Culture 101

Mr Chen Poh Seng

Mr Chen is the Chairman of the Publication sub-committee and also one of the Directors of the Ying Fo Fui Kun. He also holds other posts: the Secretary, Foo Tet Soo Khek Temple, the Singapore Society of Asian Studies and the Rotary Club of Garden City. Mr Chen was a graduate of Nanyang University, (Department of Geography) and taught at Foon Yew High School, Johore Bahru. He later worked in Australian Publisher and was a manager of the first Japanese book store in Singapore.

Miss Jesley Chua

Miss Chua is an Oral History Specialist with the Oral History Centre at the National Archives of Singapore. She conducts oral history interviews and oversees the oral history programmes in the centre. Some of the projects she has been involved include documenting Singapore's oral traditions, Regional Entrepreneurs, Communities of Singapore, Development of Education in Singapore, Development of Education in Singapore, Prisoners of War and Vanishing Trades.

Dr Kenson Kwok

Dr Kwok is the Director of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM). He is the founding director of ACM, one of the national museums of Singapore. An architect and environmental psychologist by training, he joined the museum service in 1992 and has overseen the expansion of ACM's collection with new collection areas as well as the conversion of two heritage buildings into the ACM's premises, in 1997 and 2003. An active fund-raiser for the museum, Dr Kwok received the Public Administration medal (Silver) in 2004, and two awards from the French government - Knight of Arts and Letters in 2004, and Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2006.

Assistant Professor Jane Leong

AP Jane Leong is a lecturer at the National Institute of Education of the Nanyang Technological University. Her teaching specialities are in the areas of art history and art museum education. Her current research focuses on art educational practices in museums and galleries. She has presented research projects at conferences both overseas and locally. AP Leong is the editor of Young Contemporary Artists in Singapore and has published articles and wrote book chapters on the subject of art appreciation and museum education.

Mr. Leong Sow Fee

Mr Leong is one of the Directors of the Ying Fo Fui Kun, a clan association for 5 Hakka ethnic groups namely Meixian, Jiaoling, Pingyuan, Wuhua, Xingning. He is also the auditor for Ying Fo Fui Kun. Presently, he is active in the Chinese choir circle. He is the Honorary Secretary to the Choral Association Singapore and is also an instructor for Hakka Mountain Songs. Mr Leong held the position as the deputy manager for Property Department before he retired from the Bank of China, Singapore.

Miss Low Jyue Tyan

Miss Low is the Assistant Registrar of the Heritage Conservation Centre. Her work involves caring for the nation's collections. This she does by working with a team of collections specialists to develop and implement collections management practices. This includes reviewing operations to ensure that the collections of our National Museums are maintained and taken care of, according to policies, professional standards and legal obligations.

Mr Low Sze Wee

Mr Low is the Assistant Director of Collections and Exhibitions of the Singapore Art Museum. Trained as a lawyer, Mr Low graduated with a Masters degree in History of Art from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1999. He joined the Singapore Art Museum in 2001 and is responsible for helping to develop the museum's Thai art collection. Since 2001, he has curated a number of exhibitions including 20th Century Chinese Paintings in Singapore Collections (2003), the Singapore Exhibition at the 50th Venice Biennale 2003, Embracing Infinity: Works by Tan Swie Hian (2004) and Convergences - Chen Wen Hsi Centennial Exhibition (2006).

Dr Barry P Pereira

Dr Pereira is the Honorary Secretary of the Eurasian Association. He is said to be the expert on Eurasian heritage in Singapore. His interest in genealogy goes back more than 20 years. Today, Dr Pereira has one of the largest databases of family trees with links to the Eurasian Community in Singapore.

Ms Priya Maholay Jaradi

Ms Priya Maholay Jaradi is the Assistant Curator (South Asia) at the Asian Civilisations Museum. She graduated with a Masters degree in History of Art and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 2001. Ms Priya curated several exhibitions in India, including Portrait of a Community – a blockbuster held at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai showcasing photographs and paintings of the Parsis. She authored a coffee table publication which was launched alongside the exhibition. Ms Priya has contributed to several publications, including Art India, Business India, Tata Review, The Hindu, Singapore Hindu.

Ms Tan Huism

Ms Tan is the Deputy Director (Curatorial & Programmes) of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM). She has been working with the Asian Civilisations Museum since its inception in 1993. She currently holds the post of senior curator looking after the West Asia/ Islamic collection and also looks after both the curatorial and education units at ACM. Ms Tan was instrumental in developing and building up the entirely new collection area of West Asia/ Islamic materials for the museum. Recent major exhibitions curated include From the Land of the Ottoman Sultans: Treasures from Turkey (2004), Journey of Faith: Art and History from the Vatican Collections' (2005).

Dr Uma Rajan

Dr Uma Rajan is currently the Executive Director of Man Fut Tong Nursing Home, having previously served as Director, School Health Service and Elderly care in the Ministry of Health. She is also the Chairman of the Indian Activities Executive Committee of the Siglap South Community Centre. In the area of Indian arts and culture, Dr Rajan is a graduate in Indian Classical dance and had been a lead dancer in many Indian Dance performances and won many awards. She is also an accomplished singer and won awards and been a judge in various music and dance competitions. Dr Rajan has been very active in the local arts, cultural, educational and community sectors. She continues to sit on various national boards and various educational, social and cultural committees.