Ms Tan Sin Nah
Deputy Director (Community Engagement and Partnerships)
National Arts Council
The Commendation Medal

For deputy director of community engagement and partnerships at the National Arts Council (NAC) Tan Sin Nah, bringing traditional arts to the fore is work that aligns well with her passion.

The 41-year-old, who is a recipient of the Commendation Medal at this year's National Day Awards, has spent the past 16 years as part of NAC.

During her tenure with the statutory board, she has been involved in developing the traditional arts scene as well as, more recently, fostering partnerships to raise community engagement with the arts.

Previously as the traditional arts secretariat, she worked with the sector to broaden the base of traditional arts practitioners, improve their capabilities through grants, expand outreach and increase visibility of the scene.

Her new portfolio now has her overseeing community engagement and partnerships to create more arts and culture touch points around the island - such as partnering with the recently launched integrated community and lifestyle centre, Our Tampines Hub - to make the arts accessible to more people.

For the mother of two, being awarded the Commendation Medal came as a pleasant surprise.

She said of the honour: "I've always been interested in the arts and working in the sector has always been a passion of mine. Still I am very encouraged and appreciative that I was nominated, and am very grateful for the award."