Inspired by artist Dawn Ng’s Mamashop, our artwork seeks to highlight how gifts are important gestures of generosity, compassion and empathy that connect people. During the festive season and in times of need, when neighbours, friends and relatives practise acts of giving, gifting and exchange, community ties are strengthened. Through Gifting, we hope to encourage people to express their love and gratitude through gifts more.

The stacked cookie containers in our artwork, which are usually used to store home-baked goods, symbolise buildings or our homes. We moulded clay into the shape of our local home-made cookies and presented them on trays, just like we would serve them to our guests or neighbours. In the bottles we depicted scenes of camaraderie and shared experiences within a community.

We feel that baking sweet treats and gifting them are common practice amongst different peoples, past and present. We enjoyed creating this artwork because we can identify with the common experiences and the spirit of sharing that the baked goods represent. By sharing our food, we learn to appreciate one another’s culture.

Haig Girls’ School • Primary 4 students

What makes someone a hero?
Who is your personal hero?
How can you be a superhero?

Inspired by artist Jason Wee’s No More Tears, Mr Lee, our artwork celebrates the people who inspire us, give us hope and do good for the community. Four boards are displayed with a colourful collection of magnetic button badges featuring drawings of real-life superheroes in our community. These button badges serve as a form of award and recognition, which we would like to give to our superheroes for their contributions.

Our superheroes may not have actual superpowers or secret identities, but they are people we look up to everyday. Their dedication and commitment to supporting our community and ensuring our comfort and safety during this unprecedented time have been a true inspiration and they continue to amaze us each day.

Haig Girls’ School • Primary 4 students

Inspired by artist Jing Quek’s Singapore Idol series, which expresses Quek’s appreciation for people in everyday situations and environments, we dedicate this artwork to the unsung heroes of our pandemic years. These are the people who work relentlessly every day for us without acknowledgement, brave adversity to provide us with our necessities and keep our lives running smoothly while the world battles the Covid-19 virus.

We chose to present our artwork on a tiered plinth, which doubles as a stage, to showcase and applaud our heroes for their efforts and dedication. Our heroes are represented in the shape of tumbler dolls to symbolise their ability to take on challenges and maintain the stability of our country in difficult times.

Our choice of vibrant colours reflects our heroes’ shining contributions and the mouldable clay represents their flexibility and adaptability in tough situations. The next time you encounter these unsung heroes, why not show your appreciation to them?

Haig Girls’ School • Primary 4 students

Made in response to Singapore Idols by artist Jing Quek, MFPS Idols – The Construction Workers sheds light on oft-forgotten groups of people who have contributed to Singapore. Our artwork is a tribute to the construction workers, the unsung heroes who are rebuilding and renovating our original MFPS campus.

Upon reflection, we realised that, while we are here in our small temporary school campus, a group of construction workers have been toiling day in and day out since 2019 to upgrade the original MFPS campus buildings, even during the pandemic. We wanted to show our appreciation for their hard work. After speaking with and getting to know them, we moulded the wire sculptures to represent them.

Though the wire sculpting experience was not easy, it is incomparable to what the construction workers face every day. The making of this artwork helped us gain a new sense of respect for the construction workers who are seldom remembered for the buildings they help to build.

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Mayflower Primary School • Primary 4 students

Are there any special foods that remind you of your family?

Food and Family is a collection of mini ceramic items created based on our family’s favourite food—from our mother’s chicken noodle soup to our father’s signature chicken rice and not forgetting our grandmother’s special chocolate chip cookies! These mini ceramic foods not only display our family’s beloved dishes but also highlight our families’ core values and lifestyles.

Drawing inspiration from artist Dawn Ng’s Mamashop, we decided to focus on the theme of food as it is something we all enjoy and a huge part of our identity, especially in Singapore. By experiencing and enjoying food from different cultures, we appreciate our fellow Singaporeans even more!

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St Anthony's Primary School • Primary 4 students