Cultural Medallion
Encyclopedia
The Cultural Medallion is a Singapore
cultural award conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance
, theatre
, literature
, music
, photography
, art
and film
.
It was instituted in March 1979 as an initiative of the late President
, Ong Teng Cheong
who was the then Minister for Culture. It is administered by the National Arts Council
.
On 20 October 2006, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Dr Lee Boon Yang announced that Cultural Medallion recipients are eligible for a project grant of up to S$80,000 each, up from S$50,000. The increase would enable recipients to create major new works.
It was previously conferred by the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (the modern equivalent of the Minister for Culture). However, in 2006, the status of the award was further elevated by being conferred by the President of Singapore.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
cultural award conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, literature
Literature of Singapore
The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans in any of the country's four main languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil....
, music
Music of Singapore
Singapore has an urban musical scene, and is a center for rock, punk and other genres in the region. The 1960s produced bands like The Crecendos with hit songs like Mr Twister. The Quests, who had hits like "Shanty", "Don't Play That Song", "Jesamine" and "Mr Rainbow"...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and film
Cinema of Singapore
Despite having a flourishing Chinese and Malay film industry in the 1950s and 1960s, Singapore's film industry declined after independence in 1965. There were a few films that featured Singaporean actors and were set in Singapore, including Saint Jack and They Call Her Cleopatra Wong...
.
It was instituted in March 1979 as an initiative of the late President
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
, Ong Teng Cheong
Ong Teng Cheong
Ong Teng Cheong was the first directly elected President of the Republic of Singapore. He was the nation's fifth President, and served a six-year term from 1 September 1993 to 31 August 1999.-Early life:...
who was the then Minister for Culture. It is administered by the National Arts Council
National Arts Council Singapore
The National Arts Council of Singapore was established in September 1991 "to nurture the arts and make it an integral part of life in Singapore.-History :...
.
On 20 October 2006, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Dr Lee Boon Yang announced that Cultural Medallion recipients are eligible for a project grant of up to S$80,000 each, up from S$50,000. The increase would enable recipients to create major new works.
It was previously conferred by the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (the modern equivalent of the Minister for Culture). However, in 2006, the status of the award was further elevated by being conferred by the President of Singapore.
List of Cultural Medallion recipients
| Year | Category | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Dance | Madhavi Krishnan |
| Theatre | Bani bin Buang | |
| Music | Choo Hoey Choo Hoey Choo Hoey is a Singaporean musician and conductor. His father, Choo Seng, was an immigrant from Chaozhou and his mother from Nanjing... |
|
| David Lim Kim San David Lim Kim San David Lim Kim San is considered to be one of the architects of music education in Singapore.David Lim was born in a Peranakan and Methodist family... |
||
| Literature | Edwin Nadason Thumboo Edwin Thumboo Edwin Nadason Thumboo is an award-winning Singaporean poet and academic who is regarded as one of the pioneers of English literature in Singapore.... |
|
| Art | Wee Beng Chong | |
| 1981 | Dance | Goh Soo Khim Goh Soo Khim Goh Soo Khim is a Singaporean ballerina and a highly respected doyen in Singapore’s dance scene. She is also the co-founder / Artistic Director of Singapore Dance Theatre, as well as being the elder sister of late ballet maestro Goh Choo San... |
| Theatre | Joanna Wu Quee Heng | |
| Music | Ahmad bin Ja'afar | |
| Literature | Wong Meng Voon | |
| Art | Lee Hock Moh | |
| Ng Eng Teng Ng Eng Teng Ng Eng Teng , The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore... |
||
| 1982 | Theatre | Lin Chen |
| Music | Leong Yoon Pin | |
| Literature | Goh Poh Seng Goh Poh Seng Goh Poh Seng , Singaporean dramatist, novelist and poet, was born in Malaya in 1936. He received his medical degree from University College Dublin, and practised medicine in Singapore for twenty-five years. In his time living in Singapore, Dr Goh held many honorary positions including the Chairman... |
|
| Photography | David Tay Poey Cher | |
| Art | Georgette Chen Liying Georgette Chen Georgette Chen, born Chang Li Ying is a Singapore painter known for her Post-Impressionistic styled oil paintings at the turn of the 20th-century. She was a forerunner of the visual arts in Singapore, who contributed to the birth of the Nanyang art style in Singapore.Chen was born the fourth of 12... |
|
| 1983 | Theatre | Christopher Henry Rothwell Allen |
| Music | Vivien Goh | |
| Literature | Arthur Yap Arthur Yap -Biography:Arthur Yap was born in Singapore, the sixth child of a carpenter and a housewife. Yap attended St Andrew's School and the University of Singapore, after which he won a British Council scholarship to study at the University of Leeds in England... |
|
| Photography | Ang Chwee Chai | |
| 1984 | Theatre | S Varathan |
| Music | Kam Kee Yong | |
| Photography | Yip Cheong Fun Yip Cheong Fun Yip Cheong Fun was an influential Singaporean documentary photographer, best known for his photograph “Rowing at Dawn”, which was taken in 1957 in celebration of Singapore obtaining self-government, and which in his words, was to show “the dawn of a new day, new hope and new life for... |
|
| Art | Thomas Yeo | |
| 1985 | Theatre | Low Ing Sing |
| Literature | Lee Tzu Pheng Lee Tzu Pheng Lee Tzu Pheng was born and educated in Singapore. She has a Ph.D in English from the National University of Singapore from where she has recently retired as a Senior Lecturer in its English Department... |
|
| Photography | Tan Lip Seng | |
| Art | Tay Chee Toh | |
| 1986 | Dance | Goh Choo San |
| Theatre | Almahdi Al-Haj Ibrahim | |
| N Palanivelu | ||
| Music | Paul Abisheganaden Paul Abisheganaden Paul Abisheganaden was a Singaporean conductor and 1986 Cultural Medallion recipient for his contributions to music.... |
|
| Literature | Wong Yoon Wah | |
| Art | Pan Shou | |
| Teo Eng Seng | ||
| 1987 | Dance | Som Said |
| Theatre | Max Le Blond | |
| Music | Teng Mah Seng | |
| Literature | Hj Muhammed Ariff bin Ahmad | |
| Photography | Lee Lim | |
| Art | Tan Swie Hian Tan Swie Hian Tan Swie Hian is a Singaporean multidisciplinary artist known for his contemporary Chinese calligraphy, chinese poetry and contemporary art sculptures found in Singapore and many parts of the world.... |
|
| 1988 | Dance | Lim Fei Shen |
| Theatre | Tay Bin Wee | |
| Music | Alex Abisheganaden | |
| Literature | N Abdul Rahman | |
| Photography | Chua Soo Bin | |
| Art | Iskandar Jalil Iskandar Jalil Iskandar Jalil is a Singapore ceramist. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1988.-Career:Iskandar grew up at Kampong Chantek at Bukit Timah and studied at Victoria School. He had trained and worked initially as a maths and science teacher... |
|
| 1989 | Dance | Neila Sathyalingam Neila Sathyalingam Neila Sathyalingam is a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. An alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale, she emigrated with her family to Singapore in 1974... |
| Theatre | Kuo Pao Kun Kuo Pao Kun Kuo Pao Kun was a playwright, theatre director, and arts activist in Singapore who wrote and directed both Mandarin and English plays. He founded three arts and drama centres in Singapore, conducted and organised a number of drama seminars and workshops, and mentored Singaporean and foreign... |
|
| Photography | Foo Tee Jun | |
| Art | Goh Beng Kwan | |
| 1990 | Dance | Santha Bhaskar |
| Theatre | Han Lao Da Han Lao Da Han Lao Da is a Singaporean playwright, as well as founder and principal of Han Language Centre. Han received the Cultural Medallion for his contributions in the Singaporean drama scene, and is also recognised for his xiangsheng contributions in Singapore.... |
|
| Music | Lim Yau | |
| Literature | Chew Kok Chang | |
| Photography | Peng Seng Wu | |
| Art | Anthony Poon Anthony Poon Anthony Poon was one of the pioneer abstract artists in Singapore best known for his "Wave" series of paintings which he began working on since 1976.-Biography:... |
|
| Ong Kim Seng Ong Kim Seng Ong Kim Seng , was born in Singapore and has been a full-time artist since 1985. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions at Singapore and in the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Federal Republic Of Germany, France, Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the... |
||
| 1992 | Dance | Ying E Ding |
| Theatre | Phan Wait Hong | |
| Music | Choo Hwee Lim | |
| Art | Wang Sui Pick | |
| 1993 | Music | Tay Teow Kiat Tay Teow Kiat Tay Teow Kiat is currently the Music Director of East Zone Schools’ Chinese Orchestra Development Centre, President of Singapore Chinese Instrumental Music Association, Music Director of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts City Chinese Orchestra , Music Director of Dingyi Chamber Ensemble and Resident... |
| 1995 | Dance | Goh Lay Kuan |
| Art | Han Sai Por Han Sai Por Han Sai Por is a Singaporean sculptor. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts , East Ham College of Art, Wolverhampton College of Art and Lincoln University, New Zealand, she worked as a teacher and later as a part-time lecturer at NAFA, the LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, and the... |
|
| 1996 | Music | Phoon Yew Tien |
| Literature | Lew Poo Chan (Dan Ying) | |
| 1997 | Theatre | Lou Mee Wah |
| Literature | Ho Minfong Minfong Ho Minfong Ho is an award-winning Chinese American writer. Her works frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries... |
|
| 1998 | Literature | Rama Kannabiran |
| 1999 | Literature | Abdul Ghani bin Abdul Hamid |
| Art | Chua Ek Kay Chua Ek Kay Chua Ek Kay was a Singaporean artist hailed as the "bridge between Asian and Western art" with a unique painting style using Chinese ink on paper that demonstrated an ingenious blend of traditional Chinese painting forms with Western art theories and techniques... |
|
| 2000 | Art | Tan Siah Kwee |
| 2001 | Art | Tan Kian Por |
| Music | Yan Hui Chang | |
| 2002 | Music | Jeremy Monteiro Jeremy Monteiro Jeremy Monteiro Jeremy Monteiro Jeremy Monteiro (born June 20, 1960, Singapore, is a Jazz Pianist, Singer, Composer and Music Educator. He has performed and won critical acclaim in many parts of the world, in addition to numerous occasions in Singapore, where he has been dubbed "Singapore's King... |
| 2003 | Art | Lim Tze Peng Lim Tze Peng Lim Tze Peng is a Singaporean artist who is a teacher by training and profession. He is a Cultural Medallion winner in 2003 in recognition of his contribution to the country's art and culture.-Major Exhibitions:-External links:*... |
| Theatre | Ong Keng Sen Ong Keng Sen Ong Keng Sen is a Singaporean director of the theatre group TheatreWorks, which was founded in Singapore in 1985.Ong is a member of the Asia-Europe Network, which promotes the artistic exchange between Asia and Europe... |
|
| Literature | Yeng Pway Ngon | |
| 2004 | Photography | Teo Bee Yen Teo Bee Yen -References:... |
| 2005 | Film | Jack Neo Jack Neo Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director... |
| Literature | M. Balakrishnan (Pen Name: MA. Ilangkannan) | |
| Music | Dick Lee Dick Lee Richard "Dick" Lee Peng Boon is a Singaporean pop singer, composer, songwriter, and playwright. He is best known as a Singapore Idol judge, but often too as spokesperson for the New Asian generation.... |
|
| Visual Arts | Chng Seok Tin Lee Wen Lee Wen Lee Wen is a Singaporean performance artist on social identity themes, and best known for his Yellow Man performances. Painting his own body with bright yellow poster paint, he expresses an exaggerated symbol of his ethnic identity as a citizen of Singapore... |
|
| 2006 | Art | Tan Choh Tee |
| Music | Lynnette Seah Lynnette Seah Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing is an internationally acclaimed Singaporean violinist serving as co-leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as the only musician to have performed full-time with the SSO since 1979 - a position she is holding on at the Symphony together with Alexander Souptel.She is... |
|
| 2007 | Film | Eric Khoo Eric Khoo Eric Khoo is a film director from Singapore. He was introduced to the world of cinema at a very early age. He was educated at United World College of South East Asia before attending City Art Institute in Sydney, Australia where he pursued cinematography... |
| Literature | Isa Kamari | |
| 2008 | Literature | Chia Hwee Pheng P. Krishnan |
| Music | Iskandar Mirza Ismail | |
| 2009 | Dance | Angela Liong |
| Literary Arts | Tham Yew Chin | |
| Music | Lan Shui Lan Shui Lan Shui is a Chinese-American conductor and currently holds the post as Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of Copenhagen Philharmonic and Principal Guest Conductor of Denmark's Aalborg Symphony.-Early life and career:... |
|
| Visual Arts | Ang Ah Tee | |
| 2010 | Music | Dr Liang Wern Fook Liang Wern Fook Dr Liang Wern Fook is a Singaporean writer, musician, and researcher in Chinese literature and pedagogy. He was one of the pioneer figures in the xinyao movement in the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:... |
| Literary Arts | Suratman Markasan | |
| Visual Arts | Amanda Heng |
External links
- National Arts Council list of current Nominations and Recipients
- National Online Repository of the Arts Resource Guide on Abdul Ghani Hamid
- National Online Repository of the Arts Resource Guide on Teo Eng Seng
- National Online Repository of the Arts Resource Guide on Ng Eng Teng
- National Online Repository of the Arts Resource Guide on Muhammad Ariff Bin Ahmad
- National Online Repository of the Arts Resource Guide on Iskandar Jalil
- National Online Repository of the Arts Resource Guide on Chew Kok Chang （周国灿）