Visual Arts Centre

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New arts fest a partnership between charity and local artists

(From left) Anastasia Mary Chieng, Jonathan Chan and Mohamed Syukur Mohamed will be performing in the Dreamseeds Arts Fest concert. PHOTO: LENNE CHAI PHOTOGRAPHY

The new Dreamseeds Arts Fest organised by non-profit organisation Club Rainbow aims to build an inclusive arts community.

Some Singapore artists have been working with the beneficiaries of Club Rainbow – which supports children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and their families – to stage an art exhibition, a concert and creative workshops that are open to the public.

Singer-songwriter Jawn will perform at the concert today with 12-year-old Anastasia Mary Chieng on the keyboard and 17-year-old Mohamed Syukur Mohamed on the guitar.

Jawn, 26, whose real name is Jonathan Chan, says: “My biggest priority is to create a safe and encouraging space that enables the beneficiaries to feel comfortable performing without the fear of judgment or discrimination.

“Music is something I’ve found that is a great liberator from physical, emotional and psychological debilitation. There are moments in performing and writing music when I am able to leave my ego and problems at the door – and that’s an experience I want to enable others to feel.”

VIEW IT / DREAMSEEDS ARTS FEST

WHERE Visual Arts Centre, 01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green, 10 Penang Road

WHEN: Today to Monday. Launch concert takes place today, 5 to 7.30pm

ADMISSION: Free

INFO: facebook.com/dreamseedsfest

The concert will also include a hip-hop dance performance, a rhythmic gymnastics demonstration and a group ukulele performance.

Visual artist Claudia Goh, who goes by the moniker Clautural, will be creating a mural with the beneficiaries, which will be presented at the exhibition. It will run until Monday.

Also on display at the exhibition are photographs, paintings and prints created by the Club Rainbow children together with local print studio Fictive Fingers.

The inaugural festival will be held at Visual Arts Centre, a studio space and gallery located at Dhoby Ghaut Green. Admission is free.

There will also be creative workshops during the festival, such as a watercolour painting session by creative company My Sweet Scarlett and a floral arrangement class with flower arrangement company Meadows & Clouds.

The public is welcome to join the workshops, but priority will be given to Club Rainbow beneficiaries.

Club Rainbow’s head of programming, Mr Teo Siang Loong, says opening the festival to the public helps to encourage “people from all walks of life to join our beneficiaries”, which will help them “to be more confident individuals”.

The children have been undergoing workshops and training programmes conducted by creative and industry professionals.

Mr Teo says these help them “discover the full potential of their artistic talents” and “pave the way for future youth who dream of making their own imaginative pursuits”.

You can read the original article here.