Debated in Parliament on 9 Jan 2024.
Ms Usha Chandradas asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how many artworks, artefacts and antiques from the National Collection are presently on loan for display to entities which are not museums; (b) what are the criteria for determining the kinds of entities that are entitled to such loans; (c) whether accompanying wall text or explanatory statements of all such loans are required to be displayed at all times; and (d) if not, what are the criteria for determining whether wall text and explanatory statements should accompany the display of such loans.
Loans are a common practice among museums to facilitate greater access to its collections for display to the wider public, as well as for research purposes. This helps the wider public gain a better appreciation of our culture and heritage. There are currently 283 objects from the National Collection which are on loan to non-museum entities, including the Istana and various Ministries, for display in their buildings. This forms less than 1% of our entire National Collection.
The National Heritage Board (NHB) assesses such loans to non-museum entities based on their ability to enhance the profile of the National Collection and our Singapore culture and heritage. Such loans must be used for non-commercial purposes and the objects loaned must be displayed appropriately and respectfully. NHB also considers the security and the environmental condition of the proposed display space of the loan object. Additionally, NHB assesses the suitability of the object's condition for display in the proposed space and for the duration of the loan.
NHB requires all borrowing institutions to minimally display a label text showing the title of the object, its artist (if applicable), its donor (if applicable) and a credit line to acknowledge the museum which manages the object on behalf of NHB.
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