Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Museums recognise the importance of “community engagement” and in the last decade have made significant forays in connecting with their audience. Efforts have ranged from collecting stories and objects from the community, holding focus-group consultation sessions, to curators engaging experts or representatives from a particular community. However, beyond lending legitimacy or authority to exhibitions with specialised subject matters or that centre around particular communities , or involving the community to fulfil certain funding criteria, how can museums actually co-curate with citizens, the public at large in in depth, and sustainable manner? The paper presents unique case-studies of how the National Museum has sought to involve the community - within and across different audience groups such as seniors, youth and persons with disabilities - to co-create/co-curate exhibitions. From conceptualisation, to curating, design and delivery, before and even during the exhibition, the paper discusses how involving the community was embedded in and integral to exhibition-making in fulfilment of the museum’s vision to be a civic space for civic discourse, where citizens become curators and not just consumers, and where community engagement is core to exhibition-making. The paper, through the following case-studies, shares discoveries about methods, processes, and learning points for meaningful and sustainable community engagement: a) For Citizens and by Citizens - Co-curating Exhibitions that Speak to Identity and Growing up in Singapore b) Student Archivist Project - Youth Collection and Telling of Stories of World War Two Survivors.