Tuesday, February 16
contextual approach
A contextual approach is taken when the visitors are allowed to be personal with the items, possibly feeling them and such. This differs from another approach where, say, the object is locked in a glass cabinet, only allowed to be seen and observed rather than felt and experienced. Having the objects available for personal connections made strengthens the overall reaction of the visitors to the museum in general. For example, at the Conner Museum's "Big Cats" exhibit it was made possible to feel the different coats of the different big cats. Thus, little children were getting excited and could tell their parents about how they felt the fur of a cougar today. In doing this, they were allowed to actually experience the object (in this case the fur) and form concrete sensual experiences, and this in turn made the object more memorable and life-like than one placed behind glass. Therefore, the contextual approach is very likely to be found and successful in museums today (as shown in the example of the conner museum).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I also think it is a great idea to have people be able to touch and connect with the objects of a museum in order to gain a better appreciation. The coats of different big cats was a good way for children to take something home with them from the Conner. I know that as I was growing up I was always so excited to see things that I could actually touch in a museum. I think we get this pre notion that in a museum we cannot touch anything, when in reality, the objects that we have gotten to touch we take more away from that experience than just looking at something alone.
ReplyDelete