PAssionArts Festival targets young families

Sophie Wong with her mother, Madam Elizabeth Lim (right), and her grandmother, Madam Wong Moi Yong, 58. Behind them is their terrapin painting. Housewife Norine Nazura Johari and her four children (from left) - Danish, five; Alya, seven; Rayyan, nine
Sophie Wong with her mother, Madam Elizabeth Lim (right), and her grandmother, Madam Wong Moi Yong, 58. Behind them is their terrapin painting. ST PHOTOS: KUA CHEE SIONG
Sophie Wong with her mother, Madam Elizabeth Lim (right), and her grandmother, Madam Wong Moi Yong, 58. Behind them is their terrapin painting. Housewife Norine Nazura Johari and her four children (from left) - Danish, five; Alya, seven; Rayyan, nine
Housewife Norine Nazura Johari and her four children (from left) - Danish, five; Alya, seven; Rayyan, nine; and Diana, seven - helped to paint at least six animal-shaped planks for this year's PAssionArts Festival. Some 1,000 planks painted by young families will be on display in open spaces in housing estates from the end of this month. ST PHOTOS: KUA CHEE SIONG

Some 1,000 animal-shaped planks will pop up around the island at open spaces in residential estates from the end of this month.

Giraffe-, otter-and lion-shaped planks will be painted by some 5,000 young families as part of this year's PAssionArts Festival 2018, which will run till Aug 25.

The festival - now in its seventh year - aims this year to encourage young families with children under 12 to bond through art. The People's Association (PA) hopes to draw 250,000 residents to the 52 "festival villages" in various constituencies.

Mr Patrick Sim, PA's director of community arts and culture, told The Straits Times that art is "a very meaningful way to engage young families", a new demographic the PA is trying to engage.

Other art installations will also be on display. PA said it received more than 100 proposals from budding artists at an open call for ideas.

Madam Norine Nazura Johari and her four children, aged five to nine, helped to paint at least six planks. The housewife said: "Art helps to bond family and friends. We also got to know people from other communities through this project."

Marketing executive Elizabeth Lim, 33, and her family were among residents of the landed estate in Seletar Hills West behind a pet canvas-painting exhibition. Her daughter, Sophie, five, had just got her first pet, a terrapin, and was excited to be part of the project.

Madam Lim said: "After painting this, we... went around looking for art classes. We enrolled Sophie in one and she has been getting better."

Their work will be one of 53 pet paintings on show at the Mimosa Road playground on June 30.

Pasir Ris beach will host an arts carnival on the last weekend of July. The Neverland-themed fiesta will feature art pieces made from recycled materials, interactive art stations and live band performances.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 22, 2018, with the headline PAssionArts Festival targets young families. Subscribe