Museums often ask themselves “who are my visitors, what are their needs, and how can we meet them?” These questions evolve, and with the challenges the world is facing today with COVID-19 museums are re-evaluating them all over again. Thousands of museums around the world are closed, and while they are struggling with the same challenges as other businesses and people, museums are rising to the challenge to remain a source of education, entertainment, and cultural importance.
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| Bradley Museum in Mississauga closed due to COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Michelle Wright. |
Verbs means they want something active and participatory, they want to learn, explore, make, etc. Museums are working hard to continue to meet those needs through digital platforms. Even though people are self-isolating, they are more connected than ever. We are relying on the digital world for news, connection, and entertainment. Many museums already have digital avenues put in place and are increasing these. Museums are producing new digital content multiple times a week, including new features to their websites like games and virtual tours, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more.
It is important to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. This is not the time to create something completely new. Many places are reduced in staff, working from home, or are unable to access various things that would be readily available to them in the museum. Ultimately people are now faced with new stressors. Museums have a wealth of resources and knowledge, past programs, and staff full of ideas. They need to start with what they have available to produce content quickly.
Many museums are working on new scheduling of releasing content. Seema Rao, Deputy Director & Chief Experience Off at the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio says that they are trying to follow a daily schedule based on visitors’ needs. They are releasing what she calls “deep content” which is thought-provoking in the mornings for people that are trying to get into the work mindset at home, “make-it” content in the afternoon for people that have been with their kids all day and need something for them, and lastly, Sunday is a games day.
Producing this much content means museums are doing a lot of sharing among themselves. The museum industry is more than an industry, it is a community. Over the past weeks many museums have been adopting a new hashtag for sharing content; #MuseumFromHome. One of the first to adopt this was the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC which launched a daily series of gallery-by-gallery tours on various social media platforms. Many museums have followed suit and are sharing internally and externally.
Are you ready? Starting today, we’ll take you on a tour, one gallery at a time. #MuseumFromHome— National Gallery of Art (@ngadc) March 15, 2020
Our tour begins on the Ground Floor of the West Building in gallery 39. Here’s a quick look at gallery 39 in under 15 seconds. pic.twitter.com/zX8bCyNnxo
We are living in unprecedented times and many people and companies are thinking heavily about the future and what might change. Many people and companies will struggle to make it through these times for many reasons, and of course one of the biggest things on peoples’ minds is the financial impact. Many museums rely on donations, ticket sales, and/or grants. Without people physically in them, museums will take a hit financially. However, with these struggles come new opportunities. Museums will always have a huge concern with people that do not come to visit, and this is now a chance to reach them. The longer self-isolation continues the more people will be online, sharing content, and looking for new things to do. Museums could be reaching more audiences than they ever thought, and this pandemic may change many things about the industry. Only time will tell exactly what.
Just remember everyone is struggling and we can help each other by being kind, careful, and staying connected.
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