Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) launched a multilingual programme Kopi (coffee), Teh (tea) and Contemporary Art as a platform to develop seniors as new museum-going audiences, and to encourage seniors to stay active and socially engaged. The languages used in a single tour facilitated by senior volunteers for senior audiences comprise English, Mandarin, Malay, and other Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese. The programme ends with coffee and tea, where seniors are encouraged to socialise and share their thoughts on contemporary art. One of the main objectives of this programme aims to empower senior citizens through learning a new subject as studies on neuro developments for elderly persons indicate positive effects such as dementia prevention. Similar favourable effects can be found for seniors guiding tours for similar-aged audiences. Through qualitative research methodologies, the study hopes to address the following questions: Do the use of simplified language and dialects affect the effectiveness of an introductory programme to contemporary art for seniors? How can contemporary art encourage seniors to relate their stories through artworks and facilitated conversations? Preliminary results of survey analysis have indicated that seniors guiding senior audiences break the taboo and misconception that contemporary art appreciation is reserved for the young or educated. Seniors are more receptive and open to discuss and share personal memories and experiences in relation to issues presented by the contemporary artworks. Seniors have indicated that they are more inclined to visit the museum and participate in museum programmes for seniors in future.