SINGAPORE - The National Arts Council (NAC) will have a new chief, with former Victoria School principal Low Eng Teong taking over from Mrs Rosa Huey Daniel on March 1.
Currently the deputy CEO of sector development at NAC, Mr Low’s promotion comes at a time when physical offerings for the sector are returning after the lean pandemic years, and as the NAC seeks to chart a new path for the sector.
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth on Wednesday said Mr Low was actively involved in helping arts and culture groups pivot to digital or hybrid programmes during the pandemic. His efforts helped increase the reach of staple events such as Singapore Art Week, Singapore International Festival of Arts and Singapore Writers Festival.
Mr Low began his career in education as an art teacher at Bukit Panjang Government High School and then CHIJ Secondary.
He was later a senior curriculum specialist at the Ministry of Education before taking over as Victoria School’s principal from 2006 to 2011. Following that, he became deputy director of MOE until 2015.
He subsequently joined NAC in various full-time roles that exposed him to strategy development, grants management, skills and capability development and the promotion of the arts.
He now sits on the board of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, the STPI Creative Workshop & Gallery and the Singapore Art Museum.
Mrs Daniel was NAC’s chief executive officer for six years. MCCY said NAC under her leadership made big strides, evolving “to play a more strategic role as architect and facilitator Singapore’s culture sector”.
It said she played an instrumental role in how the arts and culture sector were supported under the $75 million Arts and Culture Resilience Package during the pandemic.
Mrs Daniel also gained more sector-wide support for freelance arts professionals, and opportunities for the local arts community to reach international audiences.
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong thanked her for her stewardship of the NAC.
“Under her leadership, the arts sector in Singapore has become more vibrant. Singaporeans today enjoy and benefit from having more access to the arts; while artists have many more opportunities to develop their practices.
“Her contributions have laid the foundations for the arts sector to reach greater heights in the years to come,” he said.
