The Museum of Photographic Arts in California is changing the way visitors experience exhibits. As technology continues to evolve, artists are finding new ways to display their talent. To keep up with changing times, the museum will be making changes to how art is presented and will begin using QR codes to achieve this goal. Museum director, Deborah Klochko, likens this use of new technology to the time when photographic processes were first introduced back in 1839.
“There was an excitement about the importance of what photography could provide,” says Klochko. She is sure that history is repeating itself in the form of QR codes and other ways to express art.
Eager to move ahead, Klochko has received grants from the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Arts to help incorporate new technologies into the museum. The money will help redefine the Museum of Photographic Arts and move it into the next century.
Several exhibits throughout the museum feature QR codes that, when scanned by a smart phone, resolve to online content. The content varies depending on who owns the code. Some link to online galleries or portfolios, while others link to fan pages on Facebook. Klochko is sure that the Internet is no longer a place to obtain information like it had been in years past. The Internet is now an interactive melting pot and QR codes allow for artists to achieve much more exposure than ever before.
The museum has other long term projects that are designed to carry it further into the future. Along with these new initiatives, the Museum of Photographic Arts will be revealing its new logo later this month.
