Co.Exist | ideas + impact: The American Museum of Natural History has always been one of the most popular destinations in New York City. With about 5 million visitors a year, an increase from 3 million in the 1990s, it—along with the nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art—is among the top 10 most-visited museums in the world. According to its president, Ellen Futter, the museum (AMNH) is only behind Disney World and Disneyland as the top destination for families in the country.
5 comments:
As a New Yorker, I went to museums all the time as a child, and teen. I absolutely adore going to museums because of the sheer quantity of new things to see every visit. I never realized how much I would miss going to museums all the time until I came to school and never go anymore. I think that museums, albeit a bit stuffy, are extremely fun to go to and learn about. I never get to go anymore because I feel that museum trips should be an all-day event, and I never have an entire day to spare just to learn about the past.
With technology now being incorporated into museums, I feel a large disconnect. Instead of looking directly at the history in front of them, people look at their screens instead. I admit, I am not a fan of technology, but I really do feel that there is a large hindrances by adding iPads and iTouchs to exhibits. If someone wants to know information about a piece, there’s a little plaque on the wall which was meant for reading. I don’t really understand the appeal of having it on a handheld device and the wall…
I think it’s always great to see museums think of new ways to get more people to come, especially when they add things to help their visitors understand the museum more, like how they are making apps to give you more information about whatever exhibit you are looking at. I often find myself wanting to see more of the same art from an artist at a museum, or to learn more about a kind of dinosaur that I found. There is so much information in museums that the possibilities are endless for outside information. A museum can only show so much of their inventory to the general public- the rest is just stored for research later on. It would be tedious for a museum-goer to see the entirety of a collection of display, that is, unless the person really found it interesting. While one person might love to see, say, the same type of bird hundreds of times, someone else might be fine just seeing one or two. Instead that person would want to see hundreds of the same kind of pottery from a certain era. With these new kinds of apps, every museum goer can tailor their experience to what really excites them and see even more of what they like.
I think its great that museums like the American Museum of Natural History are working on expanding their connection to visitors. Growing up as a little kid in New York City the Natural History Museum was probably my favorite destination in the entire city. I’d go there any time I could to see the dioramas, dinosaur bones, etc. it was always an adventure there. Opening up the museum up further using web based mobile apps sounds like a great leap forward. Such apps would not only provide visitors with resources, but also do tremendous things like allow visitors to see artifacts that are only in storage. Through the versatility of an app museums could not just provide resources but pathways of choice so visitors can get more of what they want out of their trip, whether it is interactivity and games to connect, further information to help research, or logistical resources like maps to help them along the way. In our current world the average person has their smart phone glued to them at all times so it only makes sense to utilize this device as a channel for the museum to connect through.
The first time i went to new york was with my dad and he wanted so show me the city he worked in after he left home. Being a young kid I was amazed by new york in general but the first thing my dad brought me to was the museum of natural history.We spent the entire day in the museum and when we left i knew i didn't see everything. I loved seeing the dioramas and the artifacts from all over the world but think if they want to incorporate technology into museums they have to do it the right way to find balance. I think adding a touch screen to an exhibit doesn't add anything for me...if they incorporated a interactive element that gave people information in a fun way then i think it would be suitable to add. I do love however that they are putting as much as they can online for everyone to see. Sometimes I am at home in Texas and don't have a museum like this open to me and I want to learn about something there. if its online then maybe people around the world will go after more knowledge.
Personally, I feel like this new addition of technology into museums, especially one that already has such a high following as is, will just serve to create a disconnect from the person viewing the pieces in the museum and the history behind the pieces themselves. I have never really enjoyed museums that discus history and gave moaned and groaned my way through the American Museum of Natural History more times than I can count because I prefer more artistic venues like the MOMA compared to the dinosaur and caveman exhibits –although Night at the Museum was quite the hit. I can understand the museums idea to bring in a larger audience of all ages, especially this new generation that grew up solely around electronics and don’t want to read a sign on the wall describing what the installation is all about. However that is where I would see the beauty in history, you read and you discover.
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