Arts groups, museums seek to sustain momentum after SG Culture Pass attendance boost

Some say partnerships and new outreach efforts will be key to bringing arts and cultural experiences to more communities.

Private Peranakan museum The Intan says visitor numbers have risen by as much as 25 per cent with the SG Culture Pass. (Image: CNA)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: Arts groups in Singapore are looking to turn a boost in attendance from the SG Culture Pass into a longer-term habit as the scheme enters its second year.

The SG Culture Pass was introduced in September last year to encourage more Singaporeans to experience local arts and heritage.

Around 411,000 Singaporeans have used more than S$30.4 million (US$23.9 million) in Culture Pass credits since its launch, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said on Wednesday (Sep 2).

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less

REACHING NEW AUDIENCES

The scheme appears to be reaching beyond the usual arts crowd.

Of the 1.4 million Singaporeans who registered for the pass, 68 per cent had not attended a local arts and culture event in the previous five years, according to MCCY.

Nine in 10 users surveyed also said they were willing to attend another local arts and culture event after using their credits.

Youths aged 18 to 35 accounted for 43 per cent of credit usage, while adults and seniors made up 38 per cent and 19 per cent respectively, the ministry said.

Arts groups say the challenge now is to sustain that momentum and reach those who may be harder to draw in.

At the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), more than 60 per cent of the audience for its recent musical Legally Blonde used the Culture Pass.

Productions like this have helped bring in newcomers.

The theatre company said roughly half of Culture Pass users are visiting SRT for the first time.

Its focus in the scheme's second year will shift towards people who are not regular arts-goers.

“It's my sense that the older generation especially are not so frequent arts consumers,” said SRT’s managing director Charlotte Nors.

“The first wave of Culture Pass users might have a higher percentage of people who are theatre goers or arts consumers.”

SRT plans to introduce special Culture Pass packages for selected productions, including performances where the S$100 credit can cover two tickets.

It also hopes to encourage older Singaporeans to use their credits to take younger family members to children's shows.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

At the Visual Arts Centre, seniors and retirees make up the bulk of its Culture Pass users, with landscape and Chinese ink painting among its most popular programmes.

For some older participants, however, navigating the booking process remains a hurdle.

“It could still be a challenge for the older folks, and some of them would think of it simply as a voucher they can scan when they reach the outlet,” said Ms Iola Liu, director of the centre.

“But Culture Pass requires a certain pre-booking with the vendor sites like Sistic, Klook etc. So I think navigating that has been a challenge for the older citizens.”

The centre has been providing additional assistance, including guiding seniors through the booking process in person.

Meanwhile, private Peranakan museum The Intan says visitor numbers have risen by as much as 25 per cent with the Culture Pass.

It has also used the scheme to experiment with new offerings, including children's cultural activities, digital experiences and Peranakan cooking programmes, which have proven popular with seniors.

The museum has adapted its tours for visitors with mobility needs and wants to bring its experiences to more communities that may otherwise struggle to access them.

Mr Alvin Yapp, founder of The Intan, said this could include people living in sheltered and welfare homes who may find it difficult to visit the museum.

“These are communities that we find we wish there was a way to engage them further,” he added. “For me, that is truly about being Singaporean, truly about being inclusive.”

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

有人认为，建立伙伴关系和开展新的推广活动是让更多社区体验艺术和文化活动的关键。

土生华人私立博物馆“茵丹博物馆”表示，自新加坡文化通行证推出以来，游客数量增长了高达25%。（图片：CNA）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：新加坡的艺术团体希望将SG文化通行证带来的观众人数增长转化为长期的观展习惯，因为该计划已进入第二年。

新加坡文化通行证于去年9月推出，旨在鼓励更多新加坡人体验本地艺术和文化遗产。

新加坡文化、社区及青年部（MCCY）周三（9月2日）表示，自文化通行证推出以来，已有约41.1万新加坡人使用了超过3040万新元（2390万美元）的文化通行证额度。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小谜题，挑战你的大脑 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少

拓展新受众

该计划似乎正在影响到除传统艺术圈以外的群体。

据新加坡文化、社区及青年部（MCCY）称，在注册该通行证的140万新加坡人中，68%的人在过去五年中没有参加过本地艺术文化活动。

调查显示，十分之九的用户表示，在使用完积分后，他们愿意参加其他本地艺术文化活动。

该部表示，18至35岁的青年占信贷使用量的43%，而成年人和老年人分别占38%和19%。

艺术团体表示，现在的挑战是如何保持这种势头，并吸引那些可能更难吸引的人群。

在新加坡话剧团（SRT），最近上演的音乐剧《律政俏佳人》的观众中，超过 60% 的人使用了文化通行证。

像这样的作品有助于吸引新人。

剧院公司表示，大约一半的文化通行证用户是第一次来SRT剧院。

该计划第二年的重点将转向那些不经常参加艺术活动的人群。

“我的感觉是，尤其是老一辈人，他们不太经常观看艺术作品，”SRT总经理夏洛特·诺尔斯说道。

“首批文化通行证用户中，戏剧观众或艺术消费者的比例可能会更高。”

新加坡剧院公司计划为部分演出推出特别文化通行证套餐，其中部分演出可使用 100 新元抵用金购买两张门票。

它还希望鼓励新加坡老年人使用他们的积分带年轻的家庭成员去看儿童演出。

打破障碍

在视觉艺术中心，老年人和退休人士是文化通行证的主要用户，山水画和中国水墨画是最受欢迎的课程。

然而，对于一些年龄较大的参与者来说，完成预订过程仍然是一个障碍。

“这对老年人来说可能仍然是个挑战，他们中的一些人可能会把它简单地看作是一张可以在到达商店时扫描的代金券，”该中心主任刘女士说。

“但是文化通行证需要提前通过Sistic、Klook等供应商网站进行预订。所以我觉得这对老年人来说是个挑战。”

该中心还提供了额外的帮助，包括亲自指导老年人完成预订流程。

与此同时，土生华人私人博物馆“茵丹博物馆”表示，文化通行证的推出使游客数量增长了25%。

它还利用该计划尝试推出新的服务，包括儿童文化活动、数字体验和娘惹烹饪节目，这些服务都受到了老年人的欢迎。

该博物馆已调整参观路线，以方便行动不便的游客，并希望将博物馆的体验带给更多可能难以获得这些体验的社区。

Intan 的创始人 Alvin Yapp 先生表示，这可能包括住在收容所和福利院的人，他们可能觉得参观博物馆很困难。

他补充道：“我们发现，我们希望能够以某种方式与这些群体进行更深入的交流。对我而言，这才是真正的新加坡精神，真正的包容精神。”

订阅我们的邮件，即可获取精选热点新闻和引人深思的文章。

订阅通知，第一时间获取突发新闻和精彩报道。

加入我们的频道，即可在您常用的聊天应用上获取当日热门文章。