Good practice museum tours
It is generally known that the public is interested in stories of the making of art. There are many examples of well-liked movies on ‘the artist at work’. The sub-project Access2CA of the PRACTICs project will establish a relationship with diverse public target groups in matters of conservation-presentation, guide museum visitors through interesting questions of conservation-presentation and increase public appreciation of contemporary art. As part of this sub-project, Maartje Swinkels, intern from the University of Groningen was asked to do research into the possibilities for museums of art with regard to multimedia visitor tours. Her research paper deals with questions like:
- How can a museum visitor be made aware of the restoration and conservation practices an art object has to undergo before being exhibited?
- Is a poster or a label on the wall sufficient, or will a technical information source such as a multimedia tour or a website lead to greater insight and understanding?
Photo: Loic Tallon
Maartje's investigation was both a start and a guideline for the Access2CA sub-project. It is a preliminary stock-take of the handheld devices available for museums to illustrate conservation problems for museum visitors. It also deals briefly with the question of the effectiveness of museum tours, and which technologies are at present used by museums. The paper includes examples and links to extra information. Click the links below to download PDFs in English and in Dutch.
Museum Tours. Gateway to restoration and conservation issues
Museumtours. Toegangspoort naar restauratie-en conservervaringsproblematiek