The Smithsonian American Art Museum received a $10 million grant from the Henry Luce Foundation in 2001 to establish the Luce Foundation Center, the first visible art storage and study center in Washington DC. The Center opened in 2006 and displays over 3,300 works from the museum's permanent collection across three levels. It aims to make more of the collection accessible to the public by presenting artworks normally in storage. Interpretive elements like computer kiosks, brochures, and an audio tour provide information to help visitors understand and navigate the collection.
Save Craigie Hall, an early Charles Rennie Mackintosh MasterpieceMackintosh_fan
Craigie Hall was in 1978 included in the Secretary of State’s Listed Buildings of Special
Architectural or Historic Interest of Category A. (This is the highest grading and notes a building
of national or international significance).
This was in recognition not only of the fine qualities of the exterior of this very substantial
Victorian villa, but also of the superb interiors, remodelled in places by the internationally
celebrated Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The building represents what is for Glasgow a unique
example of its kind, namely a splendid late Victorian house built for a wealthy entrepreneur,
altered and updated over the years using the very best materials and the most prestigious architects
available at the time, resulting in a building in late 19th Century classical style with interiors of the
highest standard possible.
The
charming face carved into the fitted armchair in the corner is an example of the designs of
Mackintosh and his group at the Glasgow School of Art during the early 1890’s.
The curious bird-like forms which almost seem to have alighted on top of the book cases are
one of the earliest examples of a motif which was to reappear many times in Mackintosh’s
work. The bay windowed cupboards set into the face of the shelving appear later in the south
face of Mackintosh’s masterwork, the Glasgow School of Art. But, the overall design retains
a Victorian solidity that testifies both to Mackintosh’s youth and to the guiding hand of John
Keppie who would have supervised his work.
Mackintosh appears to have been responsible for the design.
The large white fireplace and overmantel at the end of the room would therefore have been
detailed in part by Mackintosh. It is a very similar design to the piece that he detailed for
the Smoking Room at the Glasgow Art Club in 1892, the principal difference being that,
at Craigie Hall, the fireplace is and always has been white. This scheme of decoration
(promoted in 1873 by Mary Howeis) was a means of delineating the more feminine domain
of the house in contrast with the more formal and masculine decoration of the remainder.
In 1897, four years after his initial involvement at Craigie Hall, Mackintosh returned in a
more independent role to add the organ case to the Music Room. In the previous year he
had won the competition to design the new Glasgow School of Art. We can assume that
Thomas Mason had appreciated and enjoyed the ‘unusual’ elements in the 1893 work and
Mackintosh’s competition success may have been the spur for him to develop his association
with this up and coming designer. If so, he possibly got more than he bargained for!
At the opposite end of the room is a fireplace with an overmantel designed by Mackintosh
displaying charming carved decorative pieces reminiscent of the work of Aubrey Beardsley.
The organ case is perhaps Mackintosh’s most significant piece of interior work prior to
1900. It is his only surviving musical instrument.
INTODUCTION
Art Nouveau, ornamental style of art that flourished between about 1890 and 1910 throughout Europe and the United States.
The most important places for architecture during this period were Brussels, Paris and Barcelona. The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'.
It represents the beginning of modernism in design(Modern Architecture). It occurred at a time when
Mass-produced consumer goods began to fill the marketplace, and
Designers, architects, and artist began to understand that the handcrafted work of centuries past could be lost.
Flourished in major European cities and emerged in the early 1890s in all the visual arts:
1. Painting 7. jewellery
2. Sculpture 8. clothing and
3. Architecture 9. furniture
4. Interior design
5. graphic arts
6. Posters
Save Craigie Hall, an early Charles Rennie Mackintosh MasterpieceMackintosh_fan
Craigie Hall was in 1978 included in the Secretary of State’s Listed Buildings of Special
Architectural or Historic Interest of Category A. (This is the highest grading and notes a building
of national or international significance).
This was in recognition not only of the fine qualities of the exterior of this very substantial
Victorian villa, but also of the superb interiors, remodelled in places by the internationally
celebrated Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The building represents what is for Glasgow a unique
example of its kind, namely a splendid late Victorian house built for a wealthy entrepreneur,
altered and updated over the years using the very best materials and the most prestigious architects
available at the time, resulting in a building in late 19th Century classical style with interiors of the
highest standard possible.
The
charming face carved into the fitted armchair in the corner is an example of the designs of
Mackintosh and his group at the Glasgow School of Art during the early 1890’s.
The curious bird-like forms which almost seem to have alighted on top of the book cases are
one of the earliest examples of a motif which was to reappear many times in Mackintosh’s
work. The bay windowed cupboards set into the face of the shelving appear later in the south
face of Mackintosh’s masterwork, the Glasgow School of Art. But, the overall design retains
a Victorian solidity that testifies both to Mackintosh’s youth and to the guiding hand of John
Keppie who would have supervised his work.
Mackintosh appears to have been responsible for the design.
The large white fireplace and overmantel at the end of the room would therefore have been
detailed in part by Mackintosh. It is a very similar design to the piece that he detailed for
the Smoking Room at the Glasgow Art Club in 1892, the principal difference being that,
at Craigie Hall, the fireplace is and always has been white. This scheme of decoration
(promoted in 1873 by Mary Howeis) was a means of delineating the more feminine domain
of the house in contrast with the more formal and masculine decoration of the remainder.
In 1897, four years after his initial involvement at Craigie Hall, Mackintosh returned in a
more independent role to add the organ case to the Music Room. In the previous year he
had won the competition to design the new Glasgow School of Art. We can assume that
Thomas Mason had appreciated and enjoyed the ‘unusual’ elements in the 1893 work and
Mackintosh’s competition success may have been the spur for him to develop his association
with this up and coming designer. If so, he possibly got more than he bargained for!
At the opposite end of the room is a fireplace with an overmantel designed by Mackintosh
displaying charming carved decorative pieces reminiscent of the work of Aubrey Beardsley.
The organ case is perhaps Mackintosh’s most significant piece of interior work prior to
1900. It is his only surviving musical instrument.
INTODUCTION
Art Nouveau, ornamental style of art that flourished between about 1890 and 1910 throughout Europe and the United States.
The most important places for architecture during this period were Brussels, Paris and Barcelona. The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'.
It represents the beginning of modernism in design(Modern Architecture). It occurred at a time when
Mass-produced consumer goods began to fill the marketplace, and
Designers, architects, and artist began to understand that the handcrafted work of centuries past could be lost.
Flourished in major European cities and emerged in the early 1890s in all the visual arts:
1. Painting 7. jewellery
2. Sculpture 8. clothing and
3. Architecture 9. furniture
4. Interior design
5. graphic arts
6. Posters
Presentation on gaming initiatives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for the 2010 Game Developer's Conference. This presentation was followed by guest curator Chris Melissinos discussing our upcoming exhibition, The Art of Video Games. [notes embedded]
The Art Museum as a Game Platform. Presented at "Museum Narratives," the 20th Annual Salzburg Conference in English Literature and Culture, November 2009.
Ideal Museum Proposal: The American Museum of Wonder and Curiosity Cabinets W...Kate Marcus
Using the Guggenheim Helsinki proposal as a case study, I created a proposal for an imaginary museum called The American Museum of Wonder and Curiosity Cabinets. The written component includes the following sections:
• Introduction to The American Museum of Wonder and Curiosity Cabinets
• Location Rationale
• Mission Statement
• Members of the Board of Directors
• Building Program
• Exhibition Plans
• Permanent Collection
• Special Exhibitions
Who doesn't visit the museum?Everyone has heard about it and held parents' hands and walked through the aisles of fascinating objects, sculptures, murals, etc and have been in awe.
What is a Museum?
Types of Museums?
Challenges
Case study
Organizational body
This project was an attempt to investigate the art museum as an specific building type as well as the issues involved in the design of spaces for contemporary art. As every architectonic object, art museums are deeply connected with the functions they must fulfil and must act on the user as a stimulus which requires a behaviour response.*
According to Michel Foucault museums are sites that have the curious property of being in relation with all other sites, but in such a way as to suspend, neutralize, or invert the set of relations that they happen to designate, mirror or reflect. The museum space is capable of juxtaposing in a single space several sites that are in themselves incompatible . Its space begins to function at full capacity when men arrive at a sort of absolute break with their traditional idea of time.
Designing a new museum requires a strong concept. An art museum should never be made as a neutral, weak thing. It should be made new and passionate. The museum space should create possibilities for the unpredictable. A space that is inspired, unconventional, unafraid of taking risks, humorous, provocative and spontaneous.
The new museum shouldn’t be there to train people how to answer but how to question. That what’s the new museum is for.
* Umberto Eco, taken from ’How an Exposition Exposes Itself’ quoted in Neil Leach, Rethinking Architecture, Routledge, London 1977, p.202.
Michel Foucault, Taken from ‘Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias’ quoted in Neil Leach, Rethinking Architecture, Routledge, London 1977, p.15.
Patrick Healy, Beauty And The Sublime, SUN Publishers, Amsterdam 2003
Alternate reality games and video games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and an interactive art and technology center in Idaho Falls. How games and interactive technologies are shaping our experiences of art and art museums.
The ARTitorium on Broadway is an interactive art center for kids in downtown Idaho Falls, ID. This presentation gives an overview of the project, which is scheduled to open summer 2014.
VRA 2014 - Linking the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the CloudGeorgina Goodlander
Overview of the project to convert all of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection data to Linked Open Data. The Museum collaborated with the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern California to develop tools for easier LOD conversion and linking.
Some of the exercises we did during a week-long class on "Publishing and Using Linked Open Data" at the University of Maryland Digital Humanities Winter Institute.
Presentation with NOTES for Games: Creating Connections to Collections at the 2012 American Association of Museums Meeting in Minneapolis.
(Slides without notes: http://www.slideshare.net/georginab/pheon-one-game-two-platforms-mixed-success)
Zombies Vs. Knaves: Playing Games in Cultural InstitutionsGeorgina Goodlander
Part of a panel presentation for the Meaningful Play 2010 conference at Michigan State University.
http://meaningfulplay.msu.edu/program.php?session=111
Part of a panel presentation for the Meaningful Play 2010 conference at Michigan State University
http://meaningfulplay.msu.edu/program.php?session=100
Pheon and Ghosts of a Chance (Alternate Reality Games and 21st Century Litera...Georgina Goodlander
Panel Presentation on Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) and 21st Century Literacies at the 2010 Library Research Seminar - V, University of Maryland, October 8, 2010.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Digital Tools and AI for Teaching Learning and Research
Overview of the Luce Foundation Center
1. OVERVIEW
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum shares a building with the National Portrait
Gallery in downtown DC. Our collection actually dates back to the mid-nineteenth
century, but we have been in this building since 1968. Currently, we get around 1 million
visitors to this building every year
Luce Foundation Center
In 2001, the Henry Luce Foundation gave the museum $10 million to establish the Luce
Center, the first visible art storage and study center in Washington DC. $7 million of that
was a grant for development of the Center and $3 million was to set up an endowment for
ongoing support of staff and programs.
The Center opened on July 1, 2006, along with the newly renovated museum building. It
displays more than 3,300 works from the permanent collection in 64 glass cases and 56
pneumatic drawers.
BACKGROUND
Luce Foundation
The Luce Foundation was established in 1936 by the late Henry R. Luce, co-founder and
editor-in-chief of Time, Inc. Most of the foundation’s wealth was accumulated at the time
of his death in 1967, from stock which he donated in his will.
The Luce Foundation’s work reflects the interests of four generations of the Luce family.
Among these interests are-
• Increased understanding between Asia and the United States
• The study of religion and theology
• Opportunities for women in science and engineering, and
• Scholarship in American Art
The American Art Program of the Luce Foundation focuses on American fine and
decorative art, and is committed to scholarship and the overall enhancement of American
art history. The program supports exhibitions, publications and research that emphasize
an aesthetic approach to American art.
The Luce Foundation is committed to making collections like ours accessible to the
general public, because they feel that American art is underappreciated by virtue of the
fact that only a small fraction of those great collections could be on display at any one
time.
Ours was the 4th visible storage center supported by the Luce Foundation.
Met’s Luce Center
• In 1985, the Metropolitan Museum of Art received the first Luce Foundation
grant to create a visible storage center.
2. • In 1988, they opened a 16,000 square foot facility named the Henry R. Luce
Center for the Study of American Art. Their Luce Center is in their American
Wing and displays around 10,000 objects from their fine art and decorative art
collections.
NYHS
• In 2000, the New York Historical Society opened the Henry Luce III Center for
the Study of American Culture.
• Their display is slightly different, with glass cases revealing views into actual
storage areas. As a result, their Luce Center holds nearly 40,000 objects from the
museum’s permanent collection.
Brooklyn
• Early in 2001, the Luce Foundation awarded two $10 million grants for creation
of visible storage centers at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the
Brooklyn Museum of Art.
• Brooklyn used a two-part approach to creating their Luce Center. The first part
was a reinstallation of their permanent collection galleries for American Art.
• The second part was a visible storage/study center, which opened in 2005,
displaying around 2,000 works from the collection.
Renovation
Here, you can see two historic images of the space that is now home to our Luce
Foundation Center. The building was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century and was
originally home to the Patent Office. It used to be a requirement to submit a model with
every patent application, and they used to use the third floor of the building to display all
of these models.
At the turn of the twentieth-century, they removed this requirement and actually
auctioned off all of the models in the collection. They turned over the space on the third
floor to public records. The Patent Office moved out in the 1930s. In the 1950s, they
wanted to demolish the building to turn it into a parking lot, but President Eisenhower
intervened and turned it over to the Smithsonian in 1958. Ten years later, it opened as the
American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
In 2000, the building closed again for six and a half years for a major renovation and
enhancement project. Prior to the renovation, the space on the 3rd floor had been used as
a library, only open to visitors by appointment. We wanted to make it open to the public
at all times, so we decided to use this space for the new visible storage facility.
Luce Today
On three levels, we display around 3,300 artworks from the museum’s collection. We
have large sculptures on the main level, then objects in floor-to-ceiling glass cases on the
two mezzanine levels. It is not curated in a typical sense, but we have tried to make it
make sense for the viewer by grouping like objects together.
3. The objects cases are wider, with adjustable glass shelves that allows for a wide variety
of displays. Ranging from full length statues by Hiram Powers to numerous tiny Roman
glass vessels.
The paintings cases are narrower, and have slotted backs, allowing us to hang paintings in
a variety of configurations. The glass has reduced glare, and we elected to put the lighting
on the outside to reduce any possibility of heat build up.
There are three collections in drawers in the Luce Center: portrait miniatures, medals and
medallions, and craft jewelry. The drawers were designed specifically for the miniatures,
which are commonly painted in watercolor on ivory. The “soft slide” pneumatic drawers
allow the miniatures to be permanently on view - each drawer is climate controlled, can
open and close with minimal vibration, and the lights switch off when the drawer is
closed. The final design was the result of close collaboration between the manufacturer
and the museum’s objects conservators in order to ensure that the micro-climate in each
drawer was suitable for long term storage.
DEVELOPMENT
Dress Rehearsals
We had an objects case delivered early so that we could conduct dress rehearsals for the
installation of every case. Our art handler and designer unpacked, installed,
photographed, and documented the contents of every case over three years.
Boxes
They then re-packed the artworks into boxes labeled with the case numbers, so that when
it came time for installation it could be done very quickly.
Installation
The installation took place in early 2006 and took only 6 ½ weeks to complete!
DESIGN
Case-End Graphics
We realized that 3,300 objects in a relatively small space might be overwhelming to the
visitor, so we wanted to make the space easy to navigate. We divided the collection into
six broad categories: 19th and 20th century sculpture, 19th and 20th century painting, folk
art, and contemporary craft. As you can see from the image, the bold graphics at the end
of each case clearly delineate between the different sections. We also selected an icon to
represent each area.
Brochure
We also designed an introductory brochure for the Center. The most important features in
this are the floor plan and the explanation of the accession numbers.
4. Accession numbers - labels
As the Luce Center is storage and not an exhibition, there is very little physical
interpretation. The paintings have abbreviated tombstones that include artist, title, and
accession number, while the objects are just identified by their accession number. This
approach allows us to fit the largest possible number of objects into the cases, but also
makes it relatively easy to change the works that are on view.
Special Installations
We did want to provide some interpretation for visitors who may not have a lot of time,
or who aren’t interested in using the kiosks. We did this in the form of 6 special
installations. These pull out a particular theme from the works around them. For example,
in 20th century sculpture we have an installation that discusses different types of bronze
patina, and in 19th century sculpture we have an installation that talks about frames and
how a frame can influence a painting. Some of the installations are interactive: in
between two cases of paintings by George Catlin we have an installation that plays audio
clips from the artist’s diary.
Case Cards
Another example of more traditional interpretation is the in-case annotations, which are
used to convey general information about groups of objects in individual cases. This type
of interpretive element works well for visitors who don’t have the time or inclination to
sit down at a kiosk to explore in-depth information.
Information desk
Sandwiched within 19th century painting is an information desk, with two fully networked
computer stations. We knew from very early on that we wanted a staff presence in the
Luce Center, and the information desk allows two staff members to operate from within
the Center, answering visitor questions and running public programs. This access to staff
all the hours the museum is open has proved invaluable to both visitors and staff.
Kiosk
The Luce Center is also a study center, so we wanted to provide information about the
works on view for those visitors who are interested. This information is available on ten
computer kiosks dotted around the center.
Screen Shots
We researched and wrote interpretive text labels for every single object and biographies
for every single artist in the Center. That works out to more than 5,000 paragraphs of
text! It took around four years to complete all of the research and writing.
In addition, there are hundreds of video and audio clips. You can zoom, locate, and
collect every object, too.
5. PROJECTS
3D images
Some of the three dimensional objects in the Luce Center have detail on all sides, which
is not possible to see in the cases. We selected 20 objects and did a project to show them
‘in the round.’ We worked with the Canadian company Synthescape to place the object
on a turntable, then take high resolution photographs at 5 degree increments. Synthescape
then stitched these images together in Flash.
Fill the Gap
In February, we began a citizen curator project on Flickr. The Luce Center is a dynamic
place, with objects often departing to go on view elsewhere, to be loaned to other
museums, or to undergo conservation work. If an object leaves for more than 12 months,
it is up to us to replace it.
Last year was a very busy year with over 36 paintings departing the Center. We decided
to set up a project on Flickr to see if we could solicit help from the general public. We
posted an image of the “gap” with details of the other works in the case and dimensions.
We tasked the public to search our online collections and make recommendations for a
replacement. This is not an easy task – we have over 41,000 works in our collection – but
we gave the public exactly the same tools that we use.
Fill the Gap 2
We have not had huge participation, but the people that have contributed have submitted
quality suggestions. We’ve been posting roughly one gap per month, and have
successfully filled six since the project began.
One thing this project has done is reveal behind-the-scenes processes. We document the
whole process on Flickr- checking with the registrar to see whether the artwork fits,
getting approval on the selection from the curators, and submitting the move requests to
get the works installed.
Analog Fill the Gap
Over the summer, we tried a different approach. This time, we picked a pool of 20
possible objects and asked visitors to the Luce Center to vote on their choice. We also
asked them to tell us why they picked a particular object. This had better participation,
but took quite a lot of work to get it set up. It is no longer a “real” project.
Audio Tour
Just last month, we launched an audio tour in the Luce Center. This seemed like an
obvious interpretive solution to me. Currently, we have lots of juicy content on the
computer kiosks, but no way to access the information while standing in front of the
object. We are doing a pilot for six months using two different platforms – visitors can
access over 150 stops using their own cell phone, or by borrowing a simple MP3 device
from the museum.
6. We created 110 traditional audio stops – curatorial voice and content – but then decided
we wanted to add something a little more fun, so we created 50 rogue stops.
Rogue Content
These are just the Luce Center staff members talking informally about some of their
favorite objects. We also try to answer some of the more popular questions, including
“What is this place?” “Where are all the labels?” and “Why do you have objects in
drawers?”
GHOSTS OF A CHANCE
Word cloud
In 2008, we implemented the world’s first museum based Alternate Reality Game titled
Ghosts of a Chance. We did this for three main reasons – to create an interactive
experience in an art museum, a place where interactivity is usually discouraged, to attract
a new audience of gamers who would not typically consider visiting an art museum, and
to promote the museum.
(We asked 60 people who played the game how they would describe the experience to a
friend, and the word cloud you see here shows the results. The larger the word, the more
times people used that word.)
ARG definition
First, we had to figure out exactly what an ARG was. There are many definitions out
there, and they are constantly evolving.
For us, an ARG is an interactive story that demands players active participation – the
story does not continue unless players do something. It takes place in real time and using
real-world elements (phones, web, e-mail, physical spaces, in-person interaction), and is
inspired by and integrated with our collection.
Bodybuilder
To get players talking about the upcoming game, the game designers decided to gatecrash
the annual conference for hardcore ARG players – ARGFest-o-con. They hired a
bodybuilder and tattooed his chest with the first clue: “Luce’s Lover’s Eye.” […]
Eyes
We received over 150 images of eyes and 250 phonecalls.
Press
Early press also helped with the game, as we were able to conceal clues in an ABC.com
article and the Smithsonian Magazine.
Narrative
The story of the game focused around two young curators, Daisy and Daniel, who were
being haunted by restless spirits. They shared elements of the story on the game web site,
as well as through videos and comments posted on YouTube, mySpace, and Facebook.
7. Press Release
The museum supported the story with blog posts, a press release, and staff interaction
with Daisy and Daniel.
Artifacts
As they learned more about the spirits, they revealed that they needed to hold an
exhibition. So they invited players to create a series of artifacts.
• We received 33 artifacts from 14 players
• High quality
• Both hardcore players and crafters participated in this aspect of the game.
On-line artifacts
The artifacts were temporarily catalogued into the collection. Participants wrote their own
labels, which were also included on-line.
Mini Events
To further support the story…
NMNH - Tour of the anthropology department with Dr. David Hunt. Forensic evaluation
of human remains – fake police reports. Skeletons belonged to two of the spirits
Cemetery – tour of the Congressional Cemetery with Patrick Crowley, Chair of the
Board of Directors. Players saw ghostly figures in the distance flashing lights, found a
flashlight and Morse-code key in a tomb, started communicating with the figures – they
wanted “rest.”
Final Event
On October 25, we held the final event in the museum. This included an exhibition of all
the player-created artifacts and a five-hour multimedia scavenger hunt around the
museum.
Module Game
Created a shorter version of the final event for the museum to run on a recurring basis.
Over 1,300 people have played since we started it a year ago.
Tasks
Tasks included…
• Text messaging the answer to questions in order to get the next clue
• Creating sculptures out of foil
• Using sculpture to decipher complex code
• Following treasure maps
• finding and watching video clips on the computer kiosks
• Telling stories about the art
Over six thousand players participated in Ghosts of a Chance on-line, and around 250
people joined us for the final event.
8. Some feedback:
“It turned an already interesting museum into a place of wonder”
“I never would have spent the time staring into a painting and trying to understand it if it
weren’t part of a task.”
“This is the first time that it felt like the museum was meant to be fun and interactive
rather than somber and pensive.”
“A fantastic way to examine the collections and pay specific attention to the various
works on art on display.”
End
I’m going to leave you with some of the stories that we received about this artwork. My
contact info is at the bottom.
Questions?