National Museum of Singapore director Chung May Khuen on what it means to be the ‘people’s museum’

Arguably the most significant change will be the transition from passive consumption to active engagement—particularly among its audience. Chung offers this example: “Previously, interactive elements were rather one-way—it may be an audio-visual kiosk where you press a button and hear the oral history, but what we aim to do is create a heightened level of interactiveness where visitors feel they have a part to play in shaping history, or even thinking about the future of Singapore.”

This philosophy extends beyond technology to embrace community co-curation. Since 2023, the museum has been conducting regular focus groups to ask Singaporeans what stories they want to see told. The feedback has been illuminating: visitors want clear links between past and present, multisensory experiences that blend digital innovation with tactile engagement, and untold stories that reach beyond textbook history.

“They want to go beyond the standard narrative,” Chung reveals. “For example, not many realise that Singapore was once a dangerous place—marked by piracy, wars and conflict. These are the kinds of stories that spark curiosity and deepen interest in our history.”

This community-driven approach has already yielded remarkable results through the museum’s Collecting Contemporary initiative, launched during the pandemic. Unlike traditional collecting practices that focus on historical artefacts, this programme captures history as it unfolds, gathering objects and stories that might otherwise be lost to time.

“During Sars, when I was still a curator [at the museum], we didn’t embark on an immediate collection,” Chung reflects. “The call came years later and wasn’t very successful because everyone had moved on. I wanted to learn from that lesson.”

The initiative has produced some of the museum’s most poignant recent acquisitions: a sketch drawn daily during the circuit breaker period by a woman watching an empty playground from her window; the vial of the first Covid-19 vaccine administered to then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, and kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder’s bib from his podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The growing focus on capturing contemporary history is showcased in the ongoing special exhibition, Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City, to commemorate the nation’s 60th year of independence. The exhibition, which runs until October 2026, takes a unique approach to national storytelling by beginning not on land, but from the sea—examining Singapore’s position in regional maritime networks before zooming in to local transformations.

The museum’s embrace of technology represents a careful balance between innovation and accessibility. For the SG60 exhibition, visitors engage with RFID technology that allows them to respond to questions throughout their journey through the gallery, with their collective responses ultimately helping to “shape the future of Singapore” in the exhibition’s conclusion.

“Technology must go [hand in hand] with the human experience,” Chung emphasises. “While we recognise that we have to embrace technology as an important component in storytelling, it’s the combination [of digital innovation and authentic, emotional engagement] that will help the museum achieve its ideal state of immersiveness.”

Perhaps the museum’s most anticipated reopening—by this August—will be the Glass Rotunda, with a new installation offering an immersive, multisensorial experience. While the details remain under wraps, Chung confirms the concept will also approach Singapore’s story from a maritime perspective, offering visitors a dramatically different lens through which to understand the nation’s development.

The recent appointment of hospitality entrepreneur Loh Lik Peng as chairman signals the museum’s commitment to experiential transformation. Known for his innovative approach to hotels and restaurants, Loh brings a hospitality mindset that aligns with the museum’s vision of becoming a more immersive social space.

Nowhere is the museum’s evolution more evident than in Reunion. This dedicated space for seniors, including those living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, is designed “to encourage meaningful conversations and activities using the museum’s collection and exhibition galleries”. Launched in 2023 as a three-year pilot in partnership with the Lien Foundation, the initiative aims to establish heritage experiences as a social prescription for seniors, working with hospitals and care centres to gather data on the therapeutic benefits of museum engagement.

This inclusive approach extends to programming that encourages intergenerational dialogue, moving beyond age-specific offerings toward experiences that bring different generations together. For example, the museum’s experimental Off/On: Everyday Technology that Changed Our Lives, 1970s–2000s showcase, which explored Singapore’s technological evolution through just 10 key objects supplemented by hands-on experiences with typewriters and rotary phones. The 2022 exhibition drew overwhelming response from multigenerational families gathering to share stories and bridge gaps.

Meanwhile, the museum marked a new milestone this May with the debut of the Tails from the Coasts: Nature Stories of Singapore exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Featuring 36 exquisite watercolour artworks from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings—shown outside Singapore for the first time—the exhibition explores the biodiversity of flora and fauna between Singapore and Australia. This coincides with the SG60 celebrations and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Following its Sydney run, the exhibition will travel to Adelaide later this year.

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As the National Museum prepares for its next chapter, Chung’s vision is ambitious yet grounded in community needs. By the time the permanent galleries reopen in 2026, she envisions the institution achieving its fullest potential as the people’s museum—“a more accessible, a more inclusive, and a more dynamic space for people from all walks of life.” The museum is ramping up its fundraising efforts, including a gala in August—its first in 15 years—to support the redevelopment of its permanent galleries.

As Singapore celebrates its 60th anniversary, its oldest cultural institution is proving that relevance comes not from age, but from the courage to evolve while staying true to one’s essential mission: serving the people whose stories make up the nation’s continuing narrative.

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