Championing The Arts

National Arts Council’s Deputy CEO, Mr. Paul Tan, explains the various ways of helping develop a robust art scene

- Lili Li

Before joining the National Arts Council, where he is currently Deputy CEO, Mr. Paul Tan was a broadcast journalist. He had also worked at the Singapore Tourism Board, and is versed in rolling out public campaigns. More importantly, his involvement in the Singapore arts scene – as programmer, administrator, writer or simply a member of the audience – spans years. Today, he claims that he “remains energized by the NAC’s mission in championing diverse and distinctive arts that inspire our people, connect communities and position Singapore globally”.

As Deputy CEO at the National Arts Council (NAC), Mr. Tan leads his team in engaging with artists, arts groups, government agencies and industry partners. Together they develop and nurture an environment where people can experience and appreciate the arts as an integral part of their lives.

This is not exactly alien territory to Mr. Tan who previously oversaw the literary and visual arts sectors at NAC. In that capacity, he served as director of the Singapore Writers Festival, and was responsible for the festival’s artistic direction, production and organization. At the same time, he was the director involved in driving the development of the visual arts.

Sustaining A Giving Culture