Otis Eliot Pope, Jr.

Tate Modern website presents an interesting collection of works of art online, from photos to abstract paintings to unique sculptures. That said, the website suffers from a number of problems that take away from the stunning collection of works of artistic expression on display. The home page layout of the website is cluttered. The online exhibits offer varying levels of access to the viewer. The paintings within the website are not well organized. As a result, the Tate Modern museum’s digital art collection cannot be fully appreciated.

The Tate Modern museum’s home page is lacking in a number of areas.

• The website does not have a section that explains the museum’s mission statement, goals or aims. Because of this omission, the viewer is forced to figure out what the museum represents.
• Larger font and bold lettering should have been used to describe the current and future exhibits at the Tate Modern museum.
• The website is inconsistent in how it displays its artwork. For example, Burke and Norfolk photographs from the Afghanistan War, which depicts a boy in front of two cars, lacks detail. The viewer of the photo cannot fully comprehend it because the picture does not include a zoom in feature.

The Tate Modern museum’s website, however, has several positive attributes. Exhibits such as “Out of Place” show black and white photos of four artists from diverse political and social backgrounds. The zoom in feature allows the viewer to appreciate the fine points of each photograph. Upcoming events at the Tate are displayed, from a selection of avant garde films at the Martial Theatre to seminars on the “Secret of Space.” Also, information on workshops and information seminars are clearly exhibited. Links that provide information on the Apathy Complex and Artists Technique and Methods courses give people the opportunity to enroll in these enrichment classes. Finally, attending talks and discussions at the museum can be arranged by clicking on a link. These characteristics provide the viewer with a wide arrangement of different educational programs available at the museum.

While the Tate Modern museum website has an incredible amount of information, its organizational and stylistic flaws makes it difficult to access all of the content presented on the website. With a few modifications, this website has the potential to be a great educational tool for anyone interested in learning about modern art from around the world.

German style board games have always intrigued me. Developed in the mid-1970s, these types of board games focus less on luck and more on planning, resource management and group interaction. After reading rave reviews about these games over the years, I finally broke down and bought one a few months ago. Entitled Tikal, the game is named after a Pre Columbian Maya Civilization archaeological site. The game’s central objective is to amass as many points as possible by building temples and gathering treasure tokens. The player that has the most points at the end of the final round wins. Playing Tikal has been fun. There is a significant level of strategy involved within the game that keeps it interesting. Once you figure out the directions to the game, it moves quickly. Because of these qualities, the replay value of Tikal is high.

Considering the amount of time I have spent playing Tikal over the past month and a half, I decided it would be cool to create an online archive of the various components of it. Using omeka, an online exhibit website, I catalogued 15 pieces of the game. For each item that I archived, a picture of the item was taken and data points about the pieces were uploaded. I realized two things as I entered data onto the website. Some data points were objective while others were subjective in nature. Objective data such as an item’s date of origin simply highlighted particular facts about an object. This type of information was not open to examination. Data points that were subjective allowed for a variety of interpretations. Tikal tile cards are indicative of this type of data point. Describing tile cards could be done in a multitude of ways. The physicality of the tile card could be explained. The significance of the tile cards within the game can be addressed. Tactics for tile card placements could be analyzed. Simply put, there are a variety of ways to explain this important game piece. Subjective data points can be manipulated in ways that objective data points cannot be. That said, each type of data point has its advantages and disadvantages. Listed below are a few of them.

Subjectivity

Pros
• A range of interpretations is available for data points
• Data points are complex

Cons
• Distortion of data points are possible

Objective

Pros
• Simple to understand and easy to grasp concept
• Accuracy of data point is indisputable

Cons
• Lacks complexity

For more information on German style board games, click on this linkto go to my website entitled Eliot’s Tikal.

Simplicity, accessibility and distinctiveness are key elements of a successful museum website. The Imperial War Museum website illustrates all of these attributes. The IWM consists of five museums: the IWM of London; the IWM of Manchester; IWM of Cambridgeshire; The Churchill War Rooms of Whitehall; and HMS Belfast, situated on the Thames River in London. Together, these five museum websites offer a wealth of information on the British war effort during the 20th century. As a result, the viewer of the website is left with an incredible amount of information about British warfare, from British strategy to tools of war used to defend itself.

The IWM website’s ease of use is arguably its greatest feature. The home page of the IWM gives the viewer information on what the museums offer, including how to take advantage of tours and how to make a donation. Also, general information about them is presented, from the price of admittance to the types of artifacts currently exhibited at the museums. For teachers, historical notes for World War I and II are provided, giving educators an overview of key themes and concepts on British warfare.

Visual imagery within the website is another great characteristic. Winston Churchill War Rooms, one of the five IWM museum websites, highlights this point. While a number of different mediums are used, video clips are the most effective means used to convey the experiences of the Prime Minister during the war. The map room, communication center, Churchill’s war cabinet room and his personal bedroom are exhibited within them. A video by Director Phil Reed of the Winston Churchill War Rooms emphasizes this point. In the communication room, Reed highlights a speech Winston Churchill gave on September 11, 1940 that galvanized the British people to fight against Germany. From his communications room, Churchill stated to the British people “This man Hitler is trying to terrorize our nation. The old and new world, the British and Americans, are going to get together and sort him out.” These videos enable the viewer to appreciate more intimately the experience of Winston Churchill orchestrating the British war effort from below. More importantly, these words, coupled with images of the desk and chair that Churchill used to give this inspiring speech, reaffirms the historical significance of Winston Churchill’s leadership during England’s darkest hour.

Lastly, the IWM at Duxford website not only provides amazing visual imagery, but is also packed with mesmerizing paintings and intriguing artifacts from the war. Royal Air Force’s contribution to the war effort is highlighted in a number of unique ways within the website. Paintings such as Leslie Cole’s Malta: Fighters take off from Luca’s bombed runaway underscores the noteworthy contribution they made to the war effort. Items like the Hurricane Rolls Royce Piston Aero Engine demonstrates the craftsmanship developed by British engineers. These historical objects reveal British determination to defend itself at all cost.

So, even if you do not make it to the Imperial War Museum, you owe it to your self to check out this fascinating website. In doing so, you will be left with an inspiring story of British ingenuity, courage and resourcefulness in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Flickr has successfully expanded upon the concept of the photo album. Before Flickr, people would take their old photos and insert them into a photo album. This process of organizing a photo album would take hours. Flickr is a game changer for organizing photos because it is efficient and incredibly versatile. By simply downloading their pictures from their digital cameras to their computer, people can take these pictures and upload them into their Flickr album. In doing so, people are now able to organize and edit their pictures in a variety of new and different ways.

Flickr is great for a number of reasons. When I opened the website and clicked explore, I was able to view all of these various pictures from around the world, including pictures from the London Underground Train System. I lived in London for a year while I was an undergraduate student and used the London train system frequently. Viewing these pictures transported me back to my past in London. One photo that highlighted a sign stating “MIND THE GAP” brought back memories from my past.  I remember reading that sign each time I stepped on the train to go to school or social function in London.

Flickr is also a great way to learn about other cultures. Looking through pictures of Eastern European countries like Georgia gave me a glimpse into another world and its culture. The sights and smells of this unique country came to life through pictures of little boys in the Georgia country side playing soccer. Pictures of the Cloud Gate are put on display, enabling people from around the world to appreciate a piece of Chicago’s public art. Flickr, in this sense, has become a window into various communities and cultures from around the world.

This is a blog for HIST 479 that looks at exhibits and their emotional impact on audiences. Andrea Witcomb‘s “The Materiality of Virtual Technologies” highlights the impact multimedia exhibits have on a person’s emotions. As Witcomb put it, “The installation works through what Ross Gibson (2004) has described as the museum’s power to affect alteration. This is a process whereby the museum visitor undergoes a change from unknowing to knowing, from partial to holistic comprehension.” Emotions are vital to unlocking the real meaning of exhibits. With it, people are able to access the true significance of an exhibit. As a result, the holistic comprehension generated by emotions is a fascinating concept that deserves further exploration.

The emotional investment created by multimedia exhibits within its audience brings to light a number of questions. Do multimedia exhibits evoke a deeper awareness for the viewer than an analog display? How important is the viewer’s emotional response to an exhibit? If a person does not create an emotional connection with an exhibit, does this mean it was a failure? What role should emotions play in the construction of an exhibit?

In my opinion, the purpose of exhibits at museums is to teach. Since emotional responses created by exhibits are pivotal to the museum experience, feelings should be taken into consideration as displays are designed. If this trend took hold, exhibits would become more memorable and their impact on their audience would be greater. Hence, the interpretation of content and its emotional impact are paramount to the effectiveness of an exhibit.

After following my columns on Tweetdeck for a few days, I have come to several conclusions. Quality of information varied between the columns that I followed. Most columns were informative. A few, however, were useless, amounting to nothing more than random thoughts. Museum columns tended to be more academic in nature, providing the reader with facts and figures on specific objects on display at the museum. Columns that followed specific individuals advanced ideas and concepts that they supported. In short, each column had its own unique personality.

The museum columns that I followed were the most useful. The Field Museum column, for example, provided me with a wealth of information. Engagement packages for couples offered at the museum were advertised. A person can propose to his bride at the Grainger Hall of Gems, one of the many exhibits at the Field Museum, for a set fee. The rare Emperor of India Butterfly was publicized in another Tweetdeck post, offering the reader a glimpse at this beautiful butterfly temporarily on display. Like the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry column offered some valuable information. One post offered free coupons to the museum, while another commemorated 40 years of African American creativity within the sciences. The Museum of Science and Industry column even posted a description of a job available at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. To be fair, not every museum column Tweetdeck post was relevant. Some useless declarative statements like “mammals and whales, just a day at the Field Museum” did appear. This, however, was an anomaly. The majority of information presented within the museum columns did serve a purpose.

Tweetdeck columns on particular academics proved to be valuable, too. Eddie Glaude, Department Chair of African American Studies at Princeton University, column illustrates this point. A link to Glaude’s “Pragmatic Reconstructions: The Prophetic, The Heroic and the Democratic” lecture series is provided within the column. Through this lecture series, Glaude’s ideas on Democracy, civic engagement and America’s political system are brought into focus. Further, a review on Glaude’s keynote speech on the meaning of Martin Luther King’s legacy to America is addressed. More to the point, Glaude’s column laid out his political and ideological beliefs succinctly.

The majority of columns that I tracked were wonderful. Each time I scrolled down a column I learned something new. Whether it was being exposed to a new interpretation of Martin Luther King’s legacy or stumbling upon a coupon offering free admittance into the Museum of Science and Industry, I found reading the columns refreshing and worthwhile.

Patricia Crain’s “Children of Media, Children as Media” is an informative yet problematic examination of Joseph Lancaster’s system for cultural replication. At the beginning of the article, Crain explains how Lancaster’s “missionary impulse” to teach less fortunate children in Jamaica informed his later work in education. As a result of this experience, Lancaster set out to create a system to ‘acculturate’ immigrant children in America. Lancaster’s delegation technique, a method that uses older students to teach younger students, is an example of one of his revolutionary idea used to teach immigrant students. Crain describes the technique as ground breaking, even though he later suggests his rival Andrew Bell created the same innovation.

Other innovations like classroom layouts that maximize a teacher’s ability to observe every student are highlighted. Crain uses a floor plan from Manual of the Lancasterian System to help the reader visualize Lancaster’s ideal class room plan. While Crain does an effective job of illustrating this point, he does not point out the inherent problem in Lancaster’s idea. Student behavior is controlled less through the environment and more through the relationship forged between the students and their teacher.

Crain’s article is successful in some ways. His treatment of language and the Cherokee tribe is fascinating. Letters Indians wrote to their white ‘benefactors’ is layered with meaning. The letters showcase the Indians as walking advertisements for missionary projects that used Lancaster’s teaching model. They are portrayed as being ‘successfully’ civilized. Above all, Native American children are produced within a mode of communication to create a desired outcome.

Nevertheless, Crain’s article was at once interesting and compelling. His treatment of Lancaster’s education techniques imposed upon Native Americans brings up a number of issues that demand further examination. How did Lancaster’s education model affect modern day education practices? To what extent, did his practices help to assimilate Native American Indians? Was their a backlash to Lancaster’s methods? While Crain did not address these issues, this article has laid a foundation for him to further explore these and other issues related to missionary work, Native Americans, acculturation and education techniques.