About the Programme
Launched in April 2011, the Artist Development Programme (ADP) is a signature programme that aims to uncover artistic talents in students and develop their potential. Under ADP, professional artists are engaged to work with talented students to nurture their talents.
Students whose works are sold get a royalty payment from Pathlight School. This helps both students and their families to recognise the value of how their talent if properly honed and supported by good work habits, will give them a chance to have a dignified source of income. Visit The Art Faculty to view our students' products.
Artists in ADP are also given opportunities to be involved in public exhibitions where they learn to promote their art to the general public. To date, 61 students, each with their own special style and art forms, have been identified and put into this programme.
Significant Achievements
Date | Event |
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November 2023 |
ADP ARTIST BAGS “HIGHLY COMMENDED” AWARD AT THE UOB PAINTING OF THE YEAR 2023 ADP artist, Kong Kai Keet attained the “Highly Commended” Award for his painting in the Emerging Artist category for UOB Painting of the Year 2023. Titled ‘Then and Now’, his painting illustrates the dynamic urban environment of Singapore. |
January 2023 |
NATIONAL ART COUNCIL (NAC)’S “GROWING HOME – A SHOWCASE ABOUT THE ARTS PLAN AND YOU” EXHIBITION Six ADP artists’ artworks were showcased in this exhibition. ADP’s theme was “Desirable Excursions For Your Eyes” and four of our artists were also present to do live drawings on two weekends. |
13 January to 29 March 2023 |
THE ART FACULTY’S “15X15” EXHIBITION All ADP artists participated in this exhibition which showcased their precious miniature artworks. Our artists explored doing more with less in canvases measuring only 15cm by 15cm. |
1 – 17 December 2022 |
JAPAN X SINGAPORE STUDENT ART COLLABORATION Five ADP artists participated in this collaboration with the Japan School Singapore and The Japan Creative Centre, Embassy of Japan. Their collaborative artworks were exhibited in Japan Creative Centre (JCC), Embassy of Japan in Singapore. |
17 – 28 August 2022 |
SINGTEL’S “EXPRESSIONS THROUGH ART” EXHIBITION Five ADP artists’ artworks were selected for the exhibition held at the National Gallery Singapore. “Expressions Through Art” is a special showcase of the talents and abilities of students from special education schools in Singapore. |
2 September to 2 October 2022 |
SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU)’S ARTS FESTIVAL 2022 Four ADP artists participated in a joint exhibition with SMU titled “re:collect” as part of the SMU’s Arts Festival 2022. |
6 March 2022 |
ART EXCHANGE PROGRAMME WITH RIKUZENTAKATA, JAPAN As part of the collaboration with the city of Rikuzentakata, Japan that began in 2021, four ADP artists were invited to participate in the programme. This culminated in an exhibition on 6 March 2022 that coincided with the inauguration of Rikuzentakata’s City Hall. |
26 February – 9 April 2022 |
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND (WWF)-SINGAPORE’S AR-MAZING TIGER TRAIL Six ADP artists joined global and local artists in decorating life-sized tiger sculptures to raise awareness about tiger conservation and the impact of climate change on tigers. |
11 December 2021 - 15 March 2022 |
“DESIRABLE EXCURSIONS FOR YOUR EYES” EXHIBITION ADP artists showcased their work in six collections. The year-end exhibition was part of the development roadmap to provide artists with opportunities to curate, plan, execute and present their works at their art exhibition. |
13 May - 1 August 2021 |
“ART FOR AUTISM: ALL THINGS SINGAPORE 2021” EXHIBITION ADP artists participated in a collaboration with Fullerton Hotel to celebrate the diversity of people and cultures that unite as one Singapore. |
February 2021 |
MOVEMENT OF INCLUSIVITY’S ART FOR INCLUSIVITY DESIGN COMPETITION ADP artist Asher Ng’s art piece was one of the top five artworks selected for the “May I Have a Seat Please” initiative to promote an inclusive transport system. His design was incorporated in the lanyard for persons with invisible medical conditions to alert fellow commuters that they would like a seat on public transport.
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January - March 2021 |
MURAL WALL PAINTING AT ANG MO KIO COMMUNITY FARM ADP artists Ezra Chan and Kong Kai Keet participated in a mural wall painting activity in support of a community bonding initiative by the Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 Association. |
26 November 2020 - 8 January 2021 |
FIRST VIRTUAL ART GALLERY The Art Faculty launched its first virtual art gallery, titled the “Comfort & Joy” exhibition. Artists from ADP designed art pieces that reflected what comfort and joy meant to them in the season of giving!
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September 2020 |
SINGAPORE ARCHIFEST 2020 The Archifest is the annual architectural festival of Singapore. ADP artists Asher Won and Grace Ong were selected as finalists in the Primary and Tertiary Categories respectively. Alumnus Ng Li Jie also emerged as the Winner of the Open Category! |
July 2020 |
#SYFSTRONGERTOGETHER ADP artists contributed artworks to the #SYFStrongerTogether Project. This virtual Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) event aimed to unite Singaporean youths in expressing their hopes for Singapore amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. |
May - October 2020 |
NDP PLEDGE CARD DESIGN 2020 ADP artist Grace Ong’s art piece was selected to be printed on pledge cards for Singapore’s National Day Parade 2020 Funpack. It featured her dream for greener and smarter future public housing for Singapore! |
30 October 2019 |
ARTIST’S SOLO EXHIBITION AT PAN PACIFIC SINGAPORE ADP alumni artist Glenn Phua debuted his solo exhibition at Pan Pacific Singapore’s Public Art Space. Featuring 22 of Glenn’s best and well-loved artworks, the intricate and detailed architectural line drawings showcase his careful attention to detail and stamina and passion towards his craft. |
8 August 2019 |
STANDING OUT FOR A CAUSE As part of the Giraffes Singapore Awareness Campaign 2019, a volunteer movement organised by Central Singapore CDC, 11 ADP artists decorated giraffes to encourage society to “Stick Your Neck Out For The Common Good”. |
31 July 2019 |
COMMEMORATING SINGAPORE’S BICENTENNIAL 4 ADP artists, alongside local celebrities and influencers, were invited to share their vision on what kindness, graciousness and being greater in Singapore means to them as part of the celebrations to commemorate Singapore’s bicentennial. They decorated Singa the Lion figurines which were exhibited and ‘adopted’, with all proceeds going to the President’s Challenge. |
20 June 2019 |
ASIA PACIFIC AUTISM CONFERENCE 2019 6 ADP artists were invited to showcase their artistic talents in a Live Drawing session to more than 1,700 local and international visitors at the Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2019. This was the first time that the conference was held outside of Australia, in Singapore. Artworks by 7 ADP artists were also exhibited at the conference. |
9 May 2019 |
A MOTHER’S DAY GIFT FROM THE HEART ADP artist Irfan Mus Effendi’s portrait of his mother, titled “My Mother” emerged as one of 25 “Judges’ Favourites” out of more than 300 works from around the world at the “She Is More” Global Youth Art Competition. His drawing was also one of 50 artworks selected for exhibition at Sundaram Tagore Gallery (Singapore). |
12 March 2019 |
PATHLIGHT VENDING MACHINE AT SENTOSA BOARDWALK The Art Faculty (TAF) collaborated with Royal Vending Pte Ltd to make available a range of products by ADP artists on one of 35 curated vending machines located along Sentosa Boardwalk. As part of the launch of the Boardwalk AdVENDture, our ADP artists were invited to a live drawing session where they captivated the crowd with their artistic drawings on XL Fans. |
8 March 2019 |
SHOWCASING ABILITIES AT SESAME STREET’s 50th ANNIVERSARY In celebration of Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary, ADP artists joined regional celebrities and influencers in decorating Oscar the Grouch’s trash cans for display at Universal Studios Singapore. |
26 October 2018 |
ADP END OF YEAR EXHIBITION: “PERSPECTIVES” As part of the development roadmap to provide ADP artists with opportunities to curate, plan, execute and present their work at their own art exhibition, The Art Faculty held a year-end art exhibition titled ‘Perspectives’. The exhibition exposed our artists to the preparation work in staging an exhibition, such as identifying and issuing invitations to their guests, and developed their confidence in sharing about their work to an audience. |
3 August 2018 |
INSPIRING OTHERS THROUGH ART ADP Held in conjunction with Singapore’s National Day celebrations, our ADP artists joined artists from four other special needs organisations in the exhibition of their work at “The Changi Inspires Art Fair”. The initiative by Changi Airport aims to inspire openness and inclusivity through art. |
24 May 2018 |
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH SGENABLE AND SINGAPORE AIRLINES The Art Faculty (TAF) under Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SGEnable and Singapore Airlines (SIA) to formalise our partnership in promoting the abilities and inclusion of persons with disabilities, beyond Singapore shores. From June 2018, in-flight snack boxes on selected SIA Economy Class flights will feature our ADP artist, Aaron Yap’s artwork, “Local Food”. TAF will also be the first partner of KrisShop Cares, an initiative aimed at giving back to the community and supporting those in need. As part of KrisShop Cares, KrisShop.com, SIA's online retail platform, will carry selected merchandise designed by our ADP artists. |
14 April 2018 |
RAISING AWARENESS FOR ELEPHANT CONSERVATION ADP artists demonstrated their artistic talents live by decorating elephant figurines for the Elephant Parade. The life-size, baby elephant statues were exhibited in international cities and helped to raise awareness for the need of elephant conservation. |
12 April 2018 |
FIRST AUTISM-THEMED MRT TRAIN To commemorate World Autism Awareness Singapore, Pathlight School collaborated with Land Transport Authority and SBS Transit Ltd for a month-long community outreach aimed at raising awareness of autism and celebrating the talents of people on the autism spectrum. For a month, a Downtown Line MRT train, as well as four interchange stations featured artworks by our ADP artists. These artworks were specially chosen to highlight and dispel debilitating myths about autism, as well as illustrate the talents of the autism community. |
11 December 2017 | In hopes of making public transport more user-friendly, illustrations by six of our student and alumni artists from the Artist Development Programme (ADP) were selected and incorporated as wayfinding signage along the walkway from Redhill MRT station to the Enabling Village. The new signs and rest areas along the walkway were unveiled by Minister for Transport Mr Khaw Boon Wan on the morning of Monday, 11 December 2017. |
9 November 2017 | Timberland and Pathlight School collaborated for a second time to showcase the unique and insightful art created by talented individuals with special needs. This collaboration consists of pouches and drawstring bags, incorporating Timberland’s Classic Boat Shoe aesthetics with the students’ designs. The products are co-produced by Timberland and The Art Faculty, a retail platform by Pathlight to promote the works of artists on the autism spectrum. The students involved are Grace Ong and Joshua Chong. |
20 October 2017 | To celebrate the completion of the DowntownLine, some Pathlight students attended the Downtown Line 3 Opening Ceremony yesterday. Our ADP artist, Jolie Lim, did a commissioned artwork which was printed on notebooks as gifts for the guests. |
9 October 2017 | SingPost opened its General Post Office (GPO) at the new SingPost Centre in Paya Lebar, and we are so proud that a Pathlighter’s artwork is prominently displayed on the entrance wall. The illustration of the old Fullerton Building, where the original GPO was located, is by Glenn Phua, a student artist under the Artist Development Programme. A framed version of the illustration was also presented to Minister for Communications & Information, Yaacob Ibrahim, the Guest-of-Honour for the GPO’s grand opening. |
27 July 2017 | Limited edition Singapore Exclusive Local Design Collection by Thermos, featuring original hand-drawn designs by ADP student artists, Grace Ong and Jonathan Cai, was launched. A charity auction of two specially-designed big-sized bottles was held, and all proceeds were donated to Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), Pathlight School's parent organisation. |
20 July 2017 | Two limited edition ez-link card series, featuring artwork by four ADP artists, was launched. The "Dino Series" features distinctive dinosaur motifs by See Toh Sheng Jie, while the nostalgic "Singapore Shophouses Collection" is by Glenn Phua, Jonathan Cai and Muhammad Khairul Bin Asmi. The cards were available for advanced purchase at "Art for Autism: All Things Singapore". Part of the proceeds from the sales of these cards will go towards the ADP to fund programmes that support the development of students' artistic talents. |
20 July - 30 Aug 2017 |
In celebration of National Day, Pathlight School staged public art exhibition, "Art for Autism: All Things Singapore", at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. It featured 33 new works of everything uniquely Singapore by student and alumni artists from ADP. The exhibition is a platform for everyone to experience the beauty and complexity of our island home through the keen eyes of differently-abled artists. Through this exhibition, we hope to affirm the importance of inclusiveness and highlight the boundless possibilities for every son and daughter of Singapore, include those on the autism spectrum, to contribute in a meaningful way. |
11 June 2015 |
Students had the opportunity to pick up ceramic art skills from Master Chef Leong Chee Yeng at a workshop recently. Several of their works were subsequently selected to be displayed at Master Chef Leong's exhibition titled 'Ceramics Indulgence' at The Fullerton Hotel. Sale proceeds from Master Chef Leong's ceramic pieces will be donated to Autism Resource Centre. |
1 April - 31 May 2015 | Works of student artists were displayed at the URA Singapore City Gallery in the month of April and May as part of the exhibition, From The City Walls And Beyond. It was a showcase of the students’ exploration of the city’s terrain with their unique perspectives. |
29 January – 2 March 2015 | Pathlight School held its inaugural public art exhibition featuring 58 works of its student artists from its award-winning Artist Development Programme at The Fullerton Hotel. The exhibition was officially opened by Ms Ho Ching, Advisor of Autism Resource Centre and Executive Director & CEO of Temasek Holdings on 29 January 2015, Thursday. The exhibition was a platform to showcase the diverse talents and unique perspectives of individuals on the autism spectrum. |
21 July 2014 | ADP students had the unique opportunity to draw alongside renowned savant - UK architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire when he visited the school. Modelling values in action, Mr Wiltshire, known for his ability to draw cityscapes from memory, inspired Pathlighters with his personal journey of pursuing his talent. |
30 November 2013 |
Pathlight School participated in The Purple Parade 2013, the largest special needs movement in Singapore that supports the inclusion and celebrates the abilities of persons with special needs. ADP students demonstrated their talents to the crowd, bringing the celebration of abilities to another level. |
February 2013 | ADP students were invited by LASALLE College of the Arts to participate in its annual i-AM Festival, an arts festival promoting a myriad of social causes. As part of this arts festival, LASALLE students worked jointly with selected ADP students to create a moveable mural which was exhibited in 'ARTISM', one of the two visual arts exhibitions under the main i-AM Festival. |
November 2012 |
ADP was awarded the Special Education Innovation Award by the Ministry of Education in recognition of innovation in enhancing students' learning. |
24 - 29 May 2011 |
Four of our ADP students' artworks were showcased at the Singapore Arts Festival's Kids Arts Village at Esplanade Park. The artworks were open to the public. The students were Glenn Phua Yi Jue, Seetoh Sheng Jie, Elliot Chia Jie Xing and Tay Jun-Yi. |
24 - 29 May 2011 |
In commemoration of 2011 World Autism Awareness Day, the Artist Development Programme was launched at our 'Art for Autism' exhibition featuring our first panel of eight student artists. The event was officiated by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, and attended by more than 100 guests and industry practitioners. |