1 The Istana grounds will be open to the public on Sunday, 1 August 2004 to celebrate National Day. Highlights of this Open House include:
- several fund-raising activities, including the Istana Charity Sale, in support of the President’s Challenge,
- the annual Istana Art Event, including an on-the-spot art competition and a taiji demonstration and action,
- special performance by the SAF Music and Dance Company and a precision drill display by the SAF Provost Unit.
Istana Charity Sale for President’s Challenge 2004
2 Istana staff and ComChest volunteers will be holding a special charity sale in support of the President’s Challenge. Besides sampling some of the culinary delights prepared by the Istana staff, ornamental potted plants from the gardens of Istana and other attractive and unique Istana souvenir items will also be on sale.
President's Challenge Heart Bus
3 For the third year, SBS Transit will also be having a public sale of hearts during this Open House. For a donation of $10, the public can join the President and Mrs Nathan in penning their signatures on heart stickers which would then be put on specially decorated SBS Transit double deck buses which will ply throughout the island.
The Istana Art Event 2004
4 In conjunction with this Open House, the National Heritage Board will be organising the Istana Art Event 2004. This event includes an on-the-spot art competition (registration will be from 7.00am to 9.00am, with submission by 11.00am), with President Nathan presenting prizes to the winners at 1.00pm. Also, for the first time, a large scale taiji demonstration and action will be held in the Istana grounds early in the morning. This is in conjunction with the Ju Ming exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum. In addition, there will be other heritage-related fun-filled interactive activities throughout the day for everyone, young and old. Please see Annex for more details.
Other Highlights
5 The SAF Music and Dance Company will be putting up a special performance to celebrate National Day. The ever-popular SAF Provost Unit will also put up a special display of their Precision Drill at the Main Tent. These smart soldiers will be seen again later in the evening outside the Istana Main Gate at the monthly Change of Guard Ceremony. The bands from Boon Lay Secondary School, Compassvale Primary School and Kranji Secondary School will also be entertaining visitors.
Admission Details
6 Admission hours for the Open House will be from 7.00am to 6.00pm. Entry to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents, and $1 for others. The Istana Building will also be open to the public for an entrance fee of $2. All entrance fees collected will be for charity, in support of President’s Challenge 2004.
For more information on the Istana Open House, please visit: Istana Open House.
For more information on President’s Challenge 2004, please visit: www.pc2004.org.sg.
For registration and enquiries on the Istana Art Event 2004, please e-mail nhb_sam_programs@nhb.gov.sg or call 63323220.
Enjoy A Fun-filled Day at the Istana
Sunday, 1 August 2004, 7.00 am to 6.00 pm
Held in conjunction with the Istana's Open House Day and part of the National Day Celebrations
Singapore Art Museum (SAM) invites everyone to the Istana for a fun-filled day on Sunday, 1 August 2004. Enjoy the scenic Istana landscape and join in free activities for the whole family!
Come celebrate the nation’s birthday with an event that invites children and their families to explore art and heritage while enjoying the beautiful Istana grounds. Get creative within the Istana grounds and take part in an On-The-Spot Art Competition open to all age groups! Register early and enjoy free refreshments sponsored by McDonald’s as well as freebies, limited to the first 2000 registered participants! Participants can focus on either of these themes during the competition: Istana-Landscape, Istana - Architecture and Singaporeans at the Istana. Winners will receive attractive prizes totalling S$3400 and entries will be selected for display.
Take part in Taiji – Demonstration and Action, the first to be held at the Istana! Senior citizens may register for a morning of Taiji at the Istana grounds, held in conjunction with the Ju Ming exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum. Led by Wushu experts from the Singapore National Wushu Federation, the Taiji demonstration and mass participation is expected to see a large turn out of over 800 Taiji enthusiasts. One of the instructors, May Tan Mui Buay, is a well-known teacher of Tajiquan in Singapore who has won numerous medals for Singapore in international competitions – gold medal in the Taijiquan category in the 17th ASEAN Games and bronze medal in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, to name a few.
Be inspired to sculpt Ju Ming's Taichi /Living World Series using origami techniques, make batik kites or play traditional games. Participants can also look out for stamp jigsaw challenge, interactive games about the exciting world of philately, and a chance to create their very own “I Love Singapore” Bookmarks. All activities are free of charge.
Organised by the Singapore Art Museum, the Istana Art Event is a public outreach initiative to families and schools. The lush Istana grounds provide an idyllic setting for artistic pursuits with musical performance, art and Taiji demonstrations. A national event into its fourth year, the Istana Art Event had attracted over 20,000 visitors to the Istana last year, the largest to be recorded in the Istana’s Open House Days.
So make time to join us at the Istana this Sunday, 1 August 2004!
For general enquiries, please email: nhb_sam_programs@nhb.gov.sg or call 6332 3220.
Programme
| On-the-Spot Art Competition |
| 7.00 am - 9.00 am |
Registration for participants of On-The-Spot Art Competition. |
| 11.00 am |
Submission of Art Competition entries.
Selected winning entries will be displayed at the Istana. |
| 1.00 pm |
Prize Giving by H E President S R Nathan. |
| 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm |
Exhibition of selected entries of Art competition. |
| Other Art and Heritage Events |
| 7.00 am - 9.00 am |
Taiji – Demonstration and Action
Organised by Singapore Art Museum
Taiji Demonstration and Mass Participation
(45 minutes)
Members of the public are free to join in at any point. Organised registration for groups above 20 pax. Please e-mail Marie@ipreciation.com. Watch out for a display and educational activity relating to the Ju Ming sculpture exhibition featuring Taichi Series at Singapore Art Museum. |
| 10.00 am - 5.00 pm |
Traditional Games We Play
Organised by Asian Civilisations Museum.
Chinese checkers, Congkak, Chapteh and more … learn how to play these traditional games and discover the history behind them. |
10.00 am - 11.00 am
2.00 pm - 3.00 pm |
Stamp Jigsaw Challenge
Organised by Singapore Philatelic Museum.
Have fun with stamp jigsaws – fix jigsaw pieces of beautiful & exciting stamps as fast as you can! Complete individually or form a team of two. There are tokens for everyone, suitable for children and adults. |
10.00 am - 12.00 pm
1.00 pm - 3.00 pm |
Ju Ming Origami Fun
Organised by Singapore Art Museum.
Sculpt Ju Ming's Taichi /Living World Series using origami techniques. We'll show you how, and you'll get to take home a piece of art that combines oriental folding techniques with modern art design. This activity is in conjunction with the Ju Ming Exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum (1st July- 19th Sept 2004).
Look out for a super-sized origami in response to Ju Ming's work.
Origami creations and designs courtesy of Origami Group.
Ju Ming Quiz - all day
Organised by Singapore Art Museum
Who's the famous sculptor Ju Ming? Find out and win complimentary tickets to the exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum! |
| 10.00 am - 12.00 pm |
Spicy Fridge Magnets
Organised by Asian Civilisations Museum
Never thought spices could be used for anything else except cooking? Think again! Spice up the look of your fridge with your very own spicy creations. |
12.00 pm - 1.00 pm
4.00 pm - 5.00 pm |
Stamp On It
Organised by Singapore Philatelic Museum
Get ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H ! Take part in this fun and interactive game about the exciting world of philately. Learn about the different themes that can be found on stamps, and objects used in stamp collecting. Guaranteed to bring on thrills and spills of laughter! Suitable for children 5 and over! |
| 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm |
Batik Kites
Organised by Asian Civilisations Museum
Design your own kite with beautiful batik stamps and fly your creativity for all to see. |
| 3.00 pm - 5.00 pm |
“I Love Singapore” Bookmarks
Organised by Asian Civilisations Museum
Let’s celebrate Singapore’s 39th birthday. Design your own unique “I Love Singapore” bookmark as an expression of your love for your country. |
Note: All craft and hands-on activities are FREE
Event information
On-The-Spot Drawing Competition:
Registration for On-The-Spot Drawing Competition is free, please call 6332 3220.
All entries must be on official art block to be issued on the actual day.
Participants to bring own colouring materials.
| Category 1: |
Ages 8 and below, |
| Category 2: |
Ages 9 – 16, |
| Open Category: |
Ages 17 and above. |
Selected entries will remain property of the Istana, which reserves the right to display the art works within the Istana interior as well as selectively reproduce them for Istana merchandise.
Taiji – Demonstration and Action:
Registration for Taiji – Demonstration and Action is free, please call 6332 3220.
Admission hours will be from 7am to 6pm. Entry to the Istana grounds will be free for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents, and S$1 for others. Entrance to grounds is via the main gate at Orchard Road. Entry into Istana Main Building (tickets at $2 / complimentary for all art participants). Istana Open House programme continues till 6pm.
Please note that all times shown are indicative and may be subject to change.
Sponsorship by McDonald’s Singapore
For media interviews, images and further information contact:
Suenne Megan Tan
Manager, Communications
Singapore Art Museum |
DID: 6332 3215
FAX: 6334 7919
Email: Suenne_Megan_Tan@nhb.gov.sg |
Lynn Tan
Executive, Marcom
Singapore Art Museum |
DID: 6332 3219
FAX: 6334 7919
Email: Lynn_Tan@nhb.gov.sg | |