How Museums CanReach the Youth

www.MikusKins.net

By: Mikus Kins

We have all heard of the Art Instituteof Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum

of Art, the Louvre, and the Prado.Whether you have visited or not, the

brand becomes synonymous withtravel and culture.

Long Standing IssueFor decades, these highly acclaimed

museums have reached a vast amount of thepublic’s eyes. But for years, there has been a

systemic problem of catching the youth’sinterest.

THE PEOPLE'S NEEDSWhile much of this can be attributed tothe advancement of technology and thegeneration gap, the lack of interest withinone’s history, culture, and art is now morethan ever prevalent to the superciliousstatus that museums hold over theircommunities. To put it in simpler terms,the museums are not reaching thepeople’s needs.

Beyond Schools VisitsYes, museums have a sense of higher

status and class attributed to their names,

but that is just the nature of the beast.

When dealing with rare findings and

priceless pieces, it is hard not to associate

these entities with a type of social

economical status. But even with this,

museums need to move away from the

ivory towers and start catering to their

communities beyond the standard ‘school

visits.’

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACEOver the years, Americanmuseum directors have becomeresponsible for not only theoverall aesthetics, but alsoincreasingly, the business side oftheir institutions. Because ofthese various hats (artistconnoisseur, CEO, manager),their mentality for their museumsgo beyond the idea showcasinggreat work, but increasing thefunds and reputation for their‘business.’

Need the CommunityWhile much of this is understandable, they need to

comprehend that they are overlooking their impact, or

lack thereof, with the community around them. This

impending business-like mentality has pushed a more

emphasis on splendid aesthetics for the rich donors

and vanity projects than the overall public interest.

???So how do we move beyond the financial aspect of a museum

to a more attractive appeal for this up-and-coming generation?

To start, much of the

arguments against the youth

generation’s lack of interest

because of technology can be

leveraged as a museums

benefit. With the

advancement of technology,

we are able to listen, here,

and practically touch things

that did not exist ten, fifteen-

years ago.

TECHNOLOGY

Go ProGo-Pro has recently developed anew age of digital experiencewith their ‘spherical solutions,’videos and images that provide auser with a 360 real life view of aparticular time and place.

Yes, this can be

counterintuitive in

persuading people to visit

than to watch, but in order to

capture a person’s attention,

also need to cater to the

vicissitudes of a generation.

Showing a piece of the whole

can be just enough to

capture the hearts of the

public.

SOCIAL MEDIAIn addition to incorporating technology withinmuseums, museums marketing team need to be relevantand consistent with social media. Social media hastaken a new form where a simple post can beinformative or aiding to the public.

Last but not least, museums need to provide special eventsthemed around young adults or teenagers. This will allow

these institutions to build relationships with the communitiesaround them and create long lasting fans.

LIVE EVENTS

THANK YOU www.MikusKins.net