How BTBAF helped young talents to bloom

THIS week marks 10 years of efforts by The Business Times Budding Artists Fund to support artistically gifted children from less privileged homes.

Launched on May 11, 2005, the fund has helped 7,000 disadvantaged children pursue various art forms, including visual arts, theatre, music and dance. Though not all continued to pursue the arts as they got older, it is clear that the arts have had an extraordinary impact on their emotional, social and intellectual development (See story here).

Looking back, it's hard to believe the fund almost didn't get off the ground. In 2004, Colin Goh, then general manager of The Arts House, approached his board of directors with the idea of creating a new fund to sponsor arts training for underprivileged kids. The board rejected it on the grounds that The Arts House was then only a year old. It felt that Mr Goh should concentrate his efforts on the arts centre's activities.

Undeterred, Mr Goh approached Alvin Tay, editor of The Business Times, to ask if the newspaper would adopt the fund. Mr Tay, an arts lover, did not have to think long before saying yes. The fund was renamed The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BTBAF), and Mr Goh, Mr Tay, Yu Neng Primary School principal Clara Lim-Tan and the late renowned musician Iskandar Ismail became its founding members.

Today, the fund has grown by leaps and bounds, and is credited with helping thousands of artistically inclined but underprivileged children gain access to arts training. It has two homes: the Little Arts Academy for children aged 7 to 12; and 10 Square @ Orchard Central for youths aged 13 to 19. The two arts training centres are run by The RICE Company Limited, headed by Mr Goh.

Some of these child talents have gone on to perform on larger stages, including the ChildAid concerts here and overseas. Others have graduated to pursue arts training at the tertiary level. Still others continue to come back to the Little Arts Academy and 10 Square after completing their courses to help out with current shows - a clear indication that the spirit of volunteering is firmly entrenched in them.

Mr Tay recalls how in the early years of the fund, the children had no place to carry out their training. "So they had to do it at The Arts House, the SPH Auditorium, community centres, and any other free venues that we could find."

Fortuitously in 2008, the National Arts Council offered up a 10,000 square foot space at PoMo for the BTBAF programme. That became the Little Arts Academy for young talents. Then in 2014, Far East Organization generously offered a 13,000 sq ft space on the 10th floor of its Orchard Central shopping mall. That became a place for the older kids who may have graduated from the Little Arts Academy and wanted to continue their arts education.

Mr Goh says "over the years, there's been nothing more gratifying than seeing the transformation of these kids . . . A lot of them may be very shy and quiet when they first join us. But over time, they come out of their shells and become more confident and articulate. They have higher self-esteem and a sense of giving back to society, because they themselves have benefited from BTBAF."

Mrs Lim-Tan says: "BTBAF demonstrates the transformative power of the arts . . . It's so heartening for us to see how some of the BTBAF beneficiaries have risen above their own challenging backgrounds to leverage the arts training, as well as the opportunities and exposure extended to them, to achieve things they never previously thought possible. It has given them reason to aspire and dream big."

Being a full-time educator and a trained concert pianist, Mrs Lim-Tan has been crucial in helping the Little Arts Academy and 10 Square create and refine its training programmes.

Over the years, BTBAF beneficiaries have scored numerous coups. Several dancers and singers have performed in overseas concerts in Japan and Malaysia. A handful of visual artists have been commissioned by corporate companies such as Fullerton Healthcare and Marina Bay Sands. One artist even got his artwork selected for print on limited-edition Owl Coffee packs.

An impressive 75 per cent of its musicians scored distinctions or merits in the Trinity and Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations. And most recently, its young singers got to perform on stage with chart-topper Jessie J in a concert at Marina Bay Sands.

As the fund marks its 10th anniversary, BTBAF and The RICE Company will continue to develop new programmes which will instil a strong sense of entrepreneurial spirit in the children. Mr Goh says: "It's not enough to nurture young people with artistic talents. They must also know how to turn their creativity and passion into business opportunities."

Does the fund face any niggling issues? "No. But there is one downside to doing this: it's that every time some of the children see me, they call me 'uncle'," says Mr Tay, with a hearty laugh.

To contribute to BTBAF, e-mail its secretariat at enquirieslaa@therice.sg or call 6908-0538

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