A Comparative Study of the Educational Role of Public Art Museums in Three Asian Cities: Taipei, Singapore and Shanghai

Abstract

In order to explore the possibilities and effectiveness of art education in local museum context, three Asian cities (Taipei, Singapore, and Shanghai) were selected and major public art museums there had been visited from 1999 to 2003. For the educational role of those public art museums in these three Asian cities, it is obvious that art education is agreed to be one of the main duties of public art museums. By applying appropriate education methodologies and taking into consideration local situations, public art museums such as the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Singapore Art Museum were successful in organizing various art education activities for different types of visitors. Compared to the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Shanghai Art Museum, in which art education activities tended to be exhibition-related programs, museum activities in the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Singapore Art Museum were more related to school curriculum and comprehensive in nature. Indeed, how to provide a continuation of school art education and give people of all ages with a place for study and appreciation of art is a mission of most public art museums. Although many newly established art museums in these three Asian cities are still unable to achieve this ideal, this is a firmly held view in the museum circle.