The Audacity of Relevance: A conversation about arts and cultural policy across Singapore and Canada

Join Alex Sarian, bestselling author and arts leader, in conversation with Audrey Wong, Programme Leader of the MA Arts and Cultural Leadership programme, as they explore the themes of Sarian’s acclaimed book The Audacity of Relevance (2024). 

Described by Forbes as “a manifesto for the arts in times of crisis”, the book challenges cultural institutions to rethink their civic role, embrace innovation and build deeper public value. 

Together, Sarian and Wong will examine what “relevance” means for the arts in today’s rapidly changing world. This conversation will offer practical insights for arts managers, educators, policymakers and cultural practitioners navigating questions of sustainability, purpose and impact.

This session will be convened by Assoc Prof Woo Yen Yen, Programme Leader, MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice.

About the speakers
Alex Sarian is President and CEO of the 40-year-old Werklund Centre, one of North America’s most dynamic arts centres. There, he leads the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history: a C$700 million expansion and modernisation that has attracted record public and private investments.

Prior to 2020, Alex spent nearly two decades in New York, where he led international consulting initiatives across 15 countries, advising governments, foundations, and cultural institutions. Named one of The Globe and Mail’s 10 most influential figures in Canadian arts and culture in 2024, Alex continues to shape global conversations on the future of the arts.

Audrey Wong is Programme Leader of the MA Arts and Cultural Leadership programme at LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore. An arts educator, cultural policy expert and civil society advocate, Audrey broke ground as the first Nominated Member of Parliament for the Arts in Singapore in 2009. 

Prior to joining LASALLE, Audrey was Artistic Co-director of The Substation, an independent arts centre, where she worked across the visual arts, performing arts, and film and was engaged in networking activities with other arts spaces in Asia and beyond. She has served on the boards of the Singapore Art Museum and Mandarin theatre company Nine Years Theatre and was also formerly a Council member of the National Arts Council. 

Her research interests include community leadership in the arts, Singapore cultural policy, traditional arts in Singapore, and arts management practices in Southeast Asia.