Theatre doyen Ivan Heng has weighed in on the debate over volunteer roles in the arts, saying in an Instagram post on Thursday (July 30) that there is “a line between volunteering to support the arts and asking people to do professional artistic work for free”.
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) had announced that from July 25, people with skills or an interest in the performing arts can volunteer at events it organises, such as the National Day Parade.
These volunteer roles fall under SG Defence, an initiative by Mindef that brings together its various volunteer schemes under a common identity.
In his letter to The Straits Times (ST) Forum page on Thursday, Heng pointed out that he believes in volunteerism and acknowledged that many organisations, including arts groups, rely on volunteers who generously give their time to support their communities.
However, he argued that the Mindef roles were different because they “require years of training, experience and technical expertise” â skills that event organisers, arts organisations and commercial clients typically pay for.
“Artistes, technicians and other arts workers already face uncertain livelihoods,” wrote Heng, adding that public institutions should lead by example by paying them fairly.
“The principle is a simple one: Volunteer around the arts, but pay the people who make the art.”
His Instagram post sharing the published letter, uploaded on Thursday, has garnered more than 5,000 likes and over 700 shares.
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