Image credit: Urban Redevelopment Authority
Inspired to bring the arts to where you live, work and play? You can create arts projects or organise activities that bring your community together.
The Lively Places Programme is a joint initiative started by HDB and URA to better support community-led efforts to enliven our public spaces and create a distinctive city. NAC has partnered with both agencies to support artist fees for selected arts projects. Under this collaboration, projects involving artists can receive up to $30,000 in support as follow:
- For projects involving one artist, the artist will get $5,000 in artist fees and up to $20,000 project implementation budget;
- For projects involving two or more artists, the artists will get $10,000 in artist fees and up to $20,000 project implementation budget.
To further strengthen project involvement and commitment, applicants would need to engage the community in the co-creation of the project. These efforts would contribute towards the team’s community match. The value of the volunteering hours, provision of project-related equipment and/or logistical support to conduct the engagement will be clocked as the team’s community match and should be at least 30% of the requested funding.
Interested to start a project? Find out more about the Lively Places Programme here or click here to submit an application.
Not sure where to start? Here are some examples of the public spaces that have been transformed through the Lively Places Programme:
Hidden Gem
Upper Thomson Road
Together with artist Muhammad Izdi, residents of Yew Lian Park tapped on the Lively Places Fund to install a handrail to a staircase and paint a mural inspired by stories from the residents. The staircase is commonly used by residents as a shortcut to access nearby shophouses and Upper Thomson MRT station, and has now become not only safer to use, but also serves as an attractive landmark for estate.
The Lively Benches
Potong Pasir
Artist and Potong Pasir resident Anne Neo sought to enliven an open hardcourt space in her neighbourhood, which was frequently used by residents for exercise and gatherings. She enlisted the help of fellow Potong Pasir residents and student volunteers to paint bright and colourful murals on a total of 33 benches at the hardcourt space.
Wall Murals with themes on Cats and Kindness
Boon Lay
Artist Clarence Ho worked with residents of Block 185 and 186 Boon Lay to co-create 3D Augmented Reality (AR) murals themed around cats and kindness. Residents can scan the QR code accompanying the mural with their mobile devices and watch the subjects within the murals come to life in 3D.
A Particular Place
Kampong Gelam
Artists AKAI Chew, Leow Wei Li and Leonard Yang created a colourful wall mural on the façade of 45 and 47 Sultan Gate, integrating a mix of iconography found from the Kampong Gelam district. Visitors to Kampong Gelam were invited to paint the mural and pen down their memories and hopes for the district over two co-creation sessions. The mural served as a wayfinder for Archifest 2023 and remains a popular spot for photography in the district.