Listen to the Music

As much as I do not want to spend the rest of my career in Visitor Services, I do often get to do really interesting things. Yesterday I accompanied a group of musicians called the Sixth Floor Trio through the museum while they performed "random acts of culture,." They set up in a gallery and then played a song.

The music had a definite impact on those who heard it. Empty galleries would soon become crowded when the music started. And when they played in the Great Stair Hall, people gathered along the balcony to listen. A few clapped when the music ended.

I love the idea of a roving band of musicians playing the galleries. They had the ability to choose galleries that fit songs in their repertoire. With any luck, the memory of the music will help to reinforce the visitor's memory of their experience at the museum. And, hopefully, the music improved their overall experience and they will soon return.

Narrow Stairs

I read this post today on the Center for the Future of Museums blog and had to share.

Please take the stairs! The Philadelphia Museum of Art has plenty of stairs, even apart from the ones that Rocky conquered. Not only does taking the stairs have a health benefit but it also provides a view of the museums lobbies that the elevators simply do not provide. Even better, when you take the stairs from the ground floor to the first floor you get the best possible viewing of Marc Chagall's A Wheatfield on a Summer Afternoon. Whether you like Chagall or not (I, personally, do not, but I do love this particular painting) this size of this painting and the brightness of the colors will take your breath away.

So give the stairs a shot. You may be surprised by what you see.