Innovation Highlight:
The Van Gogh Museum’s “Museum at Home”
August 6th
While Coronavirus has certainly put a spotlight on digital content in recent months, progressive institutions have been making significant digital investment long before the pandemic. One of those institutions is the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands. To make the museum accessible to as many people possible, they offer a “Museum at Home” section on their website, featuring a robust library of digital content that appeals to people of all ages and levels of familiarity with Van Gogh and his art. Below we have highlighted 5 ways their Museum at Home offering delivers value to its visitors:
It provides engaging, interactive offerings for all ages.
The Museum at Home page has an entire section dedicated to children, where it provides printable coloring pages, activities for kids to complete at home, and board games to teach children about Van Gogh’s life and the various places he lived. Additionally, the museum offer a series of YouTube videos called Story Zoo that provide a tour of the museum led by cartoon animals who highlight major works of art in kid-friendly tone.
The museum does not limit all the fun to children. It offers a series of YouTube tutorials to “Paint Like Van Gogh” that are geared toward an older audience and features an app called Unravel, where visitors can zoom in closely on various pieces of art to reveal “what is concealed in and under the paint”. All these features allow visitors to have an active role in exploring the life and art of Van Gogh, rather than simply observing or listening.
It reflects the current needs of audiences.
When schools were closed due to Coronavirus, The Van Gogh Museums created a “Homeschool Lessons” section on the Museum at Home web page. The museum has always provided these lessons as a resource for educators, but it now features them on the Museum at Home site to support parents looking for at-home education resources. The video lessons each have a recommended age group and include a wide variety of content, including interactive activities (e.g., paint your own version of Vincent’s yellow house), short informative films about the artist, trivia, and more.
It makes the full museum experience accessible to all.
On the Museum at Home site, visitors can view the entire museum collection. When visitors click on any piece of art, it provides a full background on the history of the piece. Additionally, visitors can take a 4k tour of the museum on YouTube, giving viewers the feeling that they are walking down the halls of the museum. While many argue that the in-person museum experience cannot be replicated through digital, The Van Gogh Museum has done a remarkable job bringing the museum to life for those who are not able to attend.
It makes visitors feel welcome by offering approachable ways to get to know Van Gogh and his art.
The Museum at Home web page offers visitors a multitude of ways to get to know Van Gogh the person as well as his art. The page offers a series of “In short” stories and “5 quick facts” that provide an easy and engaging way for visitors to learn about Van Gogh. Additionally, the site allows visitors to view the original letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother, giving them a glimpse into a more personal side of his life.
It creates opportunities for connection with peers.
Our research on audiences during the pandemic has shown that right now audiences crave connection with others. The Museum at Home site offers an opportunity for this connection through an online book club for Van Gogh lovers. Members of Van Gogh Museum Book Club Facebook Group all read the same book and then participate in live discussions. Members of the museum staff join the discussions to provide background questions and answer any questions participants may have about the book.
Check out our Education and Community Engagement Center to see other examples of innovative education initiatives used by arts organizations.