Hmmm.... I confess there's a part of me that's a little irritated by this, like: Oh, please -- grow up and just go to the museum, already, people. Do you really need to pay $50 to have someone rope you into goofy games in the galleries? Are you so "alternative" that you can't just go inside the Met and look around at the mind-blowing art like the rest of us? (Or play your own goofy games, if that's what turns you on? Goofy games are awesome; I have been known to instigate quite a few of them myself...)
I'm also bothered by the implication that the museum itself is incapable of doing stuff that's "fun" or "awesome" -- these folks cast the institution in the role of fuddy duddy snooze-mongers, a traditionalist backdrop for their wacky hipster antics. I feel like we spend enough time countering this "stuffy" image of ourselves -- often propagated by people who quite openly say they don't like museums and never go to them -- it's frustrating to see it reinforced (for someone else's profit) here.
I do recognize that my "Oh, grow up" attitude probably comes off as elitist and condescending... which is of course highly off-putting for potential visitors who already feel intimidated or uncomfortable in museums. I know some folks do need an extra invitation to relax and enjoy themselves in these spaces I love so much. Mostly I want to work on addressing those kinds of barriers for *underprivileged* people, however... which ($50) doesn't seem to be the target audience for Museum Hack.
With all of that said... I suppose if there are people who are willing and able to cough up the dough, and if their statue selfie games aren't bothering the other visitors, and (especially) if it's bringing in people who wouldn't otherwise come -- well, why not? These tours do look like fun! I'd be curious to see what exactly they're doing/saying, and what if anything could be incorporated into the museum's "regular" repertoire.
Would love to hear other people's thoughts -- has anyone been on one of these outings?
Mikala
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Mikala Woodward
Exhibit Developer
Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
Seattle WA
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