Technology draws people to museums
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AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 09, 2009 00:00
MILWAUKEE -Art museums throughout the United States are trying to connect in different ways to a population used to getting information at the touch of a button. 'The goal is not to have technology replace the real experience of the art, but to become an important point of access,' says one official
Visitors to the Milwaukee Art Museum can hear about American furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries and listen to music from those eras on a new iPod Touch tour. At the Baltimore Museum of Art, people can use a touch-sensitive flat screen to take a virtual tour of the apartment and artwork of sisters Claribel and Etta Cone, who assembled a grand collection of pieces from Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.
As part of "The Black List Project" exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, two laptops with Web cams record videos of people talking about race to be broadcast on YouTube. These aren't the experiences your grandparents, or even your parents, had at museums. Art museums nationwide are trying to connect in different ways to a population spending more time on Wiis and getting information from the touch of a button on smart phones.
"The goal here is not to have technology replace the real experience of the art in the museum, but for technology to become an important point of access," said Milwaukee Art Museum Director Dan Keegan. "Technology becomes a critical educational tool, a social connecting link for people who are like minded." The museum is one of a growing number gravitating toward the use of MP3 players and iPods for tours and incorporating other technology, said Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums.
Keegan said the museum has received positive comments since it started the iPod pilot program in October. It has five iPods featuring music and opera singer Christian Elser talking about the pieces. Keegan wants to get at least 200 iPods and add better wiring for cell-phone and Wi-Fi reception so visitors can access tours and information through their mobile phones. The goal is to have at least one sound bite for every piece on display. "We won't think of hanging a work of art without a label and at least the audio clip," he said.
Although interested sponsors are holding off because of the economic downturn, he was optimistic the museum will eventually get the funding.
Museum officials also want to install a photo booth where people can choose among painter styles for their portrait, Keegan said. He also eventually wants to use GPS technology to help guide people through the museum. Maxwell L. Anderson, director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and past president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, said most of the association's 190 members concentrate on e-mail newsletters, Web sites and establishing a presence on social-networking sites.
He said few are focusing on iPod and cell-phone guides and other technological gadgets and even fewer will start soon because of the economy.
The devices don't necessarily keep people coming in the door, he added.
"Whether it's a cell phone or an iPod or any other gizmo, the premise is what content is being delivered and how engaging that is and how sticky that content is in the hearts and minds of potential visitors," Anderson said.
He said his museum has had cell-phone tours for two years, but only a small percentage of people use them.
Technology in museums
Other examples of art museums using technology:
Cell-phone users at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis can call a special phone number and key in a code to hear more information for about half of the institution’s pieces. It also has an interactive table system where people can drag works of art and human figures together to get more information about the artwork.
At the Brooklyn Museum, iPod Touches were mounted last fall on walls next to seven pieces in the "Burning Down the House: Building a Feminist Art Collection" exhibition. They featured video of artists speaking about the work. ĞThe Baltimore museum also uses 3D screens to show visitors a Matisse sculpture from different angles and in different lights.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has free Wi-Fi so people can access audio tours through their iPod Touches, iPhones or any MP3 players.
Many museums are revamping their Web sites to make them more interactive and using social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The new secretary of the Smithsonian Institution is digitizing more than 136 million objects in its 19 museums.
As part of "The Black List Project" exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, two laptops with Web cams record videos of people talking about race to be broadcast on YouTube. These aren't the experiences your grandparents, or even your parents, had at museums. Art museums nationwide are trying to connect in different ways to a population spending more time on Wiis and getting information from the touch of a button on smart phones.
"The goal here is not to have technology replace the real experience of the art in the museum, but for technology to become an important point of access," said Milwaukee Art Museum Director Dan Keegan. "Technology becomes a critical educational tool, a social connecting link for people who are like minded." The museum is one of a growing number gravitating toward the use of MP3 players and iPods for tours and incorporating other technology, said Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums.
Keegan said the museum has received positive comments since it started the iPod pilot program in October. It has five iPods featuring music and opera singer Christian Elser talking about the pieces. Keegan wants to get at least 200 iPods and add better wiring for cell-phone and Wi-Fi reception so visitors can access tours and information through their mobile phones. The goal is to have at least one sound bite for every piece on display. "We won't think of hanging a work of art without a label and at least the audio clip," he said.
Although interested sponsors are holding off because of the economic downturn, he was optimistic the museum will eventually get the funding.
Museum officials also want to install a photo booth where people can choose among painter styles for their portrait, Keegan said. He also eventually wants to use GPS technology to help guide people through the museum. Maxwell L. Anderson, director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and past president of the Association of Art Museum Directors, said most of the association's 190 members concentrate on e-mail newsletters, Web sites and establishing a presence on social-networking sites.
He said few are focusing on iPod and cell-phone guides and other technological gadgets and even fewer will start soon because of the economy.
The devices don't necessarily keep people coming in the door, he added.
"Whether it's a cell phone or an iPod or any other gizmo, the premise is what content is being delivered and how engaging that is and how sticky that content is in the hearts and minds of potential visitors," Anderson said.
He said his museum has had cell-phone tours for two years, but only a small percentage of people use them.
Technology in museums
Other examples of art museums using technology:
Cell-phone users at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis can call a special phone number and key in a code to hear more information for about half of the institution’s pieces. It also has an interactive table system where people can drag works of art and human figures together to get more information about the artwork.
At the Brooklyn Museum, iPod Touches were mounted last fall on walls next to seven pieces in the "Burning Down the House: Building a Feminist Art Collection" exhibition. They featured video of artists speaking about the work. ĞThe Baltimore museum also uses 3D screens to show visitors a Matisse sculpture from different angles and in different lights.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has free Wi-Fi so people can access audio tours through their iPod Touches, iPhones or any MP3 players.
Many museums are revamping their Web sites to make them more interactive and using social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The new secretary of the Smithsonian Institution is digitizing more than 136 million objects in its 19 museums.