How can art museums use smartphones, mobile photography, and social media such as Instagram to engage and connect on a deeper level with visitors? Columbus Museum of Art’s answer: our ongoing CMA Photo Hunt project. In 2012 CMA was the first museum in the world to exhibit photos shared using Instagram. Here are the Top 10 Things We've Learned Along the Way. From Museums and the Web 2014 Demo Talk by Jennifer Poleon, Digital Communications Manager Columbus Museum of Art

1. ART SPEAKS. JOIN THE CONVERSATION.
How can art museums use social media and smartphones to engage
and connect on a deeper level with visitors? Columbus Museum of Art’s
answer: our ongoing CMA Photo Hunt project.
CMA Photo Hunts give participants an opportunity to flex their creativity;
be inspired by works or themes in Columbus Museum of Art exhibitions or
collections; respond to creative challenges with their own visual take using
the popular photo sharing app Instagram; and have their photos displayed
in the museum. Since our Photo Hunts began we have received more
5,000 submissions from hundreds of photographers from Seattle to Ohio
to Paris to Russia, and presented four CMA Photo Hunt exhibitions.
What we’ve learned along the way:
10. It Takes a Village
Involve people from various departments, and play to their strengths.
9. It’s a Family Affair
Once you engage one family member, you often engage another.
8. #TestYourHashtags
7. Use the Right Platform, at the Right Time
We’re looking at you, Flickr vs. Instagram
6. Create Wiggle Room
Allow for a variety of creative expression when creating and designing
a crowdsourced project.
5. Let’s Get it Started
Give verbal or visual prompts to start, and get people inspired.
Highlight creative entries along the way.
4. People Need Deadlines
People want to be inspired, but they also need deadlines.
3. Reminder: Enlist Influencers
2. Mobile Photographers Really Do Take LOTS of Pictures
And often of your museum and exhibitions, in addition to the
creative challenge.
1. If You Feed Them, They Will Come
People want to connect in real life, as well as, digitally. Give them an
opportunity to do that.
To Instagram Or Not? Top 10 Things Learned
Using Social Media to Build a Creative Community
Questions?
Jennifer Poleon, Columbus Museum of Art Digital Communications Manager, jennifer.poleon@cmaohio.org
Follow Columbus Museum of Art on Instagram: ColumbusMuseum