Roles and Contributions of University Museums Management in AUA Institutions

PANEL 1

Profesor Dr. Tajul Shuhaizam Said

Director,

National Education Museum, Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), Malaysia.

The Role and Contribution of University Museums: Past, Present and Future

In the 21st century, society is still questioning the role and contribution of a museum, whether it is a state-owned museum or a museum owned by a university. The concept of establishing a museum at the university is a very wise initiative and has significance to the development of knowledge. My museum is like a garden of knowledge that is very relevant and evergreen across the line of time. Museums are the power that leads social issues to alter the way we see the future over time. Through the concept of Experiential learning, museums at the university have the power to reflect and shape society. The concept focuses on the learning process and how knowledge creates that
experience. Knowledge and a combination of understanding and transforming this experience are coherent with the Experiential Learning Model, David Kolb (1984). Experiential learning is a learning process, a process of change that uses experience as a learning medium. Experiential learning is learning that is done through reflection and the process of making meaning from direct experience. In addition, I will provide details regarding five facts about the Role and Contribution of University
Museums: Past, Present and Future, through aspects; Learning from the past, Uniting society, Standing firm in the face of adversity, Digitalization, innovation and interaction, educating future generations. By that, it is clear that The Role and Contribution of University Museums are the essence of the future for museums. Apart from this fact, the university museum brings history to life. It can also be among the paradise gardens of knowledge that illuminate our present and future-A collection of
fragrant flowers of wisdom that are hard to find elsewhere that will bear fruit of the nation's civilization and national dignity.

Panel 2

Dr. Bakr M. Barnawi

Assistant Professor in Museology, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

University Museums in Saudi Arabia, Their Role and Importance, King Saud University Museums, A Model

This research paper deals with the University museums in Saudi Arabia, as an active partner in presuming the country's heritage and raising its awareness in the Saudi community in general and in the King Saud University in particular. Because of the importance of these University museums and the lack of studies about them and about their role in the field of research and education, this paper aims to shed light on their philosophical bases on which they have been established. In addition, it discusses their
management, location, buildings, collections management and display methods. In conclusion, the paper looks at some of the bases on which these museums need to build their educational programs and activities for the general public and play an important role in the development of tourism within the 2030 Vision.

PANEL 3

Professor Dr. Du Pengfei

Executive Deputy Director,

Tsinghua University Art Museum, Tsinghua University, China.

Integration and Practice: University Museum as a Vivid Platform for Aesthetic Education

The university is a dynamic and continually evolving institution. The new curriculum outlook, students’ perspectives, teaching materials and evaluation system have formed a great impact on the traditional teaching concept of college education. Changes in educational values and society's demand for talent training have become important factors that promote the continuous deepening of college education teaching reforms. In China, ministries gradually encouraged museum to permeate college education. Under the guidance of various policies, university museums served as one of the important roles in college education, have access to knowledge through collections, on-site exhibitions and audience engaged services. As a university museum, Tsinghua University Art Museum (TAM) officially opened in the fall of 2016. TAM houses a collection of 24,000 objects dating from antiquity to the present day, including masterpieces of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, porcelains, and furniture, and many other historical, modern and contemporary artefacts. The vision of TAM is to foster an environment for advancing and supporting humanistic and aesthetic education, targeted the most important group of audience- students, staff, and professors.

In the past 5 years, TAM has welcomed over 2.3 million visitors, and present over 260 academic and educational activities. By harnessing the arts and humanities disciplines at Tsinghua University, TAM is also committed to strengthening the intersection and integration between the major disciplines at university including science and engineering.

This article addresses new roles and several cases for TAM and its academic and public educational program. In late 2018, TAM collaborated with Tokyo Fuji Art Museum to present a special exhibition 500 Years of Western Paintings —— Collections of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. The exhibition featured 60 paintings of Western art with time as the main narrative line and genre as the development form. As 2018 coincides with the 40th anniversary of Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China, the exhibition is a grand event to promote cultural exchanges between China and Japan. The exhibition ushered in more than 125,000 visitors during three months. Academic lectures, workshops, and many other educational activities were launched to interpret the exhibition and artworks to audience. The combination and integration of exhibitions and teaching is one of major functions of TAM. By collaborating with Art and Design Academy, four university professors moved the course of art history from the classroom to the museum gallery, which led the students to observe the original painting physically.

Adopting a more inclusive approach, TAM aims to provide innovative services to benefit its audience physically and in long-distance. Especially due to the crisis of the COVID19 outbreak, the digital engagement emerges as a new trend at TAM to overcome the closure. Series of digital activities have been developed to reach the audience in a safe and broad manner during this special period. Students can easily access TAM’s website and view most exhibitions through the Digital Exhibitions section.

Moderator

Professor Dr. Sithi Vinayakam a/l Muniandy

Investigator of Museum of Asian Art: A Model for Flipped Museum in Malaysia &

Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia.