BRAINSTORMING ART FOR THE ARMY

How have Army servicemen done their part for Singapore? What kind of capabilities would the Army of the future have?

Young military buffs of St Andrew's Secondary School thought long and hard about how art can bring these themes to life in an art workshop held in late February.

Organised by the Army Museum of Singapore (ARMS), the half-day session was led by Mr Calvin Tan, an award-winning military modeller who has written a book on figure painting.

"Judging from some of the sketches they have drawn, most of them can be refined to serve as an excellent basis for some interesting art works," said the 30-year-old.

The workshop was part of outreach efforts for the inaugural ARMS Student Art Competition, which was launched at the start of this year and closed on 31 Mar.

Based on the themes 'Our Army - Our People' and 'Our Future Army', it welcomed entries in the form of drawings, illustrations, photos, sculptures and ceramics.

"The competition hopes to engage younger Singaporeans and inspire defence-based art that can be displayed in the museum," said Major Kenny Tan, the Army Museum Project's Head Plans.

Mr Tan, who is designing a sculpture for the ARMS, was invited to share with the students his National Service experiences and the process of creating art pieces for the competition.

The Mortarman with the 464th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment, said his NS experiences allowed him to "empathise with the subjects I was creating", thus helping to give his works "a greater sense of realism".

Among the students who attended the workshop was Jehangir Shaik Aziz, who found it "very good".

"It prepares us for what's to come in the Army," said the 13-year-old.

Results of the ARMS Student Art Competition will be announced in early May.