Photography Encouraged: Reshaping Visitor Photography in Museums

The rise of the smartphone, social media, and a new age of photography has created opportunities for museums to highlight exhibitions and collections, appeal to new audiences, and nurture creativity. Museum visitors want to take and share photos of their visit. But how can museums help facilitate photography in the galleries and social sharing when loan agreements and tight budgets get in the way?

This talk will explore how an interdepartmental team at Columbus Museum of Art worked to reshape the visitor photography policy before the opening of a 50,000-square-foot new wing; how several pilot projects have brought user-generated content into the galleries; and how photography can be encouraged even in a blockbuster Picasso exhibition.

Bibliography:
Ziv, Stav: Photos: All-Instagram Exhibition Highlights Mobile Creativity, Newsweek (2015). Gauthier, Gonzague and Poleon, Jennifer: Crowdsourcing, Participation, and Museums, Museums Computer Network Presentation. (2014). Amit, Roel: Photo Genic: Engaging Audiences Using Photography, Museums and the Web (2014). Miranda, Carolina: Why Can't We Take Pictures in Art Museums? ArtNews (2013).