MUSEUMS & MEMES - 1

This post is inspired by a recent conversation on a #DrinkingAboutMuseums chat, during which one of the participants shared their guilt of not producing a virtual tour for their institution. The group had been discussing an article posted by Museum Hack that noted a sharp increase and subsequent decrease of Google searches for ‘virtual museum tours’. Although, the article was met with skepticism (see for example Chris Unitt’s critique) it sparked a valuable discussion about productivity and expectations (individually and as a sector), as well as audience needs. This then led to two questions that are worth re-visiting: what is a virtual tour? what do audiences want/need from cultural institutions at this moment?

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Museums & Memes is brought to you by Catalina Delgado and Maria Paula Arias, PhD students at the Institute for Cultural Practices. They share an interest in using visual media to understand museological research and practice. They’re also two Colombians at large in Manchester.

Twitter: @ariasmariap Instagram: @damadelacultura @gentedemuseos

Profile image: Adolfo Samper Bernal Retrato de María Teresa de Samper y su cuñada (Portrait of María Teresa de Samper and her Sister-in-Law), 1940. Museo Nacional de Colombia.