Aug 27 to Sept 2 The revamped Malay Heritage Centre was opened to the public, the Singapore Writers Festival announced its line-up of writers, the National Library Board unveiled an exhibition of letters by Sir Stamford Raffles, and Goodman Arts Centre held its second Open House. This year’s Singapore Night Festival wrapped up with a second week that saw Armenian Street getting in on the act after it was closed to traffic — the first time for a non-commercial event since the memorial tribute to the late Kuo Pao Kun a decade ago. But the biggest news was the National Arts Council’s withdrawal from next year’s Venice Biennale to review its participation (its design counterpart, DesignSingapore Council, is also not taking part in this year’s architecture version), sparking an outcry from the local arts community.