SINGAPORE — A new director will helm the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) come September. Announcing this in a press release on Monday (July 25), the National Heritage Board (NHB) said it would be appointing Kennie Ting as the museum’s director with effect from Sept 1. He will be taking over from Dr Alan Chong, who will be relocating from Singapore.

“I am excited and humbled to be taking up the helm at the Asian Civilisations Museum. This is a wonderful opportunity and a great privilege,” said Ting, 38.

“I have to acknowledge Alan, the ACM Board and the ACM team, who have been instrumental in taking the ACM to where it is today — simply a great museum with a strong collection, beautiful architecture and dedicated team of professionals.”

Ting started at the former Ministry of Information, Communication and Arts (MICA) where he was part of a team drafting the Renaissance City Plan III — a blueprint for the arts and heritage sector which later spawned initiatives such as the Singapore Night Festival and the development of National Gallery Singapore.

After a short break pursuing further studies abroad, Ting joined NHB where he oversaw strategic planning, corporate development and museum operations. In 2015, he was appointed Group Director of Museums with direct oversight of NHB’s museums and major festivals. Ting has also penned two books, which were published last year — The Romance of the Grand Tour-100 Years of Travel in South East Asia, and the volume on Heritage in the Singapore Chronicles series commissioned by the Institute of Policy Studies.

NHB’s Chief Executive Officer Rosa Daniel said Ting’s appointment “underscores the confidence we have in our young home-grown leadership taking our cultural institutions forward”, adding that he has made his mark in diverse areas in the arts and heritage sector.

“Over the last one-and-a-half years, Kennie has been driving key aspects of ACM’s operations and its recent revamp. With his keen interest and research into Asian history, Kennie will continue to take ACM forward as a museum of international distinction which tells the story of Singapore’s rich cross-cultural Asian heritage.”

On Dr Chong, Daniel said he “has over the past six years led the ACM in strengthening its curatorial focus on cross-cultural exchanges between world cultures and Asian civilisations”.

He also oversaw ACM’s recent revamp which unveiled a new riverfront wing housing the Khoo Teck Puat Gallery featuring the famous Tang Shipwreck Collection, the museum’s first contemporary art space where visitors will be able to view works by artists in response to ACM’s historical collection, and the Scholar in Chinese Culture Gallery, which focuses on objects associated with revered Chinese scholars, the courts of emperors, and merchants who sought to emulate them.

The museum’s revamp, under his guidance, has been well-received, said Daniel, who added that he will continue in his role as an advisor for various ongoing projects.

Dr Chong, who joined NHB in July 2010 from the United States, is best known for developing the Terracotta Warriors exhibition, which remains one of the most highly-visited exhibition amongst NHB’s museums. He was also involved in the on-going Christianity in Asia, an unprecedented exhibition presenting artefacts from ACM’s collection alongside those of 20 other museums and collectors worldwide.

Loh Lik Peng, Chairman of ACM, thanked Alan for his contributions in pulling together the revamp of ACM and re-positioning it “as an inspiring museum of cross-cultural connectedness”.

“ACM is a top institution in this region, and I am confident Kennie will take it to the next level of excellence in the region and beyond,” he added.

Ting says his immediate priority is to further the museum’s mission of “exploring and presenting cross-cultural and hybrid forms of art, peoples and cultures that have emerged at the cross-roads of civilisations in Asia, whether it be in cosmopolitan port cities – such as Singapore – or otherwise”.

He added: “As a writer, I am also passionate about stories and story-telling, and I look forward to uncovering and telling our visitors new tales about ACM’s collection, about Singapore and Asia.”