Friday, October 25, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Museum fun
I've been in unusual over time all summer and it is just now winding down to 50 hour work weeks instead of 75 hour work weeks. I should be back to my normal 40 in two weeks.
Things have gotten rather busy. I'm working on the Bison Beetle Project with DMNS digitizing their collection of 80,000 beetles. I'm currently digitizing a specimen tray of about 800 African beetles. The maxed out work weeks mentioned above are for the virtual travel agency that is my current bread and butter. Lots of people booking vacations. And then the government shut down happened. Lots of people cancelling their vacations.
On to the topic of museum fun. There was an article on cnn.com in August about why the writer hates museums. (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/22/travel/opinion-why-i-hate-museums/index.html)
The writer calls museums "Graveyards for stuff. Tombs for inanimate things." First he is told not to eat in the galleries when he tries to unwrap a biscuit. Well, naturally. These objects are often one of a kind and priceless. A bug attracted to a crumb from your food will lead to destruction. Sorry man.
However, his biggest gripe is very valid:
http://jezebel.com/ask-a-slave-makes-depressingly-stupid-tourist-questio-1245431236
It is of actress Azie Mira Dungey who used to work as an interpreter at Mount Vernon. Granted, it is not officially affiliated with Mount Vernon, but it works. Not just to educate in an entertaining way about Colonial times, but how it parallels to modern times. This one specifically deals with racism.
Too much? Ok, let's look at twitter. Specifically, the twitter feed for Specimen FMNH PR2081 (aka Sue the T-Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago (https://twitter.com/SUEtheTrex). Whomever is behind this masterful and funny twitter handle tweets in first person as Sue about anything. At time of writing this blog, "Sue" was going on about the Stanley Cup. The beautiful thing about this is that it sounds satirically real. Most of the time, "Sue" tweets about science. However, she has been known to crash a few twitter conversations from time to time. It is a simple and cheap way to engage potential patrons, young and old..... Especially if the Bears are doing well in the NFL or if the Cubs are doing well in baseball.
The rebuttal to the cnn article can be found here (http://acculturated.com/2013/09/03/should-museums-be-more-entertaining/?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer740f3&utm_medium=twitter). No one is saying that a museum should be a whiz-bang special effect, over the top circus with Ben Stiller as the monkey fighting, miniature Spartan and cowboy wrangling security guard.
Just.... tell me a story.
Things have gotten rather busy. I'm working on the Bison Beetle Project with DMNS digitizing their collection of 80,000 beetles. I'm currently digitizing a specimen tray of about 800 African beetles. The maxed out work weeks mentioned above are for the virtual travel agency that is my current bread and butter. Lots of people booking vacations. And then the government shut down happened. Lots of people cancelling their vacations.
On to the topic of museum fun. There was an article on cnn.com in August about why the writer hates museums. (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/22/travel/opinion-why-i-hate-museums/index.html)
The writer calls museums "Graveyards for stuff. Tombs for inanimate things." First he is told not to eat in the galleries when he tries to unwrap a biscuit. Well, naturally. These objects are often one of a kind and priceless. A bug attracted to a crumb from your food will lead to destruction. Sorry man.
However, his biggest gripe is very valid:
"(Museums) provide an umbilical link between our planet and our history to the future. But inside these crypts of curatorship, the connection to humankind falls short."
What he is complaining about is the lack of information and inability for objects to capture his attention. Take, for example, a vase in a case. The sign reads, "Venice, 1764, clay." and then a catalog number. And? What is remarkable about the vase? What was it used for? Were there artisan markings on the bottom? Where in Venice was it found?
In other words: tell me a story.
Seriously! Tell me a story.
He hits on something that most exhibit designers know. Kids sell. Meaning, make it a kid-friendly, hands on, ooh-ahh exhibit and the "nag factor" will line your pocketbook. Adults are just big kids with no one catering to them.
Two examples can be found in the same museum. At DMNS, in the Native American section, there is a case allllll the way in the back that is filled with kachina dolls. Outside of the explanation given for the one looking like Mickey Mouse, there is no further information as to what the eagle represents or Corn Woman. Just "Item, date, catalog number". Tell me a story. Yet, in the Colorado section, there are a series of paintings showing the evolution of the Rocky Mountains from oceanfront property at the time of the dinosaurs to today with full explanations of how and when it happened plus overlaying maps showing how deep on the ocean floor Denver once was. You just told me a story. Fascinating!
Does this have to stay within the guarded walls of a museum? No! Check out the video on this link:
It is of actress Azie Mira Dungey who used to work as an interpreter at Mount Vernon. Granted, it is not officially affiliated with Mount Vernon, but it works. Not just to educate in an entertaining way about Colonial times, but how it parallels to modern times. This one specifically deals with racism.
Too much? Ok, let's look at twitter. Specifically, the twitter feed for Specimen FMNH PR2081 (aka Sue the T-Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago (https://twitter.com/SUEtheTrex). Whomever is behind this masterful and funny twitter handle tweets in first person as Sue about anything. At time of writing this blog, "Sue" was going on about the Stanley Cup. The beautiful thing about this is that it sounds satirically real. Most of the time, "Sue" tweets about science. However, she has been known to crash a few twitter conversations from time to time. It is a simple and cheap way to engage potential patrons, young and old..... Especially if the Bears are doing well in the NFL or if the Cubs are doing well in baseball.
The rebuttal to the cnn article can be found here (http://acculturated.com/2013/09/03/should-museums-be-more-entertaining/?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer740f3&utm_medium=twitter). No one is saying that a museum should be a whiz-bang special effect, over the top circus with Ben Stiller as the monkey fighting, miniature Spartan and cowboy wrangling security guard.
Just.... tell me a story.
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