Media release: LASALLE College of the Arts celebrates 40 years of creative excellence

LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) celebrated four decades of commitment to arts education and creative excellence on 8 November 2024 at the LASALLE40 Gala Night, with Guest of Honour, President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, his spouse Ms Jane Ittogi, and around 300 guests in attendance.
 
The Gala Night was a highlight of LASALLE’s year-long 40th anniversary celebration, which began in September 2024 with the LASALLE40 Charity Art Auction. With over 60 artworks, experiences and luxury items generously contributed by the LASALLE community, the auction raised funds for the loveLASALLE Education Fund, which supports students who are financially challenged.
 
Other highlights of the Gala Night included live performances from students, staff and alumni of LASALLE’s Diploma in Dance, BA (Hons) Music and BA (Hons) Musical Theatre programmes, retrospectives celebrating memorable LASALLE milestones and achievements, and a video segment looking forward to the future of LASALLE.
 
President Tharman and Ms Ittogi also toured two specially curated exhibitions that reflect on LASALLE’s 40 years of shaping contemporary arts and design in Singapore and the region. Many Worlds at A Glance, Many Worlds All at Once, curated by alumnus John Tung, captures the breadth of interests and concerns of 40 distinguished LASALLE alumni artists, while The Design Constellation presented by LASALLE’s Faculty of Design showcases 40 best design projects from the past decade.
 
Mr Peter Seah, Chairman of LASALLE, said: “LASALLE has come such a long way since Brother Joseph McNally founded the College forty years ago, in the firm belief that the arts were essential to the soul of a nation. We still champion the transformative power of the arts today, and we have made an impact.
 
“Singapore, too, has come a long way. The creative dimension in our economy is now more important than ever, and it is so important for Singapore to have an institution like LASALLE, where the creative minds of our next generation have a place to grow and flourish. We are nurturing not just artists and designers who are excellent in their fields, but changemakers who will have a part to play in shaping our future society. We are deeply thankful to all who have supported us in our journey so far, and we look forward to many more decades of success.”
 
LASALLE was founded in 1984 by Brother Joseph McNally. Today, the College is a founding member of the University of the Arts Singapore, Singapore’s first and only arts university. Notable milestones include LASALLE’s move to its award-winning city campus on McNally Street in 2007; being the first local home-grown institution to be awarded the EduTrust Star in 2015 and 2019; and becoming the highest ranked specialist arts institution in Southeast Asia for performing arts, and joint top for art and design (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).