I read this article for another class and think it applies well here also. The Philadelphia Orchestra has been tracking declining record sales since the internet grew in popularity within the last decade. Because of online sources for music, fewer and fewer people are buying CD recordings. The Classical music venue has been among the hardest hit.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Keeping Up With the Times
I read this article for another class and think it applies well here also. The Philadelphia Orchestra has been tracking declining record sales since the internet grew in popularity within the last decade. Because of online sources for music, fewer and fewer people are buying CD recordings. The Classical music venue has been among the hardest hit.
Kid-Friendly Symphony Orchestras
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City had been one of my favorites for a long time. Even though I can't make it up that often, I can now receive updates on new exhibits, get info on other area museums, and see videos of exhibits on YouTube that also contain text explaining the history of the items. All of this is seen from one simple click from my Facebook page. There is a lot of information on this fan page that features the artwork of the day, special talks and events, and news stories coming out of the museum.
A Tour in the Palm of Your Hand....
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/arts/design/15design.html
Normally this would get me very excited about how technology can be integrated into museums to make them more interactive, but after reading this article, I wonder if adding tech devices might also take away from the "museum" experience. Will they make the museum less of a cultural experience and turn it into just another flashy attraction? And is that a bad thing?
Last week on Project Runway, the contestants went to The Met to be inspired by iconic fashion designs from the collection. I am a big believer that a museum should act as "muse", inspire, educate! If a visitor is too busy pushing buttons and looking down how is that different than surfing the web at home?
On the other hand, the iPod & other technology have the ability to make a museum exhibit less static, more dynamic and educational so that you take away more than you could in the past. I think it will be interesting to see how these types of exhibits and new technology are used in the near future. As with everything, some will get it right and some won't. I am looking forward to visiting those who do!!