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Museum Innovations | Keelan Cashmore

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Imagine a world where, instead of going to a museum, the museum came to you.

Does this seem far-fetched? Perhaps. But it’s an idea that appears to be making a splash not only in Canada, but around the world.

Van cartoon. Source.

The mobile museum is “a museum’s educational outreach program that brings the museum to the people rather than vice versa. Typically, they can be in recreational vehicles, or trucks/trailers that drive to schools, libraries, and rural events.” (Source)

A primary example of mobile museums in Canada is the BC Artifacts Museum. This museum’s collection contains First Nations, Pioneer, Fur Trade, and Gold Rush artifacts, with presentations primarily in British Columbia. These presentations can be tailored to anyone, from students, to the elderly, to those with special needs, and allows the audience to not only view, but also touch some of the artifacts. (Source)

Logo for the BC Artifacts Museum. Source.

A similar museum, TAME Trailblazer, is available in Texas. The Tame (Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering) Trailblazer is a STEM museum on wheels. This museum’s primary focus is students in grades 3-8. The museum is housed in a 40-foot trailer and brings interactive exhibits students. These exhibits have an emphasis on STEM topics, such as energy, space, biotech, and weather, and provides students with a support network, consisting of after school TAME clubs, STEM competitions, and even college scholarships. (Source) 

TAME Trailblazer logo. Source.

However, North America is not the only continent home to mobile museums. In Australia, Shark in a Bus has become a popular attraction. This heritage marine museum is located on wheels in a 157 Leyland Bus and is meant to represent Australia as a whole. The main attraction is a 5-metre long Great White Shark called Frankie, but the museum also exhibits whaling artifacts, fossils, and more. (Source) 

Shark in a Bus photo collage. Source.

The appearance of these mobile museums speaks strongly to accessibility within various institutions. Having museums on wheels could be a huge benefit to those who do not have access to museums otherwise. They are also highly beneficial for teachers, as with the BC Artifacts Museum and the TAME Trailblazer, the exhibits can be brought to the schools directly. In cases like Shark in a Bus, with its consistent travelling, it allows anyone the chance to see the exhibits, despite proximity to a specific city. It also allows people to cut back on travel costs if they want to see one specific exhibit.

This poses an interesting question; could large institutions become a mobile museum?

Yes and no. 

Source for all three images.

 

Some museums, like the Smithsonian, have over 150 million specimens and artifacts throughout their displays and collections (source). It would be impossible to fit this many objects, artifacts, and specimens into the trailers or trucks typically utilized by the mobile museums. However, the adoption of this concept could help larger museums reach a broader audience, and potentially get more visitors through the institution itself. Therefore, the museum would not become completely mobile, but could utilize the idea of mobility to help reach more patrons than before.

Overall, I think the mobile museums are a fantastic new way to promote educational programming and small exhibits to students and the public. If their success is continued, I think it will only be a matter of time until we see institutions big and small offering this service and helping to make museums around the globe more accessible!