Friday, June 17, 2011
Kate+D+R11
I think Saul provided some interesting points for though in his article about museum costs and it was interesting to see his comparison of museum costs around the world. I’ve traveled to museums in England and France but since it was part of a school trip the museum costs were covered in the price of the trip and I never paid attention to the listed price. It makes sense that museums such as The Louvre would charge a higher price considering the scale of art it houses. I go to the Milwaukee Art Museum frequently and I think the most I’ve ever had to pay for it was $4 as a student price. Come to think of it, I’ve never had a membership to the art museum outside of a school membership. When Saul touches on the idea of charging for information that’s when things start to get touchy. How much information sharing can you charge for? Websites are easily accessible for free information so when certain sites decide to place a fee on their information people can get turned away and turn their search elsewhere. Pretty much any information is available via Google for free. I do like the idea of an Internet “ticket package” that allows you to visit several participating sites and use their information in an allowed time slot. Particularly for online news publications and periodicals this is a good idea. Many news sources still have a full publishing of their daily paper online. Saul brings up many good points in this article about topics I do not think about on a daily basis and brings a new perspective to museums and the way they operate.
Kate+D+R10
Saul’s article on learning at museums was interesting to me because I can identify with each type of learner. I have very rarely utilized a museum guide or audio tour but every time I have used one of these tools I feel I learned more than when I just read the labels. These tolls are in place to cater to the individual and to appeal to more people. I find that a lot of people don’t even like to go to museums for a variety of reasons, either they’re boring or creepy or just plain uninteresting. We all grow up going to museums on school field trips to see something in person that we had learned about and usually the most exciting part is the bus ride to get to said museum. We are put into groups with a chaperone and only allowed to see the exhibits pertaining to what we were learning about. But unlike when we were kids, as adults we are free to roam and decide for our self what we want to experience and how we want to experience it. I have a strong interest in photography, fibers, sculpture and installation art which has guided my interested when choosing a museum to visit and which exhibitions I would like to see.
GordonGR11
Information Design ~ Reading Day 11 ~ Once again we were given the assignment of reading from the Critical Reflections on Museums by Saul Carliner, PhD, CTDP. He is Director of the Education Doctoral Program and associate professor of educational technology at Concordia University in Montreal. This time around, Saul tries to stay on the topic of What Museums Cost Visitors – and Lessons for Information Architects and Information Designers.
Seriously, who is this guy? My theory here is that he just figured out a way to vacation across Europe on his employer’s dime. Or this is one big “write-off” in the guise of research for a forthcoming book. I now know why he used white type in his blog design – it represents a white bread sandwich with nothing in the middle.
Thing is, I was expecting more from Saul. I thought this reading would hold some keen insights to the rationale and strategies behind museum admission fees. His views on the value of museums and the information they hold. I thought there would be pearls of wisdom from the man on the great service that these institutions provide to a society and their proper place in the “economic realm” of education. Instead, Saul listed off various cities along with the museum’s gate fee. I can get this “incredible” insight from my travel agent. Too bad Groupon wasn’t around then, Saul would have hit gold (and another paragraph) on them there deals! He then went on to weave a frail link between information architects, information designers and user fees for websites. His “exhibition” on that wasn’t worth the price of admission either.
An Economics class will explain supply and demand, what the market will bear and the realities of discretionary spending. Consumers have a portion their income earmarked as “entertainment dollars”. Museums may fall on a person’s list of things to do. Many factors are pulling for and competing with any museum and the options there in. Then there are the many variables that fall within the museum category itself – private museums, public museums, tax supported, fee based, and touring exhibitions and on and on. Each one is out there fighting for the public’s attention in the hopes of luring more visitors.
Realizing this market place, the roles of museum Information Architects and Information Designers now take on even greater responsibilities. The visual and informational experience in the museum must consistently live up to the expectations of the visitors. All the information from parking and ticket window to the smallest of displays must be of value. All displays should be in working order. All information plaques and posters must be in tact. Add to that the concept of continual improvements –incorporating the latest technological delivery mediums to existing displays. Give me your grand thoughts on that Saul – not how many euros I might need in Paris.
Seriously, who is this guy? My theory here is that he just figured out a way to vacation across Europe on his employer’s dime. Or this is one big “write-off” in the guise of research for a forthcoming book. I now know why he used white type in his blog design – it represents a white bread sandwich with nothing in the middle.
Thing is, I was expecting more from Saul. I thought this reading would hold some keen insights to the rationale and strategies behind museum admission fees. His views on the value of museums and the information they hold. I thought there would be pearls of wisdom from the man on the great service that these institutions provide to a society and their proper place in the “economic realm” of education. Instead, Saul listed off various cities along with the museum’s gate fee. I can get this “incredible” insight from my travel agent. Too bad Groupon wasn’t around then, Saul would have hit gold (and another paragraph) on them there deals! He then went on to weave a frail link between information architects, information designers and user fees for websites. His “exhibition” on that wasn’t worth the price of admission either.
An Economics class will explain supply and demand, what the market will bear and the realities of discretionary spending. Consumers have a portion their income earmarked as “entertainment dollars”. Museums may fall on a person’s list of things to do. Many factors are pulling for and competing with any museum and the options there in. Then there are the many variables that fall within the museum category itself – private museums, public museums, tax supported, fee based, and touring exhibitions and on and on. Each one is out there fighting for the public’s attention in the hopes of luring more visitors.
Realizing this market place, the roles of museum Information Architects and Information Designers now take on even greater responsibilities. The visual and informational experience in the museum must consistently live up to the expectations of the visitors. All the information from parking and ticket window to the smallest of displays must be of value. All displays should be in working order. All information plaques and posters must be in tact. Add to that the concept of continual improvements –incorporating the latest technological delivery mediums to existing displays. Give me your grand thoughts on that Saul – not how many euros I might need in Paris.
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