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In The Spotlight
Diary of an NUS Museum Intern: Eunice Lim
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.
Eunice is a third-year Global Studies student at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. As our Exhibition Management and Curatorial Research Intern, Eunice assisted her supervisor, NUS Museum curator, Foo Su Ling, in exhibitions and curatorial projects.
Curation comes
from the Latin word curare
which means to care.
To care is to be intrigued:
letting questions cascade into questions
brewed after periods of poring over texts
woven with slow conversations in sun-lit studios
To care is to maintain and protect:
watchful eyes on skittish kids
careful fingers adjusting temperatures
the crinkle of acid-free paper around frames
To care is to give attention to details:
the weight of a shadow at this angle
floodlight or spotlight? LED or non-LED?
please hold the end of the tape for me
To care is to have a fondness for
art, artists and art-goers
following through each tentative step
in a dedicated, delicate process where
intricate webs of heads and hands
converge into constructed experiences
like a feverish alchemist
picking and pouring precise portions
of precious elements into a gurgling pot
melting and mixing to precipitate
gold
~
I applied to the NUS Museum with the intent of discovering the workings of a museum. Having worked at a commercial art gallery as an assistant before, I was curious to find out how the experience would differ within an entirely different institutional structure and aims.
When I told my friends I’d be working on a single exhibit over the three months of my internship, most of them gasped in disbelief – you mean this much work goes into it? Yes. Frankly, I used to share the same sentiments as them. As art-goers, there is a tendency to only notice the art and neglect the presentation of the art. After this stint however, I can’t help but view exhibits in a different light.
But what’s your job scope exactly? That’s the next follow-up question which gets me tongue-tied. Mainly, I help my curator, Su Ling, and artist, Shih Yun, with everything that’s needed to make the exhibit happen. I’ve trawled through books and articles on the art world and abstract expressionism to formulate questions for the dialogue in the exhibit catalogue; helped Shih Yun to get materials and scan the marks on her studio floor; meet other artists to discuss the possibility of a performance on the opening night; collected and moved the works to the gallery… How do I classify or label such work, that is far from straightforward or neat?
During the week of installation, as we stood there in the gallery amongst the works, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of awe at this culmination of all our prior preparations. By our, I mean every person who had a hand in it, be it the printing, photographing, publicizing, handling or designing and so on. The lone artist is a myth – artists cannot exist in isolation and art, to me, is not complete with the final brushstroke, but when it is communicated to and received by the viewer. Artists have to be bridged to the wider audience; this process of facilitating interpretations, enhancing appreciation, and spurring further conversations is a complex and tedious one I’m grateful to have witnessed and gained insights into.
- 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: Eunice Lim
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.
Eunice is a third-year Global Studies student at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. As our Exhibition Management and Curatorial Research Intern, Eunice assisted her supervisor, NUS Museum curator, Foo Su Ling, in exhibitions and curatorial projects.
Curation comes
from the Latin word curare
which means to care.
To care is to be intrigued:
letting questions cascade into questions
brewed after periods of poring over texts
woven with slow conversations in sun-lit studios
To care is to maintain and protect:
watchful eyes on skittish kids
careful fingers adjusting temperatures
the crinkle of acid-free paper around frames
To care is to give attention to details:
the weight of a shadow at this angle
floodlight or spotlight? LED or non-LED?
please hold the end of the tape for me
To care is to have a fondness for
art, artists and art-goers
following through each tentative step
in a dedicated, delicate process where
intricate webs of heads and hands
converge into constructed experiences
like a feverish alchemist
picking and pouring precise portions
of precious elements into a gurgling pot
melting and mixing to precipitate
gold
~
I applied to the NUS Museum with the intent of discovering the workings of a museum. Having worked at a commercial art gallery as an assistant before, I was curious to find out how the experience would differ within an entirely different institutional structure and aims.
When I told my friends I’d be working on a single exhibit over the three months of my internship, most of them gasped in disbelief – you mean this much work goes into it? Yes. Frankly, I used to share the same sentiments as them. As art-goers, there is a tendency to only notice the art and neglect the presentation of the art. After this stint however, I can’t help but view exhibits in a different light.
But what’s your job scope exactly? That’s the next follow-up question which gets me tongue-tied. Mainly, I help my curator, Su Ling, and artist, Shih Yun, with everything that’s needed to make the exhibit happen. I’ve trawled through books and articles on the art world and abstract expressionism to formulate questions for the dialogue in the exhibit catalogue; helped Shih Yun to get materials and scan the marks on her studio floor; meet other artists to discuss the possibility of a performance on the opening night; collected and moved the works to the gallery… How do I classify or label such work, that is far from straightforward or neat?
During the week of installation, as we stood there in the gallery amongst the works, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of awe at this culmination of all our prior preparations. By our, I mean every person who had a hand in it, be it the printing, photographing, publicizing, handling or designing and so on. The lone artist is a myth – artists cannot exist in isolation and art, to me, is not complete with the final brushstroke, but when it is communicated to and received by the viewer. Artists have to be bridged to the wider audience; this process of facilitating interpretations, enhancing appreciation, and spurring further conversations is a complex and tedious one I’m grateful to have witnessed and gained insights into.
- 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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