Chulalongkorn University Museum: Exhibitions and Activities for Developing National Collaboration Networks

Chulalongkorn University Museum:

Chulalongkorn University Museum has a vision to be a learning resource that disseminates, through up-to-date media platforms, information on Chulalongkorn University, as well as its art and cultural works related to any field of study, making its work visible and recognized in the national and international levels.

The spacious museum, with a 49,500 square-feet use area in its dedicated building with a capability to accept a large volume of visitors, serves as the main museum among all 23 museums of the university, and offers activities for the public all year long. It also works diligently to build new and strengthen existing networks with other museums and art galleries inside and outside the university, and also in the international level.

The Museum’s Intra-University Collaborative Projects:

Intra-university collaborative projects had their genesis in 2020 with a merging of the disciplines of art and science by presenting body of knowledge in the science in an artistic way. Chulalongkorn University Museum, in collaboration with Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Centre of Learning Networks for the Region, and Chulalongkorn University Museum of Natural History, presented an exhibition “Clearing and Staining”, in which an extensive number of plants and those once were living creatures, that have gone through processes of clearing and staining, were on display. The exhibition was very well received by over 2,000 visitors.

Stemming from this 2020 collaboration, toward the end of 2020 going into 2021, an exhibition “Skeleton’s Secrets” was presented. The items in the exhibition were animal bones and skeletons that have been assembled as part of a biology class, through which the secrets of their lives were revealed. The skeletons were aesthetically presented with careful consideration and design of lighting, composition, media used, and other artistic elements.

With visitors’ best experience in mind, activities were offered to engage the visitors. Scientific information was made accessible and easy to understand. The exhibition was of well-attended by general public, families, homeschoolers and parents, and K-12 schools in the country including schools from other provinces, such as Suanboonyopathum Lamphun School from Lamphun, seven hours drive from Bangkok. The visitors count reads over 1,500.

As Covid-19 situation remaining a threat, Chulalongkorn University Museum was not able to always maintain its regular hours during the Skeleton’s Secret Exhibition period. The museum, therefore, offered Online Virtual Exhibition to always keep the channel of communication open and alive with the visitors and interested individuals. There are also online games to challenge the visitors’ scientific knowledge. The virtual exhibition provides a different experience but also fun and engaging to online visitors regardless of their location and time. It also significantly help the museum reach out to the public, which is a turn of a crisis into an opportunity.

Online Virtual Exhibition narrated by Asst. Prof. Dr. Wichase Khonsue, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn and students from the department: https://www.cuartculture.chula.ac.th/virtual/Skeleton/Exhibition

The museum also offers an online exhibition bulletin in a form of E-book for the public to download free of charge:

Online exhibition bulletin: https://www.cuartculture.chula.ac.th/news/5514/

The Collaboration Outside the University:

Skeleton’s Secrets participated in a large-scale event “Night at the Museum 2020” December 18-20, 2020, along with other 11 networking museums in the heart of Bangkok to boost the interest in the exhibition and drive the Thai society toward a learning society. The event was organized by Museum Thailand, which is a network of all museums in the country. The twelve participating museums are Museum Siam, The National Discovery Museum Institute, The Golden Jubilee Museum of Agriculture Office, Sai Suddha Nobhadol Building Museum, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, BOT Learning Center, Arts Gallery at Ban Chao Phraya, The National Memorial, King Prajadhipok Museum, Banglamphu Museum, The Coin Museum, The Queen’s Gallery, and Chulalongkorn University Museum of Natural History. The participation contributed considerably to strengthening the relationship with Chulalongkorn University Museum networks.

During Night at the Museum 2020 event, the nighttime visitors visited all exhibitions on four floors at Chulalongkorn University Museum, including the rotating exhibition “Skeleton’s Secrets”. Music of the same theme has been employed outdoor for a complete aesthetic experience for visitors. Two ensembles playing in the event were Thai Traditional Ensemble, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, and a Western chamber ensemble “CU Chamber Ensemble”.

The initiative Night at the Museum not only promoted cultural tourism, but also opened the door to informal education as part of lifelong learning for the public in an accessible form.

Chulalongkorn University Museum houses permanent exhibitions of university history and body of knowledge in various disciplines with modern-day technology and modes of presentation. Rotating exhibitions are also shown all year-round. Other spaces in the building can be used for students and faculty members to support their learnings. The exhibitions are open to all without admission fee.