Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
The first quarter of 2020 heralded the beginning of an uncertain future for museums and galleries as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the only means to stay ‘open’ was to turn towards the digital. In this paper, we investigate how the physical closure of museum buildings due to lockdown restrictions caused shockwaves within their digital strategies and changed their data practices potentially for good. We review the impact of COVID-19 on the museum sector, based on literature and desk research, with a focus on the implications for three museums and art galleries in the United Kingdom and the United States, and their mission, objectives, and digital data practices. We then present an analysis of ten qualitative interviews with expert witnesses working in the sector, representing different roles and types of institutions, undertaken between April and October 2020. Our research finds that digital engagement with museum content and practices around data in institutions have changed and that digital methods for organising and accessing collections for both staff and the general public have become more important. We present evidence that strategic preparedness influenced how well institutions were able to transition during closure and that metrics data became pivotal in understanding this novel situation. Increased engagement online changed traditional audience profiles, challenging museums to find ways of accommodating new forms of engagement in order to survive and thrive in the post-pandemic environment.
Highlights
At the beginning of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic plunged museums1 into uncharted territory
This paper considers the experiences and responses of three museums in the United Kingdom and the United States during the first 6 months of the pandemic: the Manchester Art Gallery (MAG), the National Gallery in London, and the Smithsonian Institution based at various locations across the US
As the literature review demonstrates, COVID-19 has altered the perception, use and importance of data within museums, and forced a recognition that strategic foresight and digital preparedness has significantly informed institutional ability to ‘pivot’ to digital delivery. This was the case in our case study museums; there were some different perceptions of how well things transitioned immediately after closure, all interviewees stated that COVID-19 significantly affected the way they were working
Summary
At the beginning of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic plunged museums into uncharted territory. Museums around the world had to close their doors overnight, rendering their physical collections and gallery spaces inaccessible, and creating a mass exodus to the digital as the only means to stay present in their constituents’ lives. This sudden rupture has prompted museums to rethink their strategies, address questions of relevance, and find ways forward that rely on virtual rather than physical interactions. Addressing these issues required rapid planning for what was quickly termed the ‘new normal’ (Johnson, 2020) as suddenly the only presence was a datafied one. The novel coronavirus has presented a new context for museum strategies and the potential for an on-demand lifestyle requires not just the rethinking of business models but possibly the reimagining of the museum in a post-pandemic world
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
