Art History Introduction
The Art History Minor
The Art History Minor is a globally ranked, unique three-way collaboration between the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (NUS), and two world-class museums with the largest Singaporean and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art collections, the National Gallery Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum.
The Minor programme aligns with Singapore’s arts and culture masterplan which seeks to expand the playing field for the arts via cross-industry partnerships. On the strength of its resource-rich and strategic partnership, the Minor nurtures candidates for allied sectors such as museums, art galleries, auction houses, private and corporate art collections, mega exhibitions, art fairs, and public festivals, while also preparing students to translate art historical learning in varied settings such as family offices and wealth management; ministries, statutory boards and policy formulation; media and publishing. Through its interdisciplinary setting, rigorous pedagogies, and collaborative ethos, the Minor contributes to building an inclusive society and creative economy, which, in turn, can grow a globally reputed and sustainable arts’ ecosystem.
Why Art History
History of Art or Art History primarily entails a close and critical reading of visual materials and related objects such as painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, textiles, and manuscripts, among others, to unlock their context-specific social, technological, political, and theological meanings. Unlike other disciplines, the visual in art history serves as the starting point and primary document for a deep reading which leads to an interdisciplinary enquiry.
Art history’s emphasis on visual literacy and critical thinking becomes relevant to an increasingly visual world, which requires constant decoding and interpretation, whether in the interest of geo-politics or our commitment to building inclusive and sustainable societies.
Why Art History @ NUS?
Key features which distinguish us from Art History programmes offered at other universities internationally:
- Our Curriculum and Pedagogies
- Our curriculum is co-written by practising curators and faculty.
- Our curriculum is committed to teaching Southeast Asian art histories in a globally connected framework.
- Our curriculum and pedagogies decentre standard Euromerican collections, textbooks, and methodologies to adopt a highly inclusive, diversified, and post-colonial content and approach.
- Our curriculum is situated and taught within a rich network of disciplines, thus enhancing art history’s inherent interdisciplinarity.
- Our ties with Museums
- Students are taught by practising curators as well as university faculty.
- Students enjoy access to the collections, exhibitions, archives, scholarship, and programmes of the National Gallery Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, and our own University Museum.
- Students avail of robust internship opportunities to comprehend how classroom-based learning applies in an actual museum or industry setting.
- Beyond the Classroom
- We activate museum galleries, exhibitions, biennales, and artist studios throughout the semester for teaching and learning purposes.
- We curate overseas field-based learning opportunities with artists and curators.
- We convene a Distinguished Scholar’s Series to expose our students to thought leaders in the field.
Convenor: Dr Priya JARADI | hispmj@nus.edu.sg
Co-Convenor (National Gallery Singapore): Dr. Anissa Rahadiningtyas | anissa.rahad@nationalgallery.sg
Art History Minor on Instagram
Coming soon!
Partner Museums
https://web.nationalgallery.sg/
https://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/
Global Rankings
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nus-and-ntu-top-asian-universities-in-subject-rankings-again
Distinguished Scholars’ Series
https://www.nationalgallery.sg/see-do/programme-detail/753291442/reframing-art-histories-distinguished-scholars-series-with-homi-k-bhabha
Launch of the Art History Minor (2017)
https://www.nus.edu.sg/newshub/news/2017/2017-04/2017-04-24/ART-stonline-24apr.pdfNational Gallery Singapore
https://www.nationalgallery.sg/about/news/press-room/nus-national-gallery-singapore-launch-minor-art-history