Overview

Lasalle College of the Arts is a arts institution in Singapore. Lasalle College of the Arts was established in 1984. The late Brother Joseph McNally, founder of the Lasell College of the Arts, was known in Singapore for his outstanding academic and artistic contributions, which he made his home in 1946. He spent nearly 40 years teaching in Singapore at various affiliated schools of the De La Salle Order, including St. Joseph's Institution. After retirement, Brother Joseph decided to follow through on his vision to upgrade art culture in Singapore, believing that art is important to a nation. Lasalle College known as the St. Patrick's Arts Center, the institution was largely funded through Brother Joseph's pocket, given the low priority the Singapore government placed on arts at that time. As an integrated arts college, the first cohort had strength of 27 students who were offered diplomas in painting, Ceramics, Sculpture and music.

In 1993, Brother Joseph's efforts in acquiring resources finally paid off when Singapore Airlines contributed S$15 million to increase the facilities of the complex. The college was later renamed LASALLE-SIA College of Arts. Other financial contributors to the college include Khoo, Lee, Shaw and Hong Leong Foundation and Airbus Industries. In the same year, an agreement with RMIT University of Australia was formalized for a bachelor's degree in fine arts offered to graduates of LASALLE's fine arts program.

Following the government's plans to rejuvenate Singapore's arts sector, LASALLE began receiving financial support from the Ministry of Education. At the 10th anniversary celebration of LASALLE in 1995, then the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, remarked that LASALLE played a key role in developing the artists and their audiences in Singapore, and announced that the Singapore Government College was financially supported will provided, estimated amount of $4 million in grants. He began offering degrees, designing and developing in Singapore to support local and regional creative industries.

In 2010, LASALLE launched the MA Asian Art History Program, the first of its kind worldwide. Its focus is on Asian modern and contemporary art, where students are able to examine recently emerged artists and movements within geographical domains, and undertake a plethora of research topics. In 2012, LASALLE established a partnership with Goldsmith, University of London to launch 14 publicly funded undergraduate arts programs. A year later, the college introduced the MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice Program. Its most recent programs include MA Creative Writing and MA Design, with a range of more than 30 programs.

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