SMU is proud to be the first autonomous university in Singapore to be recognised for its contributions to the development of Singapore's arts scene. The University received a Friend of the Arts award from Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, at the Patron of the Arts Awards Ceremony on 2 October 2007.

“SMU firmly believes in the value of the arts in enriching and enlivening the campus experience for students, staff, faculty members and the people who pass through the university everyday.”
- Professor Howard Hunter, President of SMU

SMU signalled its active support for the arts with the launch of its Visual Arts Initiative (VAI) in January 2006. Through the VAI, SMU develops and hosts exhibitions and enrichment programmes, while building an institutional collection of contemporary art, with a focus on art from Southeast Asia. In addition to providing venue sponsorship for a diverse array of art exhibitions, SMU’s contributions to the arts include the recent publication of the first-ever monograph on Chua Ek Kay's Singapore Street Scenes series in conjunction with a public exhibition of the artist’s street scenes paintings, which he donated to SMU in October 2006. Last year also saw the launch of the inaugural SMU*U-Square Concerts series, which presented leading local artists and arts groups in evening performances under the stars in the University Square. And from 18 January through 1 February 2008, the SMU Arts Festival–"non|sense"–will again fill the campus with an eclectic array of art forms, ranging from visual to performance to screen art. Launched in 2003, the SMU Arts Festival provides a platform for the creative expression of student performing arts groups and fosters collaboration with invited industry artists, infusing the local arts scene with fresh talent and making the arts more accessible to our students, faculty and the public.