Message from the President

It has been a momentous academic year for LASALLE, starting off with joyous celebrations for the centenary of the birth of our late founder, the visionary educator and renowned Singaporean sculptor, Brother Joseph McNally. The centenary celebrations launch, graced by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Ms Jane Ittogi, saw the opening of a remarkable exhibition curated by Senior Fellow Milenko Prvački chronicling Brother Joe's developmental journey from a young Irishman arriving in Southeast Asia as a teacher in the 1940s, to his founding and leadership of LASALLE College of the Arts from 1984.

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Other highlights included public screenings of the documentary Brother Joe; an evening of reminiscences by his alumni, staff and old friends; and a special trip to his Irish hometown of Ballintubber undertaken by lecturers Edmund Chia and Vicente ‘Tito’ Delgado to retrace Brother’s footsteps and interview his friends and family, resulting in a beautiful and moving exhibition.

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In conjunction with the historic opening of the University of the Arts Singapore for its first intake in August 2024, we developed and unveiled five exciting new degree programmes. These offer unique, multiperspective approaches, preparing students to excel and become leaders in the rapidly evolving creative industries. As arts and design practices transform to become ever more sophisticated, technologised and globalised, LASALLE continues its position at the leading edge of arts education through pedagogical advances, digital innovations and ambitious international collaborations.

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Following the signing of 19 new agreements this year, we have expanded the opportunity for all BA (Hons) students to spend a full semester exchange at one of our 48 global partners including University of the Arts London, Parsons School of Design, New York, Design Academy Eindhoven, Musashino Art University, Tokyo, and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)—some of the most prestigious arts institutions in the world. LASALLE is among them, rising this year in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 to become the highest ranked specialist arts institution in Southeast Asia for Performing Arts, and retaining our position as joint top for Art and Design.

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We have initiated and co-founded international projects and networks that continue to flourish, from our annual Tropical Lab (now in its 18^th edition) bringing postgraduate students from over 20 global institutions together on campus, to hosting the 2024 edition and group exhibition of the Global Design Initiative with five prestigious partners, and the 13-institution Shared Campus, which staged a thought-provoking symposium, Unlearning realities - Reimagining futures.

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Closer to home, LASALLE became a part of the Design Alliance led by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)—a global alliance of 13 institutes that promotes design as a central driver of change. In collaboration with the National University of Singapore, we organised the Performance and Health Symposium, exploring the multifaceted intersections and surprising synergies between these disciplines.

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The academic year saw a plethora of student awards, with our Puttnam School of Film & Animation sweeping seven out of eight top honours at the National Youth Film Awards; while alumnus Jeremy Chua received the Youth Inspiration Award. Other alumni successes included Melissa Tan’s Young Artist Award, Jeremy Hiah's prestigious 42nd UOB Painting of the Year Award (Established Artist Category, Singapore), Sharda Harrison for Best Actress at the Straits Times Life Theatre Awards 2023, and recent graduate Lim Su Hui’s Harper’s Bazaar NewGen Fashion Award 2023, marking the fourth year in a row that a recent LASALLE graduate has won.

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Other proud achievements include alumnus Jeremy Chua's appointment as General Manager of the Singapore International Film Festival and the extension of alumna Natalie Hennedige's tenure as Artistic Director of Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) until 2025—her 4^th edition!

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Ambitious industry collaborations include a new iteration of our annual ARTWALK (with the Singapore Tourism Board) adding to the extraordinary collection of murals around Little India and Katong Joo-Chiat, and stunning garment exhibitions curated by our fashion students for #SGFASHIONNOW with the Asian Civilisations Museum in South Korea. A new collaboration with Singapore University of Technology and Design resulted in a sensationally futuristic design for a revolutionary electric vehicle.

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It has been a vibrant and inspiring year indeed for LASALLE. The new academic year from August 2024 heralds an equally historic milestone as well as a new era, as we proudly welcome the inaugural cohort of LASALLE students as part of the University of the Arts Singapore, the nation’s seventh—but its first and only arts—university. We look forward to even more exciting times ahead.