- Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
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Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts 南洋艺术学院 
NAFA's new logo as of 2008Motto Different Talents, Unique Individuals Established 1938 - Nanyang Fine Arts College
1982 - Nanyang Academy of Fine ArtsType Private Art Institution President Choo Thiam Siew Students 2,300 full-time Location Bencoolen Street, Singapore, 
SingaporeCampus Urban Colors Orange and Green Nickname NAFA Website www.nafa.edu.sg Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (abbreviation: NAFA; Chinese: 南洋艺术学院; Malay: Akademi Seni Halus Nanyang) is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) was founded in 1938 with an inaugural batch of 14 Fine Art students. NAFA has since been widely recognised as Singapore’s pre-eminent tertiary institution for artistic studies.
The academy has 3 Campus and are all located along Bencoolen Street with an area combined of approximately 8631 m² (0.008631 square miles).
Contents
History
Before 1937
Bust of NAFA's founder, Lim Hak Tai
In the 1930s, Japanese-trained artist Mr Huang Suiheng visited Singapore. On his return to China, he approached Mr Lim Hak Tai and persuaded him to establish the first arts school in Singapore. However it was only in 1937, following the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, that Mr Lim immigrated to Singapore. With the financial support of Mr Tan See Siang and the alumni of Jimei, he set up the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
1938–1940
The Society of Chinese Artists supported Mr Lim in establishing the school. At its 12th Council Committee meeting, the members of the Society formed a Drafting Committee to assist Mr Lim in his efforts. On 10th February 1938, the Committee placed advertisements in the local Chinese daily newspapers to recruit students. As the response was not good, the Committee put up another advertisement on 2 March in another local Chinese daily newspaper. Following the recruitment drive, 14 students were admitted to the arts school.
The school's minimum admission requirement was completion of secondary school education. However, those who did not meet the minimum entry requirement would still be considered for admission to the school as long as they had a keen interest in the arts. The Nanyang Fine Arts College opened on 10th March 1938. Mr Lim Hak Tai was appointed as Principal by the School Management Committee with Mr Kao Fei Tse, Chang Ming Tse and Qiu Yingkui being assigned as teachers. The School was located at Lorong 167 Geylang, a two storey old bungalow just opposite the then "Gay World" building.
1941–1945
During this period, the school was closed due to World War II
1946–1972
In 1946, one year after the Japanese surrendered, Mr Lim Hak Tai, supported by two members of the board of directors, Mr Tseng Chee Chang and Mr Tsai Yen Fu, re-opened the school. It was then situated at 49 St. Thomas Walk. After the Japanese occupation many Chinese immigrated to Singapore in search of a better life, and the School attracted well-known artists like Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee as teachers.
Between 1954 and 1956, NAFA applied to the Ministry of Education for a subsidy and received a funding level usually awarded to primary schools. Additionally, the Singapore and Malaysia Education Bureaus did not recognise the graduation certificates issued by NAFA. With poor job opportunities upon graduation, student enrolment decreased gradually, threatening the school’s survival.
In 1963, Lim Hak Tai died at the age of 70, putting an end to his ambitions for the school. His son, Lim Yew Kuan assumed the position of deputy principal and became principal in 1970.
1973–1996
The global recession and inflation in 1973 affected the financial status of the school, a problem that was solved by a fund-raising sale of paintings by alumni from Singapore and Malaysia. In 1979, the school faced another financial crisis and the board members resigned en bloc. Tang Liang Hong came in to organise a new board of directors and engaged Wu Tsung Kan as the new principal. In 1982, the school shifted to a new office at 107A, Sophia Road.
Between 1983 and 1987, artistic talents who graduated from the school returned to their alma mater to teach and international art celebrities were invited to conduct lectures and arts demonstrations. In 1983, the Ministry of Education sent the first batch of 20 teachers to NAFA to upgrade their skills in fine art.
In 1988, Wu Tsung Kan resigned. Two years later, Dr Gwee Yee Hean was appointed principal of NAFA. In 1992, Dr Gwee Yee Hean resigned with no successor, and Chng Heng Tiu, chairman of the board of directors, stood in as temporary principal. In 1994, Dr Soh Kay Cheng was appointed the fifth principal of NAFA, resigning in 1996.
Post-1997
In 1997, Dr Ho Kah Leong, the sixth principal of NAFA took office and NAFA was re-divided into three major schools: School of Visual Arts, School of Performing Arts and School of Fashion Studies. NAFA purchased two adjoining studios located in Paris in January 1998 and February 1999 respectively. Today, NAFA is the only tertiary intuition in Singapore that owns studios in Paris.
In April 1999, NAFA’s status was upgraded by the Singapore Government to that of a tertiary institution. Since then, NAFA has received polytechnic-level funding for all its diploma programmes from the Ministry of Education.
In 2004, NAFA moved to its S$115 million, purpose-built new campus at Bencoolen Street. Three times the size of the old campus, the new campus is in the heart of Singapore’s bustling civic district.
The President of NAFA is Choo Thiam Siew, who joined NAFA in 2003. The Academy operates eight departments and one school, namely, the Department of 3D Design, Department of Arts Management and Education, Department of Dance, Department of Design and Media, Department of Fashion Studies, Department of Fine Art, Department of Music, Department of Theatre and School of Young Talents. It offers 11 diplomas and 18 degrees (consisting of 14 Bachelor of Arts with honours and four Master's degree) programmes.
NAFA has produced outstanding artists, including eleven Cultural Medallion recipients and ten Young Artist Award winners.[citation needed] In 2009, NAFA students and alumni garnered over 100 awards in competitions both in Singapore and worldwide.[citation needed] These included three Platinum and one Highly commended awards at 28th UOB Painting of the Year Competition; a Special Mention at the 53rd Venice Biennale; the conveted President's Young Talents' Award; the First Prize at the 2009 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod; and last but not least, the Cultural Medallion.
In 2010, NAFA hosted visits by Singapore's Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong and Dr Michel Destot, Mayor of Grenoble and President of the Group of Mayors of French Cities, an active politician in the Socialist Party in France. Mrs Kofi Annan, wife of former Secretary-General, United Nations was also in NAFA for a masterclass with our illustrious alumni lecturers over three days. In addition, the academy was honoured to have Singapore's first lady, Mrs Nathan's presence at a pre-concert event at NAFA. The concert was held in collaboration with Singapore General Hospital to raise funds for needy children with hearing impairment.
Campus
Unlike other institutions in Singapore, NAFA's Campus is spread among 3 separate buildings - all located along Bencoolen Street.
Campus One
Aerial View of NAFA's Campus 1.This is the main campus of NAFA which covers approximately 5,078 m². It is divided into 2 wings with a linking bridge - Wing A & Wing B. The department of 3D Design, Design & Media and Fine Arts are under this building. The main campus boasts a High Definition Studio with full HD editing direct from server (via fibre channel connection) and colour grading stations with the capability of previewing full HD clips on 24” HD broadcast grade monitors. In Wing A, there is a Creative Media Studio with cutting edge technology for 3D animation and special effects, and sophisticated audio-video production facilities - mainly for Video Production students. Altogether there are 21 Computer Labs in this building.
There are 6 Skylight Studios which allow painting in natural, evenly distributed daylight and 4 Master Painters’ studios. 2 Photography Studios are located in Wing A which equips with advanced studio flash systems and professional digital cameras. There are also Jewelry Workshops with casting, processing and setting facilities, Interior Design Material and Project room, Drafting Studios and 3D Model Workshops and 3 spacious Art Galleries equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and exhibition facilities with a total exhibition area of 850 sq m.
A 2-Storey library is located at Wing A. Named as the People’s Scholarship Fund Library, it houses an impressive collection of arts-related publications and journals where only members and students can loan. The public have to pay a fee to loan the books from the library.
Campus Two
Covering almost 1,169 m², this campus houses the Department of Fashion Studies. Among the 3 campuses, this is the only campus where only students with permitted school id pass are allowed to enter. It has a Fashion Boutique Gallery for staging fashion shows and displaying students’ designs, 5 Textile Workshops for Batik printing, textile development and embroidery design, 4 Quality Control Workshops with sophisticated steamers and specialised garment machines and workshops for drafting, draping and project work.
Campus Three
The department of Music, Dance and Theatre are located under this building. It covers approximately 2384 m². Here, there is a plush 380-seat Lee Foundation Theatre with a rotating central platform on stage, an adjustable orchestra pit with superb acoustics and two Steinway Model D grand pianos. The school's famous Studio Theatre or “Black Box” with 196 retractable seats is also located here. There's also a Recital Hall (Recording Studio attached) with Steinway Model B and Yamaha S6 grand pianos, Music Technology Suite with 20 iMac computers, Rooftop Amphitheatre with tiered seating for outdoor performances, Television Production Studio, Percussion Studio, 22 soundproof Music Practice Studios and 5 Dance Studios.
Future Campus
There have beens sources stating that NAFA will be adding another campus space just beside the main campus. It is said that the new campus will be ready by 2017.[1]
Academic Departments & Courses
NAFA has eight academic departments, consisting of more than 20 courses and majors.
Partnerships
NAFA collaborates with four universities from United Kingdom, United States and Singapore to offer degree programmes. Through these collaborations, it aims to provide a superior education that is student-specific while at the same time, strives to push their students beyond their own boundaries. These programmes also promote independent learning, originality and creativity.
Notable alumni
Artists
- Aw Tee Hong (Painter and Sculptor)
- Chua Ai Hua (Arts Restoration Artist and Graphic Designer)
- Goh Boon Teck (Young Artist Award recipient and Art Director)
- Lim Chin Huat, (Young Artist Award recipient and Artistic Direcor at ECNAD)
- M. Nasir, (Award-winning Singer, Composer, Producer, Actor and Film Director)
- Ng Eng Teng, (Sculptor)
- Joakim Gomez (Singapore Idol Season 2 finalist)
Cultural Medallion recipients
Year Awarded Name Discipline Year of Graduation 1979 Wee Beng Chong Art 1958 1981 Ng Eng Teng Art 1961 1981 Lee Hock Moh Art 1970 1982 Georgette Chen Art - 1984 Thomas Yeo Art 1960 1985 Tay Chee Toh Art 1960 1988 Lim Fei Shen Dance - 1990 Anthony Poon Art 1964 1995 Han Sai Por Art 1977 2001 Tan Kian Por Art 1970 2005 Chng Seok Tin Visual Arts 1972 2006 Toh Choh Tee Visual Arts 1962 2009 Ang Ah Tee Visual Arts 1962 Image Gallery
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Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts campus 1, at the junction of Middle Road and Bencoolen Street
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See also
References
External links
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