A recent newspaper opinion piece criticized National Gallery Singapore, saying the museum lacked such museum basics as clear signage directing visitors to specific exhibits, was difficult to navigate, and often didn’t pay enough homage to art from Singapore. A person with a differing view on National Gallery Singapore wrote an opinion piece to share their thoughts.
In this writer’s view, National Gallery Singapore represents a lot more than simply the art inside of it. As many know, the museum was built by combining Singapore’s old city hall and supreme court buildings. These historical buildings were the site of significant happenings, including the signing of the documents that saw the official end of World War II. Numerous cases and trials have taken place in the buildings, and people who used to work there continue to have fond memories of the time they spent there. The fact that National Gallery Singapore includes these two buildings and was able to keep the insides of them as intact as possible is remarkable. Any extra effort that visitors have to put in to navigate the rooms is well worth it because of the historical importance of the buildings.
The idea that signage is lacking throughout the museum is one that plagues many similar facilities. Curators must pick and choose what kind of information to include with every exhibit. They cannot include entire walls of context, history, and analysis for every exhibit. To do so would detract from the experience, and it is naive to expect anything different.
Finally, one of the proposed solutions the original opinion writer had was to invite Singaporean artists to showcase their work in the museum and host talks where the public can learn from the artists. The writer with the differing opinion disagrees with this solution. If National Gallery Singapore focuses too intently on Singaporean artists, then the museum, its visitors, and the artists themselves lose out on the opportunity to learn from other artists from around the world. Museums have a responsibility to educate as well as to preserve. By bringing in exhibits from other countries and cultures, National Gallery Singapore can inspire new creative thought in its visitors, showing new beliefs and techniques from abroad.
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To read more details about the argument in support of the layout and artistic efforts of National Gallery Singapore, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/national-gallery-singapore-should-be-applauded-for-its-effort.