The National University of Singapore Museum regularly hosts interns to work in the daily life of the museum, organising symposiums, conducting research and helping to install museum exhibits. The NUS Museum blog posts three experiences from recent interns about the work they do and their reflections.

Andrew Lee, a student from LASALLE College of the Arts writes about his experience at the conservation studio:

Stretching canvas, cleaning artwork, repairing surfaces, these are just some of the things I have learned from my attachment with The Conversation Studio at the NUS Museum. As an arts management student, I often frequent museums for projects and have always seen exhibitions in perfect condition. However, I was unaware of the amount of labour that must be done before an exhibit can be set up. This attachment has allowed me to put my theory knowledge of conservational studies into a practical use and has made me realize the importance of conservation work.

Before a conservator can start cleaning an artwork, many considerations must be made before to prevent any misjudgements that might cause the artwork to be damaged and unable to be restored to its original condition. Conservators must see beyond the surface damage and stabilise the paintings before they are able to proceed with the repairing of the artwork. It is easy to take it for granted that paintings are in prime conditions. Hence it is vital to know that deterioration is happening at every moment and that many works could have been lost without the perseverance of the conservators. In addition, I have learnt much more about the different characteristics of various art materials such as their reaction time and their basic properties.

You can read more from Andrew here. For other intern accounts, check out this entry by Fiona Tan and Eddie Koh.