One of the key reasons I had in applying to KCJS was its CIP component, particularly since I hoped to gain some experience volunteering and offering whatever skills I had to a museum. The path to obtaining this museum volunteer opportunity took some turns however; I was told that it was rather difficult to get a volunteer placement with a museum but remained reluctant to give up on this, and Professor Henry Smith, the former director of KCJS suggested that I could contact an acquaintance of his at the Kyoto Institute of Technology Museum and Archives, Namiki Sensei (the director of the museum), who offered me the opportunity to volunteer at the museum.
Every Monday, I would catch the train after lunch to Matsugasaki for a three-hour volunteer session. I worked mainly with two colleagues who arranged various tasks for me. These tasks were largely administrative; I might sort out and scan posters one day, catalogue and translate Chinese posters the other, and place letters of notification into letters for mailing on another day. One might think that such administrative tasks would not have “really” shown me what working in a museum is like, but I think that that might have been the point – the backbone of museum work often consists of simple but tedious administrative work.
These administrative tasks also provided a lens through which I could view the relationships that the museum had with their clients, and the work culture of the museum in general. Two particular incidents come to mind. The first was when I was sorting the letters notifying the museum’s patrons that there was a new exhibition on architectural models coming up when I noticed that they had been personalised, with the addressees’ names handwritten and a short line or two explaining the relevance of the museum to their organisations or interests. This was presumably done to encourage greater visitor turnout, although I think that it also highlights the care that the museum took in thinking about how to personalise these invitations. While I do not agree with essentialist descriptions of a “Japanese” work culture, I found this to be a unique aspect that I had not seen before at the other places that I had interned at in Singapore. It is unclear if this was a thing unique to museums in Japan or if it is a hallmark of museums in general but I think that it is reflective of the regard that this particular museum holds for its relationship with its clients.
The other incident was when there was a mistake with the phone number printed on one of the posters for an upcoming exhibition, necessitating the manual blanking out of the misinformation using correction tape. Although I had been assigned the task, my two colleagues worked with me, and other colleagues came over from time to time to help out. Contrary to the stiff rigidity I had been expecting, the work culture at the museum was wonderfully relaxed, with my colleagues being quite at ease with Namiki Sensei (I once jumped up to greet him when he walked into the room to speak to us but my colleagues remain seated and they began to chat casually). My colleagues took care to remind me to go for a break at 2:30 pm every session, and would offer me delicious snacks from the staff pantry. They were also keen to speak to me on a variety of topics, and always patient whenever I had any queries.
In terms of advice, I would say that, however cliché, one’s attitude in the course of a CIP activity that involves volunteering is key. To make that statement less ambiguous, I think that there are two key components to this attitude. The first is having an open mindset, and the other is being aware that it is less of what the opportunity can do for you and what you can offer it. Although I am a history major, I had never had prior experience with art history and had never thought I would work in an art museum. I admitted as much to Namiki Sensei while expressing interest in learning more about art history, and he took this into account, reassuring me that there was work I could do even with my lack of experience, such as translation. As such, I stumbled into this volunteer opportunity not knowing what was in store, but emerged from it with a new interest in looking at posters and thinking about their historical significance.
I also walk away with an added appreciation for the culture of omiyage. Bringing omiyage back from one’s travels is a very effective way of creating a conversation topic, and on a practical level, also helps feed hungry colleagues on their breaks!
I’m glad to hear that you were able to find a position at a museum like you had hoped! It really is amazing how many connections and opportunities it is possible to uncover within KCJS. I also totally relate to your experience with afternoon snacks; my CIP with the sudare artisans goes exactly the same way.
I know that a lot of people who do volunteer CIPs have problems initially becoming a member of the organization’s “in-group,” so I was wondering if you had any experience with that. If so, how did you approach the problem?
Hi Nicolle, thank you for your comments and question! I don’t think I really had many problems being part of an “in-group”, at least with the people I worked directly with, because I hung out mainly with two colleagues, and one of them was very kind and always actively trying to engage me in casual conversation while I was doing my work. They were also very comfortable with being themselves in front of me i.e they would tease each other as well as pretend to ‘scold’ the other when small mistakes occurred. I think the divide between in and out-groups might also have been less pronounced due to the workplace culture – my colleagues were very relaxed with their superior who also spoke to them as fellow colleagues instead of subordinates from what I observed.
Hi Regina! Glad to see that you’ve experienced such unique working relationship and learned the importance of backbone work. I’ve volunteered in a Chinese museum back in high school, but what we did was very different. Every weekend we had to walk around the whole museum, memorizing all the historical facts in English and practicing how to introduce them to foreign visitors, which I got bored of after a few weeks, and there was little chance to work with other colleagues. Therefore, I’m really happy that you had such enjoyable experience in a museum here. I wonder if you’ve thought about working in a Japanese institution like this in the future?
Hello Hibiki, thank you for your question and comments! Yes, it was definitely interesting to look at the amount of administrative work that goes into the day-to-day operations of a museum. I definitely would not mind working in an institution like a museum, or anywhere to do with public education in Japan for a couple of years but not for longer than that since I think I would miss my family and friends if I were away for too long. I think that collaborations with Singapore and Japanese museums would also be a thing that I would be interested in in the future, given the close connections that both countries have with each other historically, particularly during the Second World War and after Singapore’s independence.
Hi Regina,
It’s great that you were able to find a museum volunteer position despite the difficulty. I also understand that when it comes to administrative and volunteer work, often times it’s ones attitude that shapes the experience. Were there any specific tangents you found between history and art history curative administration and/or poster making? Also what are some differences you found between museum work in Singapore versus Japan? It’s amazing to see the different times of roles that are behind the scenes when working at a museum. Sounds like you had a very worthwhile experience~
– April
Hi April, thank you for your questions and comments! Unfortunately, I haven’t worked in a museum in Singapore prior to this, nor was I directly involved with the curation of the exhibitions during my time so I am unable to answer most of your questions. From what I have seen, however, I think both history and art history curative administration share similarities most notably in the need for a narrative. Every exhibition has a central theme, whether it be the works of a certain artist, or shows a certain event (i.e Japonism), and posters and works are selected based on that theme. It’s then up to the visitors to make what they will. The museum-going culture in Japan has some differences from Singapore; according to my colleague, a lot of Japanese are keen to learn from museum exhibitions and will happily bring their families along to museums on excursions. The museum-going culture is growing in Singapore in recent years, but is definitely not as prominent as in Japan.
It sounds like you had an excellent time at your CIP. You said that the atmosphere was very relaxed, did you have to use keigo while in the office? You also said you came to the KCJS with the desire to get a museum position, If my ask why is that? I for one was still undecided and was curious as to what inspired to make your decision? And finally this may be a funny question, do you think you will continue to follow the rules of omiyage when you return home? I have also come to enjoy the culture of omiyage and I feel I would naturally do it back home so I wonder if that is the same for you.
Hi Nic, thank you for your questions and comments! I spoke keigo to Namiki Sensei when we first met, and when I made requests such as changing my CIP date, but other than that, I used the です・ます forms more often. I was advised to not overdose on keigo and become a “keigo fool”, so I used it mainly in writing emails, and only on occasions that necessitated them e.g making requests. Ah, I hoped for a museum position due to my career goals; I am still deciding between being an academic at a university or being an academic at a museum i.e curator. I have been fortunate enough to benefit from research assistant positions so I was curious to know what work at a museum entailed before making a decision. No, the question about omiyage is a good one. I have always had the practice of buying small gifts for people (when the wallet allows) when I travel so I do think I would continue to do so. I quite like what Marcel Mauss has to say about the act of gift-giving as one less motivated by the capitalist mode of purchasing and selling, than as something aimed at sustaining relationships and I think it still remains true today.