We continue are series of digital museum visits with
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Like our own Cleveland Museum of Art, The Met had already an amazing collection of digital resources for individuals who are unable to visit the physical location. The Met has done an amazing job giving their collection and resources a dynamic view that engages the viewer in a multitude of ways. With this resource I wanted to begin with, and emphasize, all the learning and educator resources this institution offers. Again like the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Met breaks down their resources into different categories (age/grade level) making it easy to find just what you are looking for.
For parents and educators #metkids is a great place to start to build lesson plans and create digital museum visits. Also, this resource is designed to be explored by a wide range of grade levels allowing for organic exploration and learning. their Map is a great example of this.
On the map you will see interactive red and yellow dots across the screen. You can zoom in and out of the whole map and left click and drag to move the screen. When you click on these dots a new side screen appears with information about that collection, resource, or object located in the museum.
This page will have buttons on the right hand side with additional resources and information about the object. Not all resources are available for each piece:
- Watch: Videos about the piece or activities responding to the work
- Listen: Audio information on the piece.
- Discover: Detailed information on the inspiration or context of the work along with how it was made.
- Imagine: A prompt for the viewer on ideas to consider with the work.
- Create: Description of an activity that uses the piece as inspiration.
- Even More: Exhibition brochures and handouts.
The Time Machine is a great way to explore the collection if you are studying a particular time period or area of the world. Viewers can mix and match the 3 categories (Time Periods, Geography ,Big Ideas) and then hit the start button. This will bring up objects from the museum’s collection that fit into the parameters you selected. When you click on one of the objects it returns you to the same side screen that is brought up in the Map feature.
If you are looking for just video resources this is the best place to go. Like the previous pages, Video has their resources broken into different categories so you can easily find just what you are looking for.
- Create: Tutorials on art and creative activities.
- Q&A: Questions from kids to the museum’s staff, artists, and experts.
- Made by Kids: Animations produced by participants of their Animation Lab.
- Celebrate: Documentation of past events at the museum.
- All: All the Above
As stated on the page their Blog highlights the above resources and when new things have been added along with additional activities.
This page is a one-stop-shop of all the resources that are currently available for patrons to explore from home. This curated page makes it simple to see all they offer and easily find what they are looking for. Here you will find:
- Primers: Concise resources on different topics.
- The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: “The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History pairs essays and works of art with chronologies, telling the story of art and global culture through the Museum’s collection.”
- Blogs
- Audio Guides
- Publications
- Conservation: Videos on conservation efforts by the museum’s staff.
- 360° Videos: Exhibition and gallery views.
- The Met Collection
- From the Vaults: Videos from the museum’s moving image archive.
- MetCollects: New acquisitions.
- The Artist Project: Artist interviews on their creative process.
- Met Stories: Personal stories from patrons of The Met.
- 82nd & Fifth: Curator talks about different pieces in the collection.
- Connections: Interviews if staff from all departments on the museum’s collection.
- Lectures, Talks, and Performances: Archive of past events.
Additionally, this page has links to updates on the Museum’s Closure and their participation in the the Google project Google Arts and Culture. This resource has online exhibitions to virtually explore from home.
Read it or Weep 