RI GP Infopack - Arts&Culture

RAFFLES INSTITUTION YEAR 6 GENERAL PAPER – ARTS & CULTURE STUDENTS’ INFORMATION PACKAGE 2023 EU(s) Pg Enduring Understandings And Essential Questions Past Year Examination Questions 2 4 Section A: Foundational Concepts 1 What is art? 1 and 2 8 2 Ways of defining art 1 and 2 12 3 The purpose of art: A brief history* 1 14 4 The many meanings of culture* 6-9 15 5 The significance of material and non-material culture 6-8 17 Section B: Investing in the Arts 6 The role of the arts in making a nation a home* 3, 5 20 7 For artistic millennials, making a living out of the arts is a craft in itself 2, 4-5 25 8 Singapore cultural statistics – Arts attendance & revenue 5 30 9 COVID-19 has shown Singapore digital arts and humanities are quite the essential service 5 32 10 Art education holds some lessons on the way we teach 5 and 9 34 11 The full measure of an arts education 1 and 5 37 Section C: Regulating the Arts 12 Should we censor art?* 3 and 10 40 13 Art vs government in Singapore 3 44 14 Against the wall: The journey of Singapore’s street art scene from fringe to mainstream 3 and 4 49 15 Artists rally around Alfian Sa'at after Ong Ye Kung cites his poem during Yale-NUS debate 3, 4 and 10 53 16 Steaks Grown From Human Cells Spark Interest and Outrage 3, 4 and 10 55 Section D: Different genres of the Arts 17 High and Low Art 1, 4 and 8 57 18 Music helps us remember who we are and how we belong during difficult and traumatic times 2, 4 and 10 59 19 How NFTs are fuelling the digital art boom 4 and 10 61 Section E: Threats to Culture 20 Give the Easter Islanders their statue back – it doesn’t belong in the British Museum 8-10 66 21 To return or not: Who should own indigenous art? 8-10 68 22 The dos and don’ts of cultural appropriation 8 and 9 71 23 Why are languages worth preserving? 8 and 9 75 24 How technology is used to preserve endangered languages 8 and 9 78 25 How data threatens shared mass culture 6-9 81 *Primary readings

Arts & Culture EUs & EQs Page 2 of 85 ARTS & CULTURE – STUDENT’S INFOPACK 2023 Enduring Understanding(s): What will students understand as a result of this unit? Definition & characteristics of the arts EU1: Fundamentally, art is an expression of human creativity, and one of its greatest values lies in the intangible socio-psychological benefits it provides to the individual – both artist and audience. EU2: Our artistic tendencies are expressed through various branches of creative activity – termed “the arts” – including visual (e.g. painting, sculpture, architecture), performing (e.g. theatre, dance, music) and literary arts (e.g. poetry, prose, drama). EU3: There are often parameters placed upon the arts by entities (e.g. the state, religious authorities) due to perceptions that they pose a threat to establishment values and ideologies. Conversely, they may be used by these same entities to entrench established values and ideologies. EU4: The creation of art and the perception of “meaning” in art works can be influenced by globalisation, modernisation, and even advancements in technology and communications. This may result in tensions between traditional/“conservative” and more contemporary/“radical” perceptions of the roles and “value” of art. EU5: The sustenance and development of the arts require funding, with investment in them possibly reaping economic and other benefits. This funding, however, may be limited or inconsistent due to perceptions that the arts are a frivolity and an extravagance. Defining characteristics of culture and how culture is related to the arts EU6: Culture comprises both observable and unobservable elements like identity, customs, beliefs, ideas, and history of a particular people or society, which in turn shape how we perceive ourselves, society, and the world. EU7: Culture is learned and shared, but can also alter over time in response to changes in the material and nonmaterial environment. EU8: Aspects of culture can be expressed through the arts (as well as other markers such as architecture, language, food) that a people or society regard as distinctive and important markers of the group/s they belong to. EU9: In embodying aspects of culture, the arts play a key role in shaping culture and identity, be it in recollecting the past, showcasing the current societal mood and psyche, expressing future hopes or building connections. EU10: Cultural conditioning, biases and circumstances can therefore make what is considered art highly subjective. Nevertheless, arts practitioners sometimes seek to provoke thought by pushing socio-cultural boundaries and may, in the process, gain prominence and/or suffer the consequences of this. Essential Questions (EQs) 1. What is art? What purposes does it serve? 2. Are some forms of art superior to others? 3. What is the value of arts and culture to the ordinary person or society at large, especially in the light of societal or global changes?

Arts & Culture EUs & EQs Page 3 of 85 4. How and why is culture affected by changes? Does it become diluted or does it adapt in its various forms? 5. Is there value in preserving culture in its various forms? 6. What threats are there to cultural preservation? 7. How and why do entities with power and influence seek to curtail – or use – the arts? 8. How, if at all, should governments support the arts and culture? Why so?

Arts & Culture Past-year Questions Page 4 of 85 2023 RI Y6 “ARTS & CULTURE” INFOPACK PAST-YEAR EXAMINATION QUESTIONS (1a) ARTS – Cambridge 1. ‘Films are concerned with escaping from the problems of everyday life, rather than addressing them.’ Discuss (Cambridge 2021) 2. ‘The arts are nothing more than a luxury.’ How far is this true of your society? (Cambridge 2021) 3. ‘An appreciation of music is vital for a fully rounded education.’ How true is this of your society? (Cambridge 2020) 4. Does violence in the visual media portray reality or encourage the unacceptable? (Cambridge 2019) 5. Can fiction teach us anything meaningful about the real world? (Cambridge 2019) 6. ‘Works of art which have been removed from their country of origin should be returned.’ Discuss. (Cambridge 2018) 7. In your society, to what extent is it acceptable for public money to be used for the acquisition of works of art? (Cambridge 2017) 8. Examine the role of music in establishing a national identity in your society. (Cambridge 2017) 9. ‘Any adaptation of a novel for a film, television or the theatre is never as effective as the original.’ Discuss. (Cambridge 2016) 10. To what extent should the arts in your society focus on local rather than foreign talent? (Cambridge 2015) 11. ‘For the majority of people, the Arts are irrelevant to their daily lives.’ How true is this of your society? (Cambridge 2014) 12. Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality? (Cambridge 2014) 13. ‘Unlike the Arts, such as writing or music, Mathematics lacks the capacity for creativity.’ How far do you agree with this statement? (Cambridge 2013) 14. ‘People in the Arts, living or dead, receive far more recognition than those in the Sciences, even though it is less deserved.’ Consider this claim. (Cambridge 2012) 15. ‘Only modern architecture and modern art have a place in today’s world.’ How true is this of your society? (Cambridge 2011) 16. ‘The book has no place in modern society.’ Discuss. (Cambridge 2010) 17. Would it matter if all the performing arts venues in your society, such as concert halls and theatres, were closed down? (Cambridge 2010) (1b) ARTS – RI 1. To what extent should traditional art forms be preserved in a world driven by innovation? (RI 2022 Y6 Prelims) 2. Does your country do enough to develop the Arts