"FALSE ST(ART)?: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ART EDUCATION

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore how art students in Singapore consider their futures after art education, especially with regard to pursuing an art career or not. In striving to further develop the local art scene, Singapore has introduced various initiatives over the past decades, where art education programmes and institutions have seen batches of art students graduate yearly. However, a large percentage of these students eventually choose not to pursue art as a career. Their “falling out” considerably affects the development of the art scene and not only highlights a need for us to understand why art students pursue other paths, but also questions if these students see their art education as a false start. To address these concerns, this thesis consults existing literature to shed light on the relationships between the young individual and the future and between art education and the future, as well as local news articles to examine the reception and realities of art careers in Singapore. A qualitative method is employed to conduct in-depth interviews with five past and present art students so as to present their experiences, concerns and perspectives on art in Singapore. It is the exploration of these stories that reveals considerations that are both important to art students and useful in helping us understand how and what young people, in general, consider in regard to their future.