St Luke’s ElderCare & NAFA Launch Inaugural Arts Conference, Exploring Innovative Ways to Enrich Seniors’ Lives Through the Arts
SINGAPORE, 15 November 2025 – St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) jointly launched the inaugural Ageing Artfully Conference today, themed “Healing Expressions Through the Arts”.
The conference — the first of its kind jointly organised by a community care organisation and an arts institution — was attended by over 100 academics, artists and community care professionals who came together to explore how creative artistic expression can enhance seniors’ well-being, even as Singapore becomes a “super aged” society in 2026.
The Guest of Honour was Ms Jane Ittogi and she officially launched the event at NAFA. This conference is a key component of a partnership between SLEC and NAFA that was formalised in August 2025, bringing together expertise in community care and arts education to promote innovative approaches in engaging seniors and supporting their well-being. Both organisations are leaders in their fields: SLEC serves over 22,000 elders through various care services across over 30 locations islandwide, while NAFA is Singapore’s pioneer and largest arts institution offering arts education for all ages.
SLEC has been enriching elders’ lives through the arts since it was established in 1999, starting off with simple colouring activities, then having a dedicated Arts Programme in 2015 to introduce different art modalities, and organising an art exhibition featuring artworks curated from over 900 elders in 2018 at The Arts House at the Old Parliament. The partnership with NAFA marks another milestone in harnessing the power of the arts to empower elders. Through the conference, SLEC aims to grow its role as a care integrator and thought leader, collaborating with NAFA to gather experts across the academic, arts and community care sectors to explore how different art modalities can engage, empower and enrich the lives of seniors.
Besides keynote speeches and a panel discussion, the conference featured eight breakout workshops across six themes: immersive ageing experience, movement, music, storytelling, theatre and visual arts. The conference also builds upon NAFA’s Centre for Lifelong Education’s commitment to lifelong learning and its ongoing efforts to offer arts-enriched programmes that promote healthy ageing.
“Innovation, collaboration and education drive St Luke’s ElderCare’s mission to enrich seniors’ lives. Through this pioneering partnership with NAFA, we unite the arts and community care to reimagine ageing with creativity, connection, and compassion. Artistic expression not only sparks joy but also celebrates the unique talents of our elders. We are proud to present their creativity here and bring it to the heartlands in the coming months,” said SLEC CEO, Adj A/Prof (Dr) Kenny Tan.
“The arts have the power to uplift lives at every age. Through our partnership with St Luke’s ElderCare, we are extending the reach of arts education and practice to the community, empowering seniors and care professionals to connect, express and thrive creatively,” said NAFA President, Mrs Tan-Soh Wai Lan.
An art exhibition featuring SLEC’s elders’ artworks – such as ceramics, craft and paintings – was also held on the sidelines of the conference. Mdm Hajjah Sapiah Bte Abdullah, 89, one of the elders whose ceramic pieces were showcased in the exhibition, said: “I feel very clever making all of these and I’m so proud of myself! But this was not possible without the help from the teachers and friends at St Luke’s ElderCare. I smile as I look at my creations every morning now.” This exhibition will be roving across three libraries from Q1 2026.
