When a lockdown is imposed in three-quarters of the world, how do museums survive? Globally, all members of the cultural industry are being forced to innovate and stay relevant in these changing times. The museum sector, which depends heavily on the in-person experience, has been forced to pivot, and quickly at that. Here, digital mediums offer some respite. If you cannot come to the museum, the museum will come to you.
A humorous new strategy that is gaining traction online is the #BestMuseumBum challenge. It began on 26th June 2020, when Yorkshire Museums challenged curators across the world to show-off the beautiful backsides in their collection, while displaying the bum on a roman statue in their possession. Soon, several other museums joined in, giving a fitting response, with a similar derriere shot. While this has a touch of hilarity, we see collections as diverse as marble sculptors, sumo wrestlers’ buttocks, realistic portrayals of the feminine form, and even – a bumblebee butt!
Another internet-famous challenge is The Getty Museum challenge, which asked individuals to recreate their favourite works of art using simple household objects. The results have been phenomenal: ranging from hilarious “PiCatSo” pet portraits to a surprisingly accurate Mona Lisa. Connecting people to art in inventive ways, it is a testament to human creativity and, well, lockdown-induced boredom! Culminating in over 100,000 responses, the challenge has itself become a worldwide digital exhibition. The best 246 recreations are set to be released as a book!
These good-natured challenges have been enlightening, however, the impact of COVID-19 on the museum industry worldwide is no laughing matter. According to a May 2020 UNESCO report, up to 90% of the world’s museums have had to close their doors for extended periods of time. The lockdowns have also coincided with the summer season, during which, usually, museums see a lot of visitors, and this has led to massive economic consequences. The iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art expects to lose 100 million dollars in revenue. The report also states that up to 13% of the world’s museums will have to be shuttered.
Given the magnitude of the situation, how are museums coping? For museums that have the resources and budgets, there has been a large push in digitizing archives and collections. Instead of being icons on the bottom of a webpage, Instagram/Facebook have become critical ways of museums to engage with their visitors. Talks, seminars, “Insta-live”, contests, quizzes – all these and more have become part of the outreach team’s repertoire. Virtual tours are increasingly common, and often, curators show their favorite pieces online. Several museums offer a complete virtual walk through the gallery, through the Google Arts and Culture page, or even 360 degree immersive tours, right from your sofa.
Museum professionals are forced to quickly devise strategies for “the museums of the future.” As social distancing is here to stay, many museums have to come up with ways to manage the crowds inside. Time slots for museum-goers is one option, as touted by the director of CSMVS, a leading museum in India. Another option, far more interesting, is the use of large, Chinese-inspired, “winged hats” to enforce a 3 feet distance between people, as a Parisian Gallery has done. This innovative technique gets the job done, while introducing a little whimsy into the everyday experience.
From jigsaw puzzles to ‘name-place-animal-thing,’ museums are creating and sharing content related to art and culture on a weekly basis on their website. Given that children make up a core segment of the museum space, a special effort is being made in releasing educational materials for children, as home-school or online school continues. For example, an Ajrakh worksheet, developed by the Partition Museum in Amritsar, offers an engaging introduction to the 400 year old Sindhi textile tradition. The reputed Louvre Museum in Paris has a “One Minute in a Museum” series, following cartoon characters on their journey of discovering a piece of art. The CSMVS Museum in Mumbai, one of the oldest museums in the country, had a children’s contest for poetry, paintings, and installations during the lockdown. It received over 700 entries from all over India, highlighting the need, and audience, for such initiatives.
Museums are also actively cross-pollinating with other areas of culture. CSMVS celebrated an online “Sustainability Week” with Avid Learning - curating talks from stalwarts in the field. Delhi’s famous Kiran Nadar Museum of Art launched an ongoing ARTXFashion series, exploring the influence of art on contemporary fashion, and the Partition Museum has been crossing national borders through its focus on Partition food history (a personal favourite). Increasingly, museums are flexing their cultural muscles, showing us, in the process, how art and culture pervade every aspect of our lives.
As India’s coronavirus numbers continue to rise, it becomes clear that we are not stepping out of our homes for a long time. In these times, digital engagement through social media challenges, online workshops, learning resources and open access collections become a saving grace for museums. It is an exciting moment for culture-vultures, as the geographical limitations of a museum visit disappear, and vast museum collections are within reach, just a few mouse clicks away. Despite all the enthusiasm, the debates of access and privilege that surround digital education in India can be applied to a museum context also. How many Indians are active Instagram or Twitter users? How will museums bring art and culture to the regular, everyday Indian? These questions remain unanswered for the time being - in these turbulent times, staying afloat is a miracle.
Aarushi Shah
