Museum Roundtable 25th Anniversary Celebrations in 2021
The National Heritage Board commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Museum Roundtable (MR) with a year-long celebration anchored by two public outreach programmes, the Mystery Museum Tours in September 2021, and the Museum Roundtable 25: Celebrating the Silver Jubilee of the Museums in Singapore travelling exhibition, which will launch in December 2021.
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Museum Roundtable 25: Celebrating the Silver Jubilee of the Museums in Singapore Travelling Exhibition (2 December 2021 – 26 January 2022)
To complete the year-long anniversary celebration, NHB is collaborating with 30 member museums and partners to co-present a travelling exhibition highlighting the milestone achievements of the MR and featuring selected museum collections contributed by participating MR members.
Apart from viewing the unique collections of various museums, visitors to the travelling exhibition can also stand a chance to win free museum gifts and coupons for use at the participating MR museums. The gifts and coupons will only be available during Saturday and Sunday and limited to 250 gifts each day.
The public can also look forward to two online contests in December 2021 and January 2022 to win limited edition anniversary prizes. Follow the I Love Museums Facebook to get updates on the online contests!
The travelling exhibition will be launched on 2 December 2021 and travel to various public venues across Singapore until 26 January 2022.
Schedule of travelling exhibition*
Dates & Venues
Mystery Museum Tours (4 – 26 September 2021)
Thank you for your strong support! The tours have successfully ended on 26 September 2021.
To kick off the anniversary celebrations, NHB collaborated with 10 participating MR members to roll out a series of Mystery Museum Tours, which took place each weekend from 4 to 26 September 2021, and took the public on a journey of exploration through selected museums in Singapore, including lesser-known ones.
Participants, who were not informed in advance of the museums they will visit, could choose from three different series of specially curated tours that were curated around the themes of ‘Fashion Confessions’, ‘Mythical Creatures’, and ‘Hidden Secrets’, and shared different and unusual insights into the collections and workings of the participating museums.
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Fashion Confession Tours
Date: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 September 2021
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm, 2.30pm – 5.30pm
Venues: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
Calling all fashion enthusiasts! Take a peek into the history of fashion and craftsmanship in Southeast Asia as the Museum Roundtable brings you through the fashion artefacts on display in some of Singapore’s museums.
The “Fashion Confessions” bus tour to two “mystery” museums will be a 3-hours showcase of the history of fashion and its cultural significance in Southeast Asia. Participants will learn about the stories, significance and craftsmanship behind fashion artefacts, such as garments, headpieces, jewelry and other accessories, and explore the ways in which these artefacts empower identities and strengthen community ties.
Each bus tour will include guided tours and hands-on activities conducted during the bus ride as well as onsite at participating museums. Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable, and might even have the chance to win a Museum Label prize during the tour!
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $20 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Mythical Creature Tours
Date: 4, 5, 18, 19 September 2021
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Date: 11, 12, 25, 26 September 2021
Time: 2.30pm – 5.30pm
Venues: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
Go on a magical adventure with the Museum Roundtable and discover the fantastic creatures hidden in our museums! For the “Mythical Creatures” bus tour, participants will be brought on a 3hours journey through two museums where they will learn about the practices and beliefs behind the creatures and protective guardians in Southeast Asian myths and legends, and the significance of these mythical beings within their respective cultures and communities.
Each bus tour will include guided tours and hands-on activities conducted during the bus ride as well as onsite at participating museums. Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable, and might even have the chance to win a Museum Label prize during the tour!
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $20 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Hidden Secrets Tours
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in museums? Well, get ready to be enlightened with the Museum Roundtable’s exclusive special access “Hidden Secrets” guided tours.
During these 1 to 1.5 hours explorations at five participating museums, participants will explore the hidden spaces of our museums and get the opportunity to interact with exhibit repair specialists, paper conservators, museum guides, or gemmologists to find out more about how artefacts are conserved, handled and displayed. They may even get the chance to get hands-on and try their hand at special activities during the tours!
Hidden Secrets Tour A
Date: 5 September 2021 (Sunday)
Time: 1.30pm – 3.00pm
Date: 18 September 2021 (Saturday)
Time: 1.30pm – 3.00pm
Venue: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
Ever wondered how to identify real and fake precious stones? Join this tour to find out about the gem identification process and learn how identities of gemstones can be determined before they are exhibited. There will be practical demonstrations and hands-on activity for participants to try out gem testing tools and look at various gem specimens.
Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable.
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $10 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page.
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Hidden Secrets Tour B
Date: 12 September 2021 (Sunday)
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
Date: 18 September (Saturday)
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
Venue: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to learn conservation practices from a professional archive conservator! Bring your family and friends to see a live demonstration of conservation practices and the special tools and gadgets used to conserve delicate paper materials. There will even be a hands-on activity for participants to learn how to do paper tear repair!
Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable.
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $10 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page.
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Hidden Secrets Tour C
Date: 19 September 2021 (Sunday)
Time: 2.30pm – 4.00pm
Date: 25 September 2021 (Saturday)
Time: 10.00am – 11.30am
Venue: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
Exclusively created for the tour, participants will get a rare opportunity to hear from an exhibit repair specialist about how exhibit displays are created and maintained. Participants will get special access and a close-up look at museum displays, and there will be hands-on activities for participants to learn molding techniques.
Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable.
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $10 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page.
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Hidden Secrets Tour D
Date: 5 September (Sunday)
Time: 10.00am – 11.00am
Date: 11 September 2021 (Saturday)
Time: 10.00am – 11.00am
Venue: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
Get a sneak peek of lesser-known stories from a hospital with 111 years of history and join the search for obscure artefacts with Chinese traditional significance. You might even find a tree that was planted by Lee Kuan Yew!
Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable.
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $10 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Hidden Secrets Tour E
Date: 4 September 2021 (Saturday)
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
<Date: 26 September 2021 (Sunday)
Time: 10.30am – 11.30am
Venue: More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.
If you are an architecture and history buff, join this guided tour to get special access to and learn hidden stories about museum buildings. You will get the chance to search out a Chief Justice’s Courtroom and a Prime Minister’s Office!
Tour participants will receive a special 25th anniversary gift bag from the Museum Roundtable.
All tours are conducted in English.
Tickets are priced at $10 per pax. Registration and more details at Mystery Museum Tours registration page.
Note: Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.