Today's DAR
During this “not-so-normal” year DAR Museum staff have been hard at work sharing numerous programs and collection items with the public virtually. During a “normal” year, museum staff would be wrapping up the development of the next year’s exhibit in order to start production and installation in January.
New Virtual Offerings from the DAR Museum
However, 2020 has not been a “normal” year by any definition of the word. Rather, we have been preparing to extend the current exhibition, Illuminating Design: The Decoration and Technology of E. F. Caldwell and Company, 1859-1959, through 2021. Additionally, museum curators and education staff have been hard at work making parts of the collection and exhibitions available virtually. Among the many things we have been working include a virtual exhibit and making collection information accessible in a new app.
Illuminating Design: The Decoration and Technology of E. F. Caldwell and Company, 1859-1959, opened to the public back in March but the gallery doors immediately closed when the world began to socially distance. Though we were working from home, the exhibition curators began sharing parts of the exhibition virtually through social media. We also began working with our web development vendor, New Target, to design and launch a virtual version of the physical exhibition.
This online exhibition will allow visitors view every object in the exhibition and read each of the labels. Scroll through the timeline to learn more about how the company was founded and how it grew. You will also be able to share your favorite parts of the exhibit on social media by simply clicking one of the icons on the side of the page. Visit the site today to learn more about the shining work of E. F. Caldwell and Co.
Another virtual project we trialed this summer was the museum’s participation in the app Smartify, the world’s largest museum app. This smartphone app allows users to learn more about objects in the collection whether in the building or in their own homes. Users can scan any object in the collection with their phone camera while using the app to view the object’s catalog entry.
As a partner in this app, the DAR Museum will make its collection available to guests far and wide beginning this January. Portions of the collection will be made accessible on the app throughout the beginning of the year. Browsing the collection is also possible for those who cannot visit the museum in person.
Additionally, audio tours and links to the DAR Museum Shop will be available to anyone who downloads the app. Check back regularly for different audio tours or see the latest merchandise in the DAR Museum Shop. This innovative tool is already reaching users around the world and will continue to do so as we roll out more collection items over the next year.
As the DAR Museum staff continue to work hard from home to bring you the programs, tours, and collection items we all wish you could see in person, check back regularly to see what new and interesting things the museum has to share.
