No. It Doesn’t Distract from the Art.

Paper
Megan DiRienzo, Detroit Institute of Arts, USA

Published paper: No. It doesn’t distract from the art.

Tired of face-palming yourself when you hear a museum traditionalist lament the death of aesthetic experience at the cruel hands of interpretive elements that distract from the art? This paper will present compelling evidence from the Detroit Institute of Arts supporting the idea that digital engagements—displayed just as prominently as the art, with the art—are crucial to providing seamless aesthetic and learning experiences for museum visitors.

Bibliography:
Bedford, L. (2014). The art of museum exhibitions: How story and imagination create aesthetic experiences. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Bernstein, S. (2009, August 04). Does tech engage or distract? [Web log post]. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/2009/08/04/does-tech-engage-or-distract/

Cameron, D. F. (1971), The Museum, a Temple or the Forum. Curator: The Museum Journal, 14: 11–24.

Czajkowski, J. W. (2011). Changing the Rules. Journal of Museum Education, 36(2), 171-178.
Falk, J. H. (2009). Identity and the museum visitor experience. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Helmreich, A., Jones, J., & Stevens, J. J. (2013). Gallery One, Cleveland Museum of Art. Exhibition Journal, 32(2), 91-100.

Lohr, S. (2014, October 23). Museums Morph Digitally. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/arts/artsspecial/the-met-and-other-museums-adapt-to-the-digital-age.html?_r=0

Petrelli, Daniela, nick dulake, Mark Marshall, Hub Kockelkorn and Anna Pisetti (2016). "Do it together: The effect of curators, designers, and technologists sharing the making of new interactive visitors’ experiences." MW2016: Museums and the Web 2016. Published February 5, 2016. Consulted September 26, 2016. http://mw2016.museumsandtheweb.com/paper/do-it-together-the-effect-of-curators-designers-and-technologists-sharing-the-making-of-new-interactive-visitors-experiences/

Samis, P. (2008). The Exploded Museum. In Digital technologies and the museum experience: Handheld guides and other media (pp. 3-17). Lanham, MD: Alta Mira Press.

Wells, M. D., Butler, B. H., & Koke, J. (2013). Interpretive planning for museums: Integrating visitor perspectives in decision making. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.