What a whirlwind of a day. This morning, I was looking at the list of the latest recipients of the National Arts Council’s Arts Creation Fund and was genuinely stoked. Particularly since there’s a great track record of works produced with help from the ACF. We can expect, in the near future, stuff from Choy Ka Fai, Jean Tay, Tan Tarn How, Donna Ong and lots more. And then, this afternoon, I entered another dimension. If you haven’t fallen off your seat by now while scanning online for anything related to the arts in Singapore, then allow me to present you with the ultimate shocking news of the day. As part of a cabinet reshuffle, starting November 1, the Ministry of Information, Communications And The Arts will be dropping the “Arts” bit and will be called Ministry of Communications And Information. It’ll be taking care of infocomm technology, media and design. And the libraries, too. Whatever “arts” there is will be subsumed under a new ministry—the Ministry Of Culture, Community And Youth. It will, as was noted in a press statement by the Prime Minister, “assume MCYS’ current roles in strengthening community bonds, promoting volunteerism and philanthropy, engaging youth, and developing the sports.  It will also assume MICA’s arts, heritage and national resilience functions.” Among the agencies that’ll fall under the new MCCY are the National Arts Council, the National Art Gallery, the National Heritage Board, People’s Association, School Of The Arts, and The Esplanade. As a number of people have noted, we will most probably have the Media Development Authority and the National Library Board (and perhaps Design Singapore Council?) on one side and the artsy stuff on the other. Confusing times for film-makers, writers and designers? How did that `90s song go? Things that make you go, hmmm. *** UPDATE: The news has been going around and we're not surprised that it has raised concerns (if not eyebrows) in the arts community. Ever the fast and sharp one, Arts NMP Janice Koh posted this on her Facebook page yesterday. (Should we be calling her Culture NMP now?) "The new Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, with its new title, clearly reflects government's growing concern with issues of social cohesion and integration in Singapore, and that culture is being seen as a key driver in serving out these functions. "The arts have always played that role - forging national identity, social cohesion, national pride - these are amongst the many “by-products” of the arts. After all, the old Cultural Affairs Division used to come under the Ministry of Community Development back in 1985. "But the arts is more than just about community bonding. One of the reasons why it had its place under the newly formed Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA) back in 90's, was so that greater emphasis could be given to the development and promotion of arts and heritage beyond the national purpose of community development. "To lose the “the Arts” under the title of this new Ministry raises a concern that we may lose sight of its intrinsic value, and the wider role that the arts plays in connecting us to our history, in shaping our society and establishing Singapore's place and connection to the world. "Under this new Ministry, will focus still be given to nurturing artistic excellence, to building a thriving creative economy, to nurturing great art not only for Singapore, but for the world?"