Stars of the Season

Why did you choose to volunteer for the Singapore Arts Festival?
I wanted to know more about the volunteer opportunities in Singapore and especially in the arts scope. I noticed that Singapore Arts Festival is combining performing and visual arts and the smart advertising of the event drew my attention.

How has your volunteering experience been like?
I was involved in several events as a Front of House. I was responsible for the distribution of brochures and programmes as well as the preparation of the venues before the start of the events. I spent a great time at the festival, because I had the chance to meet many people sharing my interests and got to know the local art society better.

What project are you currently working on?
I’m currently planning and organising the partisipation of Singapore Arts Festival in the International Volunteer Day Exhibition together with other volunteers and the NAC team. We’re preparing the advertising materials, sharing ideas of the overall appearance of our festival booth so that we can attract more volunteers and make the next year’s festival even more exciting!

Why did you choose to volunteer for the Singapore Arts Festival?
I am an arts lover and I love to explore. I wanted to see and experience the different art forms and to meet fellow enthusiasts. Although I have done arts volunteering before I joined the Singapore Arts Festival, but I thought, what would be a better way to learn and experience the arts than participating first-hand in this nation-wide festival? The Singapore Arts Festival celebrates a variety of art forms, with people from different backgrounds and interests, and involves many art enthusiasts. I wanted to join in this creative environment and to experience the buzzing energy from the diverse population Singapore has. Of course, I hoped that I could make a contribution to the SAF and to help everyone enjoy the arts.

How has your volunteering experience been like?
I had fun being a Festival Ambassador and Front-of-House. Doing both duties had me sharing information with visitors continuously, but I enjoyed showing people around the Festival Village and seeing them leaving happily after a show. Throughout my time spent at the Festival Village, I met many people from different countries and it felt really good to mix with different people every day. At times, there may be language barriers but I liked the challenge of bridging the distance. It was interesting to observe the ethnography and realise the influence of arts on people. I made friends throughout the course of my volunteering, which was definitely one of the reasons why I had such a good time! The night treats and occasional sudden challenges kept us going after a long day. I remember the nostalgic feeling at the Festival Village; I feel that children need to experience it as it may soon become a thing of the past.

What project are you currently working on?
I will also be helping to conceptualise and lead programmes such as the Singapore Arts Festival’s exhibition booth at the International Volunteer Day. I will be continuing my involvement in the arts in the many various ways that I can.

Why did you choose to volunteer for the Singapore Arts Festival?
First thing first, I am a passionate arts lover. Secondly, I am a huge fan of Singapore Arts Festival. I came to know about Singapore Arts Festival two years ago and the shows I watched during Singapore Arts Festival 2009 really made a lasting impression on me. When I knew that there was actually a chance to volunteer for Singapore Arts Festival and become a Festival Ambassador to create a People’s Festival, I was really excited and decided not to miss this opportunity to immerse myself in the Festival in a very special way, to make friends with those who share the same passion and interest for arts and to experience meaningful volunteerism.

How has your volunteering experience been like?
I was involved in two areas of the Festival Ambassador Programme: Front-of-House and Festival Village Host. I remember distributing brochures & house programmes to the guests and assisted them in collecting the tickets. As a Front-of-House Festival Ambassador, I provided information about the main show, introduced other upcoming shows and recommended free performances which took place at Festival Village after the in-house show. In addition, I assisted with activities held at the Festival Village such as: balloon blowing and distributing, which was really fun. In one way or another, it brought back fond memories of summer camps and my high school years. I had been to many concerts in my life but never before did I play the role of a ticket tripper and doing so for the show “Javanese Moonlight Intertwined” really made me feel as if I were actually part of the Festival crew. While standing at the ramp of the main stage at Festival Village to give a warm welcome to the guests entering performance area, I actually had a chance to listen to and enjoyed the performance of “Mother India 21st Century Remix” by DJ Tigerstyle from the U.K. To sum up, I can say volunteering for Singapore Arts Festival was a very enjoyable and fruitful experience for me. After the Festival, my love and passion for the local arts scene has been significantly renewed and enriched.

What project are you currently working on?
I am currently working on two projects: the project for International Volunteer Day 2011 organized by National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) on the 26th of November and the project for “U Care Back to School” Fair 2011 organized by NTUC on the 9th, 10th and 11th of December. In the first project, our Festival Ambassadors team is going to showcase our Festival Ambassadors Programme at the exhibition booth to share our volunteering experience and promote arts volunteerism. The second project will be dedicated to children from low-income families. We are going to set up a fun and interactive booth similar to the Kid Arts Village at this year’s Singapore Arts Festival where children can enjoy storytelling and take part in a number of hands-on creative activities and arts-oriented games. Through this special engagement, we hope to introduce Arts Fest 2012’s theme “Our lost poems” and convey a message to the public: Arts is for everyone from all walks of life to engage and enjoy! There are a few more projects lined-up in which I am going to take part such as: Young@Heart Penpal project, Training of new Festival Ambassadors project.