Lasalle College of the Arts

Lasalle College of the Arts
Name	Lasalle College of the Arts
Established	1984
Type	Private arts institution
Location	Singapore
Students	(varied)
Campus	Urban

Lasalle College of the Arts is a private arts institution in Singapore offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in visual arts, design, performing arts, film, and arts management. Founded in the 1980s, it has grown into a regional hub with collaborations and exchanges involving institutions, festivals, museums, and cultural agencies across Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia. The college maintains industry links with galleries, theatres, film festivals, biennales, conservatories, and cultural foundations.

History

The college was founded in 1984 and developed through partnerships with international conservatories and universities, connecting with institutions such as the Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins, Curtin University, University of the Arts London, and Queensland University of Technology. Its evolution intersected with Singaporean arts policy changes and the rise of institutions like the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Singapore Management University as national research and teaching nodes. Early faculty drew on networks that included practitioners and scholars associated with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale, Sydney Festival, Documenta, and the Shanghai Biennale. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the college expanded curricular ties to conservatoires and film schools such as the Juilliard School, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, California Institute of the Arts, Canadian Film Centre, and FAMU. Strategic engagements involved cultural organizations like the National Arts Council (Singapore), Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Asian Cultural Council, and festivals including the Singapore International Film Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, and the Singapore Biennale.

Campus and Facilities

The urban campus includes purpose-built studios, theatres, galleries, and production suites comparable to facilities at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and university art schools such as Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Performance spaces host works linked to companies and organisations like the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Vic, Sydney Theatre Company, Beat Theatre, and touring ensembles from the Korean National Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre. Film and production facilities support collaborations with festivals and labs including Sundance Institute, Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and the Busan International Film Festival. The college’s galleries programme stages exhibitions resonant with curatorial practices at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Centre Pompidou, and regional venues such as the Asian Civilisations Museum and M+. Workshop and maker spaces align with technical training found at institutions like MIT Media Lab, Stanford d.school, and Royal College of Art prototyping facilities.

Academic Programs

Program offerings span undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in areas with professional pathways connecting to conservatories, colleges, and industry partners including Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Bienen School of Music, La Sorbonne, École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, and the Beaux-Arts de Paris. Curricula include studio-based majors, interdisciplinary courses, and practice-led research frameworks comparable to those at Goldsmiths, University of London, California Institute of the Arts, Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch, and Tokyo University of the Arts. Pathways support careers in visual arts, curation, design, animation, fashion, theatre, dance, and film with internship and residency links to organisations like the Museum of Modern Art, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Hong Kong Arts Centre, and Kunsthalle Zürich. The college also maintains exchange programmes with institutions such as Seoul National University, University of Sydney, Aalto University, National Taiwan University of Arts, and RMIT University.

Research and Creative Practice

Research includes practice-led projects, collaborative labs, and artist residencies engaging with partners like the Asian Film Archive, National Gallery Singapore, Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, and international research hubs such as Courtauld Institute of Art, Getty Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution, and MAXXI. Faculty and students have participated in funded projects with agencies analogous to the Arts and Humanities Research Council, European Research Council, Japan Foundation, and foundations including the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Creative outputs have been presented at venues and events such as the Biennale de Lyon, Istanbul Biennial, Whitney Biennial, Frieze Art Fair, Venice Film Festival, and Tate Modern performance platforms. Collaborative research spans curatorial practice, digital media, performance studies, design research, and film production with links to labs like the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea and centres such as the Media Lab Helsinki.

Student Life and Student Services

Student organisations and societies mirror student governance models at universities such as National University of Singapore Students' Union, University of Oxford Student Union, Harvard College Undergraduate Council, and associations connected to conservatoires like Royal Academy of Music Students' Union. Student services include career development, counselling, and placement support that facilitate internships with galleries, theatres, production companies, and cultural institutions like the Singapore Repertory Theatre, Wild Rice, M1 Contact Contemporary Dance, Zheng Chongbin Dance Company, and regional media houses such as MediaCorp, Channel NewsAsia, BBC Asia, and NHK. Extracurricular programmes feature film clubs, theatre troupes, design collectives, arts magazines, and festival participation similar to student initiatives at Pratt Institute, Bard College, and Brown University.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Alumni and faculty have contributed to regional and international arts ecosystems, working with organisations and events including the Singapore Biennale, Venice Biennale, Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Frieze Art Fair, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, National Gallery Singapore, M+, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Tate Modern, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and major theatres and companies like the Royal Shakespeare Company and Sydney Theatre Company. Individual alumni and staff have held fellowships, commissions, and leadership roles with bodies such as the Arts Council England, Asia-Europe Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, Ford Foundation, and Aga Khan Foundation.

Category:Universities and colleges in Singapore