Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The museums of today not only preserve and present their collections but are increasingly expected to assume expanded roles and function as both community hubs and cultural rejuvenators for the precincts in which they are located. This study shares Singapore’s community museum model through the case studies of the Malay Heritage Centre and the Indian Heritage Centre. It illustrates how these institutions act as focal points for their Malay and Indian communities in Singapore and as place-makers for the historical precincts of Kampong Gelam and Little India where they are located. This paper highlights initiatives introduced by the two institutions to engage the stakeholders and the communities of their respective historical precincts. It also shares the two institutions’ efforts to revitalise and rejuvenate their respective historical precincts through heritage trails, street programming, and arts activation. Finally, it shares the key performance indicators adopted by the two institutions to monitor and measure the effectiveness of their efforts as well as the challenges and key learning points associated with Singapore’s community museum model.