and art educators have studied or taught in the college. NCAD has always been located in central Dublin, and in 1980 it relocated to the historic Liberties area. The College has around 950 full-time students and a further 600 pursuing part-time courses, and NCAD's students come from more than forty countries. NCAD is a Recognised College of University College Dublin. It is also a member of the European League of Institutes of the Arts.
Falmouth University is a specialist public university for the creative industries based in Falmouth and Penryn, Cornwall, England. Founded as Falmouth School of Art in 1902, it was later known as Falmouth College of Art and Design and then Falmouth College of Arts until 2012, when the university college was officially granted full university status by the Privy Council.
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is a publicly-funded post-secondary arts institution in Singapore, and a constituent college of the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) from 2024.
Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology (SMUCT) is a private university established in 2003 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was named after Md. Imamul Kabir Shanto and his wife Tahmina Chowdhury Kabir (Mariam).
The One Academy of Communication Design is a private arts and design institute. Its main campus is situated in Bandar Sunway, Selangor, with a northern campus in George Town, Penang.
Group 90 is an informal arts group in Singapore, committed to the study and interpretation, and promotion of the human nudity as an art form. It was founded the late Brother Joseph McNally, along with founding members S. Namasivayam, Chia Wai Hon and Sim Tong Khern, who subscribe to the European art tradition of using the human body in developing artistic mastery in depicting form, perceptual acuity and fluency in drawing.
Cardiff School of Art & Design (CSAD) is one of the five schools that comprise Cardiff Metropolitan University. It originated as the Cardiff School of Art in 1865.
The Belfast School of Art, formerly the Belfast Government School of Art, is a School in the Ulster University Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and is physically located at the Belfast campus. Following the results of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 Ulster is ranked within the top ten for research in Art and Design in the UK.