Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts


Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts ; is a post-secondary arts institution in Singapore, located beside the Bencoolen MRT station.
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts provides comprehensive arts and design education appropriate of Singapore's polytechnic-level for students who had successfully completed their secondary school education. As an industry-oriented alternative to a broader-based junior college education, NAFA graduates in Singapore are sought after for work or many continue to complete university degrees. In contrast to polytechnics in the United States and UK, NAFA in Singapore admit the majority of their students after secondary school, normally at the age of 16–17, which is after ten years of formal education. Diplomas in a specialised area of study, for example 3D Design, are awarded after completing 3 or 2 years of studies and industry internship.
The institution also offers undergraduate degree programmes for the NAFA or Singapore's Polytechnic diploma graduates in partnership with reputable universities in Singapore and the UK.
Demand for its programmes has remained strong, and the school projects a student population of 3,300 by 2024. NAFA offers full-time diploma and degree programmes across three schools: the School of Art and Design, the School of Music and the School of Arts Management, Dance and Theatre.

Academics

Apart from the regular academic requirements, entry into the school also requires students to fulfill their artistic and design potential aspect through portfolio submission, admission test or audition. The intakes especially for the furniture design major from the 3D Design course are deliberately kept small so that each student gets focused attention. Selection is competitive and is subject to the availability of places too.
Students can advance into any Singaporean Universities strictly depending on the diploma major the student graduated with, for example the National University of Singapore or the Singapore Management University. In 2020 with the opening of the new Bachelor of Landscape Architecture course by the National University of Singapore, prospective students that graduated from NAFA's Diploma in Design programme will be eligible for up to 28 Advanced Placement Credits without any placement tests, into the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture course.
Many students also opted for overseas universities upon graduation with the diploma, mostly in a related areas as their diploma studies such as - Fine Arts, Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape, Graphic Design, Fashion, Music, Theatre and more.
Other than Singapore's polytechnic-level diploma, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts also collaborates with different reputable universities from United Kingdom and United States to offer accelerated bachelor's degree-level education for their diploma graduates.
Since 2006, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts students are granted accelerated bachelor's degree programmes with Nanyang Technological University, meaning NAFA diploma holders will have the option to pursue a direct honours degree at NTU over a shorter span of three years or less. NAFA students can also apply for places in any faculty freely in NTU with advanced placement through the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding.
Apart from regular diplomas, there is also a special 4-years diploma course where students will study for the first 3 years at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the final year at the National Institute of Education, from which students will graduate with a Diploma in Art or a Diploma in Music from NAFA and a Diploma in Art Education or Diploma in Music Education from the NIE. Graduates from this scheme will be deployed to teach Art or Music in Primary schools.

Programmes and campus location

Campuses

NAFA operates from four campuses along Bencoolen Street. All four campuses are located within walking distances apart in the same vincity.

Campus One

NAFA Campus 1 is divided into 2 wings, Wing A & Wing B, with a linking bridge. It boasts a High Definition Studio, a Creative Media Studio for 3D animation and special effects, and audio-video production facilities.
Skylight Studios allow painting in natural, evenly distributed daylight. There are also Photography Studios equipped with studio flash systems and digital cameras and Jewelry Workshops with casting, processing and setting facilities, Interior Design Material and Project room, Drafting Studios and 3D Model Workshops and 3 art galleries with a total exhibition area of 850 sq m.
A 2-Storey library is located at Wing A. It houses an impressive collection of arts-related publications and journals available for members, staff and students only. The Tanoto Foundation Centre for Southeast Asian Arts is located on the 7th floor. TFCSEA@NAFA, a website housing a full-text bilingual database of more than 100,000 pages of Southeast Asian arts materials was launched in 2011 to aid scholars and students' research in this area. Arts institutions and public members can join as members to access the materials online.

Campus Two

This campus houses workshops for batik printing, textile development and embroidery design, drafting and draping, among other facilities, and houses the Fashion Studies Department.

Campus Three

There is a plush 380-seat Lee Foundation Theatre with a rotating central platform on stage, an adjustable orchestra pit with superb acoustics and two Steinway Model D grand pianos. The school's famous Studio Theatre or "Black Box" is also located here. Other facilities include a Recital Hall, soundproof Music Studios and Dance Studios.

Campus One Tower Block

The purpose-built NAFA Campus One Tower Block is located on top of the Bencoolen MRT station, adjacent to NAFA Campus One. The new campus was built in 2017. The new building boast facilities such as state-of-the-art studios and classrooms, easing the school's previous space crunch.
Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung officially opened the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts' Campus One Tower Block during the school's 80th anniversary celebrations.
The new $40-million block is the first expansion of its grounds since the institution moved to Bencoolen Street in 2004. Nafa was founded in a two-storey Geylang shophouse in 1938 by Mr Lim Hak Tai, with its first batch made up of 14 students.

Notable alumni

Young Artist Award recipients

Image gallery