2010 Year-In-Review

Contents Highlights 2010 Tropical 12-21 Lab 4 Staff Room Chat 22-25 Exhibitions & Performances A Pivotal Convocation Year 2010 80 Artists 04 Abroad President’s Message 30 Prof Alastair Pearce The Power of Voice Aole Tacuma Miller 08 Provost’s Message 64 Venka Purushothaman 38 Peru-topia! 70 10 People I’m Watching... Board / 32 Management Team Agent for Change 39 Audrey Wong Journey of Light 72 If Given the Money... 26 Sponsors / 40 Visiting Artists & Speakers Minorities Report 41 Jogja Remembers 48 42 Philosophy in Music California Dancing Darren Moore 43 Java Jazz 50 The Art of Hybridity Teresa Almeida 76 Canvas Chameleon Jeremy Sharma President’s Message President’s Message > Prof Alastair Pearce Alastair Prof Where would you place LASALLE on an The evidence comes through the growing China, Peru, UK, USA and Canada. In organisational continuum stretching in number of students who choose to addition, academic collaborations style from an army camp at one end to invest their time and money in LASALLE. were cemented with a range of like- an anarchists’ commune at the other? It’s seen in our robust employment minded institutions from around the Well, that’s difficult to answer, but an statistics which prove that creativity world. These are clear signs of a college even harder question is “Where on and earned income are not mutually growing in self-confidence but always that continuum should an arts college exclusive, and it’s supported by the ready to learn from, and with, others. appear?” And I suppose, like so many burgeoning number of donors to the answers in life, a flexible approach – college who choose to give us money In summary 2010 was, in my view, a sometimes almost schizophrenic – turns to fund student scholarships and the pivotal year for the college: stability has out to be useful; it certainly has in 2010. enhancement of our facilities. These morphed into progress as respectability features of our life in 2010 indicate trust has developed into excitement. We have So LASALLE has, over the last year, in LASALLE, trust that we have created become better at what we do, better at entered the impressively ordered world a strong and ordered structure within communicating what we do and better of the Council for Private Education with which extraordinary creativity can understood for what we do. A good year. its compliance-based audit systems and germinate and flower, and out of which checklists, whilst it has simultaneously tomorrow’s professionals can emerge. encouraged its students to clamber Prof Alastair Pearce out of their conceptual boxes and Of course these remarks of mine could February 2011 explore scary lands. And I’m happy to simply be the complacent ramblings of a report that not only have our procedure myopic college president, for where’s the manuals and flow charts impressed external disinterested verification? Well, our auditors but also that our students’ in 2010 that came most palpably from imaginations have broadened as the Arts Quality Assurance Framework their art communicates new visions. report – a document, commissioned by 05 the Ministry of Education and written No contradiction, I really don’t think that by an international group of subject there is a contradiction here between experts on what they thought of LASALLE. order and imagination, between Unfortunately, the confidential nature structure and content. Beethoven’s piano of the report prevents my revealing too sonatas can hardly be accused of being many details, but I think the Ministry unimaginative and yet they articulate will not mind my sharing that the the rigours of classical sonata form; and, experts rather liked what they saw at in a similar way, LASALLE’s students LASALLE and were happy to predict paint, dance, perform, sing, design and a rosy future for the college. I agree. film within a well-managed college that is financially solvent, academically So here is at least the start of plausible sound and administratively well run. evidence for 2010 being a successful But where is the evidence that this is year for LASALLE, but there’s more, and true and that we can indeed cope with it’s based on a common characteristic this institutional schizophrenia so well? of any successful institution whether it be an arts college, a commercial company or even a nation: lots of other successful organisations want to cuddle-up and become friends. And the successful institution welcomes this, for it’s outward looking and impatient with the introspection of mediocrity. LASALLE now takes this positive stance with 2010 seeing the college working with its local communities in setting up a junior division for children, enjoying a joint exhibition with our distinguished neighbour Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and its staff volunteering time and expertise to assist projects in Bhutan, Vietnam and Cambodia, whilst students learnt from visits to Java, Japan, Korea, Values, LASALLE values… Ambition > Purpose > • the ability of art to communicate across cultures and Values geography • the power of education and research to enlighten the individual and society • the preparation of graduates for sustained employment • the opportunity to create new art by transcending traditional subject boundaries • the disciplined freedom of artists • the communication of truth beyond words 07 Ambition, LASALLE will become... Purpose, LASALLE exists... • one of the world’s premier educational • for the education of students • for the institutions for contemporary intercultural study enrichment of art • for the promotion of of diverse artistic traditions • the leading Asian artistic communication • for the cultural educational institution for contemporary creativity and economic well-being of Singapore in the arts • a highly valued educational resource for Singapore’s creative industries • a major artistic reservoir for local communities • centered on the student experience LASALLE’s founding vision to train reside - in the art, the artist, in his/ and learning to benchmark student Provost’s Message and nurture new generations of her learning experience or his/her work with those in the UK. External Provost’s professional artists, designers, ability to land a job? There are many Examiners from illustrious institutions performers and thinkers for national schools of thought on the concept such as Goldsmiths College, University and transnational communities in Asia- of quality from one that believes of the Arts London, Slade School Message Pacific continues today. We do it well. that excellence is limited to a few of Fine Art, City University of Hong to those who believe that a quality Kong, Glasgow School of Art, City And yet, I often come across people in institution is one that contributes to University London, Liverpool Institute > the arts and creative industries making the knowledge of its students, to those of Performing Arts, University College Purushothaman Venka anecdotal references as to what they who insist that employability is the for the Creative Arts, and University of deem as quality of education, of art and only gauge of quality. This points Sussex currently support the college of experience. Often these anecdotes to the reality that quality at best is and have found LASALLE a highly rest at two ends of a spectrum: “good” perceptual and evidence through a desirable place of learning for the arts. to “bad” with a weak middling “what’s system of sustained series of output this?” – from “good” as in “your students supporting a perception. A good artist Industry are so professional” to “bad” as in is assumed to always produce good art; The industry brings real-life currency “your students do not have skills that even though the artist may have bad to our student learning. Professionals I require to get on with my work.” days and bad art. It is immaterial. and experts contribute extensively to teaching, programme development Fair enough that views are shaped by The scrutiny of LASALLE’s performance and internships to our students. personal experience and professional helps key stakeholders interested needs, but the concept of quality in its contribution to the creative Furthermore, international arts education is problematised economy understand the health of the collaborations with distinguished when, all too often, the enquirer organisation, establish an operational universities through student exchanges often benchmarks quality of student framework for its quality, improve and joint projects such as Tropical Lab work to that of the professional or accountability, identify areas of – a residency for top art students from amateur works that they see in their development and assure its on-going key institutions such as the Royal College everyday life - be it good or bad. commitment to its founding vision. of Art (UK), the École National Superior des Beaux Arts (Paris), School of Art This in itself is unfair to aspiring For LASALLE, instruments of Institute of Chicago (USA) and Central student-artists since they are put in quality ensure that its purpose and Academy of Fine Arts (China), serve as a challenging situation to decide ambitions are effectively met. Our an important forum for exchange of between developing his/her own key instruments include accreditation, ideas amongst emerging artists, voice and creative ability and programme review through peer exposure for our students to international that of managing their ability to evaluation, graduate employment, practices and opportunity for the become someone else, to emulate quality of teaching staff, student- institution to benchmark student output. the godhead of their artistic form. teacher ratio, quality virtual and physical infrastructure, collaborative Research Moreover, many require graduate- activities, student participation in Our staff continue to maintain a 09 artists to perform to the standards of decision-making processes etc. Let rigorous creative practice outside of the professional immediately upon me elaborate on the following. their teaching as evidenced by the graduation without the luxury of rich set of achievements – exhibitions pupilage often readily accorded to Benchmarking / performances / publications.

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