Community above Competition
A vibrant community of calligraphers meet regularly to host sharing sessions where calligraphy enthusiasts can practice with guidance from peers or more seasoned calligraphers, and where the curious can try their hand at calligraphy before making a serious commitment to its pursuit. This Singapore-based calligraphy-sharing platform is called “Beginners’ Table” and the volunteer coaches are the “Anchors”.
The Beginners’ Table Anchors work together to award scholarships for the study of calligraphy to recipients who demonstrate the ability and willingness to pay it forward to the community. Certificate art by Din.
In August 2019, nine Singapore-based calligraphers flew to Jakarta, Indonesia for a calligraphy-sharing event, “Spread the Love”. The happy chaos of paper, pens, inks and nibs kept the atmosphere abuzz among the estimated 70 or 80 participants.
Calligraphers from Singapore and Jakarta meeting in the calligraphy supplies wonderland, CforCalligraphy
In Jakarta, we were honoured to have Nina Tran who generously shared her skills, and won the hearts of many!
In November 2019, the Beginners’ Table organised a calligraphy exhibition in Singapore, “Love of Letters” featuring 78 pieces of artwork from calligraphers based in Singapore. Here are the Anchors (from left): Din, John, Mylene, Jasmine, Su Sian, Rachel, Joyce, Nichole, and Dorothy (seated). Not in this photo: Judith & Daryl
In conjunction with the “Love of Letters” exhibition, we were honoured to host the book launch for Eleanor Winters’ latest book, A la Mémoire la Mémoire des Enfants Déportés
I am immensely grateful for the calligraphy community, and the friendships it has blessed me with. A love of lettering brings us together regardless of borders, skills levels or age.
Closer to home, in my country, Singapore, I have also found a ‘tribe’ of which I feel a part. Allow me to briefly shine a light on my calligra-friends here.
Singapore — A tiny island, nation and state
Singapore is a tiny island, nation and state, so small you can barely find it on the world map. We often tell visitors that it is 719 sq km at low-tide, and slightly smaller at high tide! This sunny country with summer all year round lies at the tip of the Malaysia Peninsula within Southeast Asia. Its multi-cultural population of over 6 million are pragmatists who favour the hard sciences over the arts, as the economy is fueled mainly by manufacturing of electronics, chemicals, biomedical sciences, logistics and precision engineering, with financial services industry coming a close second.
Small but vibrant calligraphy community
In spite of this, we have a small but vibrant community of calligraphers here who share the love of lettering, are serious about the pursuit of the art and are enthusiastic about sharing it with others. I consider myself fortunate to have found them, at first through the Calligraphers Singapore Facebook page, and later through the “Beginners’ Table”, an informal, beginner-friendly calligraphy-sharing platform I initiated together with some ten other calligraphers.
The “Beginners’ Table” started around end-2015 and grew into regular calligraphy sessions where calligraphers could practice with guidance from peers and from more seasoned calligraphers. People who were curious about calligraphy could come and try their hand at different scripts before they committed to a more serious pursuit. These two-hour sharing sessions were held every other month, and drew anywhere from between 25 to over 70 participants who gladly reveled in angles and ovals, nibs and pens, and papers and inks.
Building community
At first, some expressed concerns that hosting free calligraphy practice sessions might undercut the demand for paid workshops. Nevertheless, the Anchors gave their time to coach beginners with unstinting generosity. After some time, it appeared that, contrary to fears, these ‘tasters’ seemed to heighten interest instead. Exposing a wider audience to calligraphy also helped to fuel sales of calligraphy supplies. Ultimately, it educated participants on the value and discipline of calligraphy. Some who came thinking they would learn to calligraph their own wedding invitations, realised how much it took to do calligraphy well, and said they would now willingly pay a professional to do it!
With this desire to build the calligraphy community, the Beginners’ Table started a scholarship fund to sponsor study of calligraphy either through co-paying for workshops, or for the purchase of study resources or teaching equipment. The most important criteria for the scholarship is that the recipient must have demonstrated willingness and ability to pay it forward to the calligraphy community.
To elevate the visibility of calligraphy art, the Beginners’ Table Anchors hosted an exhibition in November 2019, “Love of Letters”, featuring 78 art pieces by calligraphers based in Singapore. The exhibition was a highlight of the year for me as I stood in a room full of beautiful calligraphy art and soaked in the collegial atmosphere of calligrafriends enjoying each other’s works.
Building community with overseas counterparts
Having experienced the joy of building community in Singapore, we wanted to extend ourselves to visit with calligraphers in neighbouring countries as well. In August 2019, nine Singapore-based calligraphers flew to Jakarta, Indonesia to meet with our counterparts there. It was inspiring, to say the least, to meet with Chia Tjong, enterprising owner of calligraphy supplies wonderland CforCalligraphy, as well as Bram, a maker of iron gall ‘Poesaka Ink’, and Teguh, the inventor of 21Lines calli-ruler and many others. Nina Mareta (originally from Jakarta, and now lives in Singapore) and Jeremy-Jerome (a local calligraphy instructor) were fabuous hosts. Together with local calligraphers, we pulled off the calligraphy-sharing event aptly named “Spread the Love”. The atmosphere was abuzz as beloved instructor, Nina Tran, generously gave her time to share her skills as well.
Throughout our adventures in Jakarta, Bas & Nana of The Creative Kinds fame, cheered us on with encouraging text messages from not-so-far-away Thailand, as Nana hails from Jakarta, and then operated with Bas out of Thailand, where they produce by hand and with engineering precision, the high quality shiny metallic paints that are so well-loved.
This year, plans were underway for a similar event in Penang. I had earlier flown in to recce venues and was in converations with calligra-friends in Malaysia like Syuhada, Pui Yee, Inez and others. But then Covid-19 happened, and that brought us to where we are, here online at The Art of Letters.com. Meeting online has its advantages as it encircles us into the worldwide community of calligraphers.
Grateful
As the world turned topsy turvy, I am even more grateful to be a part of this community, especially for the friendships formed, for the great kindness, generosity and respect shared as we support one another through these challenging but interesting times.
Dorothy Lim
