A few weeks ago the Walker Art Center launched their new website. I was really excited to see that the site contains a range of content, and voices from across the center but also from external sources such as blogs and newspaper articles. In a web survey that I carried out in May/ June of this year I found that visitors wanted museums to curate the web and indeed the art world for them, hosting content from external sites is a great way to do this.
The survey I carried out was distributed across all of the Irish Museum of Modern Arts’ Online platforms*, and gathered a range of data on the context of visitors online experience. From their current location, to what other online and offline activities they were carrying out whilst engaging with the museum online.
The survey ended by asking two open response questions:
1.What do you like about what IMMA does online ?
2.What would you like to see IMMA do online?
One of the key, and perhaps unexpected trends that the responses for these questions showed was that visitors want museums to curate the web, and indeed the art world for them. For this blog post I have selected a few key, relevant comments to share. The comments show that visitors are keen to learn more about IMMA, it’s artists and the art world, they want to hear about these from a variety of sources and voices but rather than search the web for this information they want IMMA to deliver it to them via their website and social media channels.
Visitor comments:
**
‘Links to up and coming artists websites or exhibitions outside IMMA. Or you could possibly have a section where you can apply to have a blog or some other social thing eg: Twitter or something like that linked on the side page, perhaps this could be changed every month or so and be kind of like editors top 10 of the day/week/month. This could promote students work or ‘outside’ artists and maybe make the gallery feel like its not a locked door situation with regard to being a publically accepted artist and perhaps could give hope to young emerging artists and make it feel like a space for everyone regardless of who you are’
‘online collaborations with other museums and galleries’
‘More links to artists own websites (if living) or further study websites’ ‘Release info about artists currently showing. Not info about the show as such, but info about the individual’
‘Good but needs more activity’
‘Virtual link ups with other galleries and other art/cultural/fashion/heritage insitutions to make the art world more alive and tangible and interactive for the whole community not just artists’
‘I’d love to see more links to anything written about IMMA’
‘Reviews of exhibitions- art critics and man-in-the-street’
‘weekly debate’ ‘blog on events’
‘Greater online examples of work from the artists in residence scheme, links to other galleries with concurring shows by the same artists’
‘If I am bothered to follow someone on twitter or fan them on Facebook, I want to be rewarded for that. I’m not opting in to just get ads pushed out to me. I’m opting in to hear opinions I wouldn’t normally get to hear’
**
Having spoke to a number of museum staff at a range of institutions about the idea of aggregating content from external sources the issue of control has always been raised.
What if something on that external site is illegal or offensive? The Walker website however challenges this question and demonstrates that external content can be used successfully, this content is, after all curated and selected by museum staff so control of what visitors are directed to is maintained by the museum.
The positive feedback from a range of sources (The Atlantic , The Independent (uk), Art Daily, It’s That Nice), and social buzz generated when the site launched will perhaps encourage other museums and art galleries to embrace alternative voices and content as a means to generate a more engaging, welcoming and interactive web space for their museum or galleries visitors.
*The survey was distributed on IMMA’s website, Twitter, Facebook and two listings bulletins, 256 responses were collected. These are just a small selection of responses, I intend to publish an academic paper as an outcome of this research and this will include a more considered approach to methodology and data trends.
Hello I'm Oonagh 
Great post and great blog! One of the points that keeps coming up in this post is voice. I know in America people are calling it Open Authority, where the patrons can share opinions and build community around exhibits, artists, and artifacts. One question that comes to mind, however, is how to build that space. How does IMMA build more external content into their fold, and how could that content be accessed in the bricks and mortar museum? Also, is there a place for patrons to share their voice?
Hello I struggled to find any oher way to contact you as I did not see your email address anywhere. I hope you ae the right Oonagh Murphy who has been speaking to Elizabeth from the University of Ulster about possibly the use of applications in museums to encourage young people to be more involved.
If you are the correct person I would greatly apreciate to communicate with you on a more private level via email as I would like to do my masters dissertation based on the youth that attend video game conventions.
If you are not the correct person please disregard this message.
Thank You.