Christine Van Der Ven

People love visiting museums and art galleries to understand different cultures and history when they travel. We are all enriched by knowledge, exposure and a newfound understanding of what made people who they are, and how it all came to be. 

Well, I thrive on the other side – I find it really exciting to tell the stories, share my knowledge and spread appreciation of our heritage.  Hence, when I saw an open call for docent training in the National Museum of Singapore, I applied for it. The training was intense but interesting, as I had to absorb so much information over 3 months and I wondered how to share all of that in the best possible way. Eventually, I learned that it was all about prioritising and reading the audience’s responses.

Quite naturally, I had butterflies in my stomach the first time I led a tour. After all, it is rather daunting to have a group of people listening to every word I said, and the truth is, there’s a lot resting on it. But at the same time, I’ve always kept this mantra in my mind – “Knowledge is good. Knowledge is to be shared” and this is even more so if it safeguards the heritage of our people. It is the reason why I’ve been doing this for 21 years!

And even after two decades, I’m proud to say that I still love doing it. I’ve never felt the need to stop, and I’m constantly inspired by my fellow docents who put in so much time and effort. Most of my close friends and family know that I enjoy volunteering as a docent, but for other people, their first reaction would usually be, “You mean you do all that for free?”

While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is certainly great for people like me who love art, history, culture, and most importantly, interacting with new faces. I don’t think I’d be the person I am now if I haven’t done this, and I wouldn’t have gained all this knowledge and precious friendships with my fellow docents. At the end of the day, I get to do what I love: to share the stories of our precious museum exhibits. That’s all it matters.