While LUAG’s blog was in its brainstorming phase we busied ourselves with reading other art blogs to see what we liked and would bring to our own blog. This week we would like to pay tribute to those that inspired us and that keep the bar high.
First up is Museum 2.0 by the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Nina Simon. The blog started in November of 2006 “to explore the ways that the philosophies of Web 2.0 can be applied in museums to make them more engaging, community-based, vital elements of society.”1 Simon is a regular contributor to Museum magazine and the author of The Participatory Museum. Her blog began because she does feel that museums are falling short in serving audiences but she firmly believes that with innovation museums can become relevant places within American communities. Simon offers up ideas that she is kicking around or she reports on what is working for her organization. The comments section of this blog is not to be missed! Great feedback is posted and her followers contribute great tips as well.
http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/
Next is Hyperallergic: Sensitive to Art &Its Discontents whose blog delivers “playful, serious, and radical perspectives on art and culture to an ever-expanding readership of art enthusiasts, cultural omnivores, and everyone in between.”2 The blog has multiple writers, so there is always a fresh post to read and the topics are fantastic. They follow current issues in the art world, review art exhibits and even review books and music. If you are looking to stay up to date on art and culture, this is a go-to blog.
The Museum Studies program at Tufts University produces a terrific blog that posts consistently four times a week. They post Museums in the News, museum job openings and welcome guest bloggers to add to their site. It’s always an enjoyable read. Plus our fearless leader Professor Ricardo Viera is a Tufts alumnus!
http://sites.tufts.edu/museumstudents/
Last but not least, The Museum of the Future by Jasper Visser. You get to follow Mr. Visser’s new approaches on how digital innovation can make museums more valuable to society. He has a hands on approach when working with an organization which allows him to measure the impact of the programs he launches. The blog does include some shameless self-promotion but he is definitely on the front lines of the digital and social media revolution taking place in the museum world.
http://themuseumofthefuture.com/
Let us know if there is a blog that should be added to this list!
1Simon, Nina. Museum 2.0 url: http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2006/12/what-is-museum-20.html (retrieved 9/11/2013)
2Hyperallergic: Sensitive to Art & its Discontents. http://hyperallergic.com/ (retrieved 9/11/2013)