Elevating Southeast Asian Art And Artists Globally Through National Gallery Singapore's Public Online Courses

Art lovers and knowledge seekers from all over the world will soon be able to enjoy unprecedented access to National Gallery Singapore’s world-class resources on Southeast Asian art. From April 2023, art enthusiasts will be able to sign up for the first of Gallery’s very own public online courses through an online platform dedicated to engaging with art and artists from the region.

Holistically developed by the Gallery’s team of curators and programmers, National Gallery Singapore’s public online courses will introduce audiences to the richness of Southeast Asian modern art. Learners will be able to tap into newly created resources, including informational videos accompanied by short passages that delve into artworks from Singapore’s National Collection that encompasses Gallery’s collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art.

Material including Gallery's publications such as exhibition catalogues and anthologies, and multimedia content ranging from exhibition tours to podcasts are also provided as additional resources for the eager learner.

To put their newly attained knowledge to the test, learners can choose to participate in quizzes and engage with reflective questions and form a community of global learners through interactive discussion forums. They can also enjoy the flexibility of accessing and completing these courses anywhere, anytime, at their own pace. The first course on visual analysis will be made available free of charge.

Encouraging lifelong learning amongst its audiences, the Gallery’s public online courses seek to spark curiosity by including methods of observation and reflection to grow a deeper appreciation and understanding for Southeast Asian art in learners. Forthcoming courses will focus on themes that engage with socially relevant questions and concerns, prompting learners to draw connections between art and their everyday lives.

Dr. Seng Yu Jin, Deputy Director (Curatorial & Exhibitions), says, “With the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art, National Gallery Singapore is dedicated to raising awareness of our region's art histories and artists. The online courses present opportunities for alternative platforms to learn about art, outside of the classroom and formal education. The free online platform allows us to share our resources and knowledge with a global audience, thus expanding our reach beyond our museum and Singapore's shores. With the general public in mind, we hope that they will foster greater curiosity and satiate knowledge seekers in learning more about Southeast Asian art, to elevate awareness and appreciation of the diverse art histories of our region.”

This new initiative expands the Gallery’s vision to create a Museum without Walls, bringing opportunities to learn and engage with art beyond the footprint of the museum and closer to the people. These initiatives include the recent launch of mobile micro-learning courses– ARText. While ARText is built around a casual yet informative two-way conversational experience, the Gallery’s public online courses leverage familiar online learning user experience to offer an accessible and rich multimedia platform to audiences from all around the world. Besides online learning offerings, the Gallery’s education efforts also include in-person programmes such as public lectures and workshops by artists, cultural workers, and scholars. In the area of youth education, the Gallery offers the Art History Minor at the National University of Singapore for tertiary level students to receive specialised formal education in art history, as well as the Roving Art Truck, which travels to Primary and Secondary school campuses, and local community spaces to introduce encounters with art to young Singaporeans’ everyday lives.

For more information on the online courses, please click here.