School of Creative
Industries
Ernie Martha Razali
Ernie Martha strongly believes in the ability of the arts to empower and enable necessary dialogues. Her innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge have led her on a diverse range of experiencse working on various art forms. From theatre, visual arts, heritage, culture and festivals, she has skills in curatorial programming, research, marketing and project management. Her internship and professional work with cultural institutions such as National Gallery Singapore, National Heritage Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore have also conditioned her industry skills, pushing her to constantly learn and grow. Ernie’s undergraduate thesis discusses the reimagining of access to museums during the COVID-19 pandemic, in an attempt to better understand and shine light on the resilience of the arts in our society.
Thesis abstract
Reimagining access to museums during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study on National Gallery Singapore
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon unprecedented changes that have affected the arts and cultural sector both globally and in Singapore. Disrupting operations, plummeting visitorship, cancellation of programmes and closure of facilities have forced cultural institutions such as museums to re-work their business models. Using the National Gallery Singapore as a case study, this paper will investigate the COVID-19 pandemic as a tipping point in accelerating the need to develop new ways of maintaining access to museum collections and programmes. Importing physical experiences to the digital realm, various strategies such as online symposiums, festivals, exhibitions was analysed alongside semi-structured interviews with curators and programmers in an effort to explore the impact and shift in museum visitor experience. Ultimately, the thesis aims to better understand and highlight the resilience of the arts in our society.