LASALLE College of the Arts (informally LASALLE) is a publicly-funded post-secondary arts institution, planned to be a constituent college of the
University of the Arts Singapore
The University of the Arts Singapore (UAS); (Standard Chinese: 新加坡艺术大学; ms, Universiti Seni Singapura; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் கலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a publicly-funded private C ...
(UAS) by 2024
along with the
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA); (Standard Chinese: 南洋艺术学院; ms, Akademi Seni Halus Nanyang; ta, நன்யாங் அகாடமி ஆஃப் ஃபைன் ஆர்ட்ஸ்) is a publicly-funded post-secondary ar ...
in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.
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. LASALLE's bachelor's and master's degrees are validated by
Goldsmiths College, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
, one of the leading universities in the world for arts and humanities.
Many leaders in the Singapore arts scene are linked to LASALLE, including Alan Oei as artistic director of
The Substation
The Substation (Chinese: 电力站) is Singapore's first independent contemporary arts centre. It was founded in 1990 by Kuo Pao Kun. The Substation is centrally located in the city's civic district and was the first building under the Natio ...
and Eugene Tan as director of the
National Gallery Singapore
ms, Galeri Kebangsaan Singapura ta, சிங்கப்பூர் தேசிய கலைக்கூடம்
, logo = National_Gallery_Singapore_logo.svg
, image = Interior_of_the_National_Gallery_Singapore.jpg
, caption = Interior of ...
.
History
1984–1994
The late 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. 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, Brother Joseph 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, Brother Joseph founded LASALLE College of the Arts. Originally known as the St Patrick's Arts Centre, the institution was funded largely through Brother Joseph'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.
In 1993, Brother Joseph's effort in securing resources finally paid off when
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in ...
contributed S$15 million to enhance campus facilities.
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.
In the same year, an agreement was formalised with Australia's
RMIT University
RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city ...
for its bachelor's degree in Fine Arts to be awarded to graduates of LASALLE's Fine Arts programme.
1995–2009
Following the government's plans to rejuvenate Singapore's art space, LASALLE began receiving financial support from the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
. At LASALLE's 10th anniversary celebration in 1995, then-Deputy Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...
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. The college also started offering degrees, designed and developed in Singapore, to support the local and regional creative industries.
2010–present
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.
In 2012, LASALLE established a partnership with
Goldsmiths, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
, 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
Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai ( zh, c=黄循财, p=Huáng Xúncái; born 18 December 1972) is a Singaporean politician, economist and former civil servant who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore since 2022 alongside Heng Swee Keat ...
announced that Singapore's first arts university will be established in an alliance between the
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA); (Standard Chinese: 南洋艺术学院; ms, Akademi Seni Halus Nanyang; ta, நன்யாங் அகாடமி ஆஃப் ஃபைன் ஆர்ட்ஸ்) is a publicly-funded post-secondary ar ...
and LASALLE College of the Arts.
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.
Facilities
![LASALLE New City Campus interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/LASALLE_New_City_Campus_interior.jpg)
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.
McNally Campus
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. 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.
Winstedt Campus
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.
File:City Campus of LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore - 20080620.jpg, City Campus of LASALLE College of the Arts
File:LASALLE College of the Arts (2964089888).jpg, LASALLE College of the Arts
File:LASALLE College of the Arts (2964089892).jpg, Exterior of LASALLE College of the Arts
File:Brother Joseph McNally Gallery, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore - 20140905.jpg, Brother Joseph McNally Gallery, LASALLE College of the Arts
Partner institution
LASALLE is a partner institution of
Goldsmiths, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
. 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.
Schools and programmes
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.
School of Contemporary Music
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.
McNally School of Fine Arts
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.
School of Dance & Theatre
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 Technical and Production 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.
School of Creative Industries
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:
* MA Arts and Cultural Management,
* MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice which is the first of its kind in the region,
* Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Pedagogy and Practice,
* MA Art Therapy,
* MA Creative Writing
School of Fashion
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.
School of Spatial & Product Design
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.
School of Design Communication
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
MullenLowe Profero is a digital marketing agency operating across twelve offices, with over 600 employees globally. Its services typically include customer experience, digital marketing, creative, media, technology, user experience (UX) and stra ...
Singapore and Art Director Sid Lim Xian Hao of
DDB Singapore.
Puttnam School of Film & Animation
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.
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.
For film, the School offers a BA(Hons) Film programme.
Scholarships
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.
Alumni
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. 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:
*
Yu Shuxin
Yu Shuxin (Chinese: 虞书欣; pinyin: ''Yú Shūxīn'', born December 18, 1995), also known as Esther Yu, is a Chinese actress and singer. She is a former member of THE9, the project girl group from iQIYI's survival show '' Youth With You 2.'' ...
, singer and actress
*
Kit Chan
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, singer and actress
*
Oon Shu An
Oon Shu An (born 5 August 1986) is a Singaporean actress and host. She is the web-show host of Clicknetwork.tv's ''Tried and Tested''.
Early life
Oon was educated at Methodist Girls' School. She graduated from the LASALLE College of the ...
, Singaporean actress and host
*
Amanda Heng, international arts practitioner
* Singapore-based contemporary art and design collective
PHUNK
PHUNK (previously known as :phunk and Phunk Studio) is a Singapore-based contemporary art and design collective founded by Alvin Tan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan, and William Chan in 1994. They have exhibited and collaborated with artists, desig ...
* Yuni Hadi, executive director of SGIFF and co-producer of ''Ilo Ilo''
*
Boo Junfeng, filmmaker
*
Tay Bee Aye, multi-disciplinary visual artist
*
Cynthia Delaney Suwito,
Forbes 30 Under 30
''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists of people under 30 years old issued annually by ''Forbes'' magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries ...
Asia: The Arts 2017
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.
President's Young Talents
Inaugurated by
Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum (Abbreviation: SAM) is an art museum is located in the Downtown Core district of Singapore. It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public co ...
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:
* Filmmaker
Boo Junfeng
In popular culture
The college is featured in
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series
Westworld
''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...
, as part of the
third season.
Controversies
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. The items were a penis sheath and a
butt plug
A butt plug is a sex toy that is designed to be inserted into the rectum for sexual pleasure. They are similar to a dildo in some ways but tend to be shorter and have a flanged end to prevent the device from being lost inside the rectum.
Histor ...
. 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.
References
External links
Official websiteUAS website
{{Authority control
Rochor
Educational institutions established in 1984
Education in Singapore
1984 establishments in Singapore