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In The Spotlight
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Charmaine Lee
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern is a series of blog posts written by our interns about their experiences during the course of their internships. Working alongside their mentors, our interns have waded through tons of historical research, assisted in curatorial work, pitched in during exhibition installations and organised outreach events! If you would like to become our next intern, visit NUS Museum’s student development page for more information.
Charmaine is currently a JC1 student at Temasek Junior college. She joined the NUS Museum for three weeks as part of Temasek Junior College’s Work Attachment Programme. In this post, Charmaine shares with us her experience studying and understanding our exhibitions and cataloging our NUS Museum’s Resource Library.
Prior to my attachment at NUS Museum, I confess that I had no idea how a museum worked or what they did, besides displaying art for visitors to see. As someone with little to no experience dealing with the arts before, I remember feeling a little apprehensive when I first stepped into the museum, worried that I would not be of much help or that I would not feel welcome. At the end of my attachment, I can gladly say that my experience at NUS Museum was one that I did not expect, but more importantly, it was one that was unforgettable.
I remember, on the first day of attachment, the first thing I saw was the exhibition, ‘Radio Malaya’. I clearly recall how confused I was when I walked around the exhibition with my fellow friends from TJC. I was looking for captions, explanations of the artworks or some story to the exhibition, but instead, I found none. Before, whenever I visited a museum, I would wander around with my brain on low-power mode, not stopping to think past the aesthetics of the art pieces displayed. I never tried to understand or view the exhibition in my own light, and thus, I had a lot of trouble trying to make meaning of this exhibition.
Only over time at the NUS Museum did I begin to understand why the exhibition was constructed in this way. Through my experience here, I learned to actively analyse and question whatever was being displayed, and to always ask ‘Why?’. Learning more about the purpose and intent of museums allowed me to grow and see museums in a different light, and I believe that my experience here will also in turn, change my experiences in the future when I visit other museums as well.
I also remember my time spent in the Resource Library of the Museum, cataloguing books with my fellow schoolmates. This was another first for me, as I had never tried cataloguing books in my entire life. Through the cataloguing of books over the course of my attachment, I can say that I learnt a great deal about perseverance and diligence in my work. Of course, at times, cataloguing felt tiring and boring, and I would feel restless as I did my work, but through sheer determination to get the job done, we could see our efforts turn into results. This gave me a window into life in the working world, allowing me to apply the skills I learnt in the future as well.
In my short time spent in NUS Museum, I felt that I gained more than what I could give the museum due to my inexperience. But I will always remember NUS Museum for the fun times it gave me, be it the laughs we shared during the cataloguing of books, to the ‘trips’ to the Asian Civilisation Museum and the National Library, and the new friends I made in my time there. To most, the NUS Museum is just a place. But to me, it is a fond memory, a learning experience, and a place where I know I belong.
- Student Voices
18 November 2025
16 May 2025
NUS Baba House to undergo two years of conservation works
Enthusiasts can look forward to a slate of programmes ahead of and during the temporary closure.
6 October 2023
NUS Museum receives largest-ever donation of Straits Chinese artefacts
"Collected by Mrs Alice Tan over a 30-year period, the donated artefacts will contribute to a deeper study of the impact of Straits Chinese culture in Singapore and the region, and provide broadened avenues for interdisciplinary collaborations."
15 August 2023
From personal photo collection to exhibition: NUS Museum's latest showcase features visual narratives by 9 members of the NUS community
Titled Photography Journal Open Call (PJOC), the exhibition presents an eclectic collection of photographic works by nine NUS students, alumni artists and academic staff.
12 April 2021
Nurturing a creative campus through public art advocacy
The Public Art Initiative was launched to underscore NUS’ commitment to deepening the role of public art in holistic, interdisciplinary and broad-based education.
8 October 2019
October at the NUS Museum: between war and the artist, art and the tropics
This October, NUS Museum unveils two new exhibitions surveying the art historical in the region from distinct positions.
31 May 2019
New exhibition from Gilles Massot to be unveiled at NUS Museum
“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” presents the works of Singapore-based French artist, Gilles Massot. Featuring a selection of photographs, videos, sketches and writings from his extensive corpus of works.
14 February 2019
Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking
Following eleven years of giving glimpses of a Peranakan family’s domestic life in the early 20th century, NUS Baba House presents the exhibition Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking.
22 March 2018
NUS' cultural icon refreshed for a new generation
The University Cultural Centre's first major renovation improves the high standard of guest comfort, efficiency and production possibilities.
3 February 2017
Exhibition: From the Ashes: Reviving Myanmar Celadon Ceramics
NUS Museum presents ongoing attempts to revive the technology of making ash-glazed ceramics in Myanmar.
23 November 2016
Exhibition: Between the brush lines of Lim Tze Peng
Solo exhibition at NUS Museum considers 70-year oeuvre of Singapore's oldest living artist.
1 November 2016
Book Launch: NUS Baba House launches inaugural guidebook
From architecture to social history, book reveals the myriad facets of Singapore's only restored Straits Chinese family home.
21 October 2016
Exhibition: Looking within - What makes an exhibition?
NUS Museum presents exhibition introspecting into curatorial impulses and the exhibitionary medium.
1 July 2016
Exhibition: "Who wants to remember a war?"
NUS Museum draws on war posters, woodcuts and drawings to explore contemporary narratives of the Vietnam War.
10 May 2016
Award: NUS Museum wins inaugural award for innovative museological practice
International Committee of University Museums and Collections recognises efforts to facilitate conversation between audiences and exhibitions.
14 April 2016
Exhibition: Figuring Ng Eng Teng
NUS Museum reveals unstudied elements and works from the late Cultural Medallion recipient’s practice.
Student Voices
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Charmaine Lee
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern is a series of blog posts written by our interns about their experiences during the course of their internships. Working alongside their mentors, our interns have waded through tons of historical research, assisted in curatorial work, pitched in during exhibition installations and organised outreach events! If you would like to become our next intern, visit NUS Museum’s student development page for more information.
Charmaine is currently a JC1 student at Temasek Junior college. She joined the NUS Museum for three weeks as part of Temasek Junior College’s Work Attachment Programme. In this post, Charmaine shares with us her experience studying and understanding our exhibitions and cataloging our NUS Museum’s Resource Library.
Prior to my attachment at NUS Museum, I confess that I had no idea how a museum worked or what they did, besides displaying art for visitors to see. As someone with little to no experience dealing with the arts before, I remember feeling a little apprehensive when I first stepped into the museum, worried that I would not be of much help or that I would not feel welcome. At the end of my attachment, I can gladly say that my experience at NUS Museum was one that I did not expect, but more importantly, it was one that was unforgettable.
I remember, on the first day of attachment, the first thing I saw was the exhibition, ‘Radio Malaya’. I clearly recall how confused I was when I walked around the exhibition with my fellow friends from TJC. I was looking for captions, explanations of the artworks or some story to the exhibition, but instead, I found none. Before, whenever I visited a museum, I would wander around with my brain on low-power mode, not stopping to think past the aesthetics of the art pieces displayed. I never tried to understand or view the exhibition in my own light, and thus, I had a lot of trouble trying to make meaning of this exhibition.
Only over time at the NUS Museum did I begin to understand why the exhibition was constructed in this way. Through my experience here, I learned to actively analyse and question whatever was being displayed, and to always ask ‘Why?’. Learning more about the purpose and intent of museums allowed me to grow and see museums in a different light, and I believe that my experience here will also in turn, change my experiences in the future when I visit other museums as well.
I also remember my time spent in the Resource Library of the Museum, cataloguing books with my fellow schoolmates. This was another first for me, as I had never tried cataloguing books in my entire life. Through the cataloguing of books over the course of my attachment, I can say that I learnt a great deal about perseverance and diligence in my work. Of course, at times, cataloguing felt tiring and boring, and I would feel restless as I did my work, but through sheer determination to get the job done, we could see our efforts turn into results. This gave me a window into life in the working world, allowing me to apply the skills I learnt in the future as well.
In my short time spent in NUS Museum, I felt that I gained more than what I could give the museum due to my inexperience. But I will always remember NUS Museum for the fun times it gave me, be it the laughs we shared during the cataloguing of books, to the ‘trips’ to the Asian Civilisation Museum and the National Library, and the new friends I made in my time there. To most, the NUS Museum is just a place. But to me, it is a fond memory, a learning experience, and a place where I know I belong.
- Student Voices
News
18 November 2025
16 May 2025
NUS Baba House to undergo two years of conservation works
Enthusiasts can look forward to a slate of programmes ahead of and during the temporary closure.
6 October 2023
NUS Museum receives largest-ever donation of Straits Chinese artefacts
"Collected by Mrs Alice Tan over a 30-year period, the donated artefacts will contribute to a deeper study of the impact of Straits Chinese culture in Singapore and the region, and provide broadened avenues for interdisciplinary collaborations."
15 August 2023
From personal photo collection to exhibition: NUS Museum's latest showcase features visual narratives by 9 members of the NUS community
Titled Photography Journal Open Call (PJOC), the exhibition presents an eclectic collection of photographic works by nine NUS students, alumni artists and academic staff.
12 April 2021
Nurturing a creative campus through public art advocacy
The Public Art Initiative was launched to underscore NUS’ commitment to deepening the role of public art in holistic, interdisciplinary and broad-based education.
8 October 2019
October at the NUS Museum: between war and the artist, art and the tropics
This October, NUS Museum unveils two new exhibitions surveying the art historical in the region from distinct positions.
31 May 2019
New exhibition from Gilles Massot to be unveiled at NUS Museum
“…you have to lose your way to find yourself in the right place” presents the works of Singapore-based French artist, Gilles Massot. Featuring a selection of photographs, videos, sketches and writings from his extensive corpus of works.
14 February 2019
Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking
Following eleven years of giving glimpses of a Peranakan family’s domestic life in the early 20th century, NUS Baba House presents the exhibition Glossaries of the Straits Chinese Homemaking.
22 March 2018
NUS' cultural icon refreshed for a new generation
The University Cultural Centre's first major renovation improves the high standard of guest comfort, efficiency and production possibilities.
3 February 2017
Exhibition: From the Ashes: Reviving Myanmar Celadon Ceramics
NUS Museum presents ongoing attempts to revive the technology of making ash-glazed ceramics in Myanmar.
23 November 2016
Exhibition: Between the brush lines of Lim Tze Peng
Solo exhibition at NUS Museum considers 70-year oeuvre of Singapore's oldest living artist.
1 November 2016
Book Launch: NUS Baba House launches inaugural guidebook
From architecture to social history, book reveals the myriad facets of Singapore's only restored Straits Chinese family home.
21 October 2016
Exhibition: Looking within - What makes an exhibition?
NUS Museum presents exhibition introspecting into curatorial impulses and the exhibitionary medium.
1 July 2016
Exhibition: "Who wants to remember a war?"
NUS Museum draws on war posters, woodcuts and drawings to explore contemporary narratives of the Vietnam War.
10 May 2016
Award: NUS Museum wins inaugural award for innovative museological practice
International Committee of University Museums and Collections recognises efforts to facilitate conversation between audiences and exhibitions.
14 April 2016
Exhibition: Figuring Ng Eng Teng
NUS Museum reveals unstudied elements and works from the late Cultural Medallion recipient’s practice.
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