Flash vs. Class

November 14, 2019 by Taylor Studios in General

Comparing two museum exhibits is usually an apples to
oranges exercise. Location, target audience, subject matter, size, budget, age
of the exhibits, and a plethora of other factors contribute to our opinion of
what makes an exhibit successful. Usually, these vary too greatly from museum
to museum for easy comparison. This summer I was fortunate to find two apples.

The Jade Museum (Museo de Jade) and the Pre-Columbian Gold
Museum (Museo del Oro Precolombino) in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, are
remarkably similar on paper. Located just four blocks from one another, both
are centered around an extensive collection of artifacts made from a single
material. Both museums use these artifacts to teach a mixed audience of
tourists and locals about indigenous Costa Rican cultures. Founded in 1977, The
Jade Museum resides in a building constructed specifically to house it in 2014.
The Gold Museum grew out of the Costa Rican Central Bank Museum and was
renovated around the same time that the Jade Museum moved into its new
building. Here the similarities end, and where these two institutions have
chosen to focus their resources provides a valuable lesson.

Everything about the Jade Museum is impressive and flashy. Its
modern building is designed around a central atrium ringed by galleries. The
sheer abundance of technology, from touch screens to projection mapping, hints
at a large exhibit budget. However, it became clear that while many resources
had been put toward technology and aesthetics, fundamentals such as
interpretation and visitor flow had been neglected. The Gold Museum was also impressive,
but, in contrast to the Jade Museum, it was also informative, providing a clear,
narrative context to the objects on display and a far superior visitor
experience.

Compare the two contrasting approaches below:

Information on these artifacts in the entry of the Jade Museum is located on a single touchscreen display.

The introductory gallery to the Jade Museum greets the visitor with a wall of artifacts in a sleek, glowing case, but the only information about these pieces is displayed through a single touch screen interface. Which piece lines up with what information? Why are they grouped together in the main gallery? Who made them? How would a large group learn about these objects simultaneously? I still don’t know.

The entrance of San Jose’s Gold Museum greets its patrons with artifacts and information that introduce the museum’s major themes.

The Gold Museum begins with the arrival of humans to Central America. It’s clear we’ll be following the stories of indigenous peoples through objects they’ve created.

A display of artifacts at the Jade Museum but with little text to inform of their context.

An impressive collection of pottery in beautiful wooden cases. But why is it in the Jade Museum? Again, the only information is contained in a touch screen in the corner of the room.

The information patrons seek should be located on this touch screen display. Unfortunately, the system is crashed.

And it’s crashed.

Printed text and graphics at the Gold Museum help to clearly tell the story of Costa Rican indigenous peoples.

Conversely, each section in the Gold Museum has a theme with a consistent color and design, always beginning with an image of the local way of life at the time for context. It’s clear why we’re starting with stone artifacts.

An impressive and colorful display at the Jade Museum in it’s version of the story of Costa Rican indigenous peoples.

Wow! These backlit panels in the “Day” gallery of the Jade Museum are certainly impressive. But what does this pottery have to do with jade, or the rain forest? What are these objects?

A few touch screens are scattered around the Jade Museum to educate patrons of the history behind the artifacts in its collection.

Again, the only information about these artifacts is contained in the single functioning touch screen.

Some difficult to read sentences like this are not an effective way for patrons to get the information they need to comprehend the story being told.

Except when there is inexplicably a block of 8pt. type sometimes.

One of the few touch screens included in the Gold Museum exhibit offers an interactive upgrade to those who choose to participate.

Audio-visual elements are used sparingly in the Gold Museum, and they always provide optional information for those who want to watch. Notice that the duration is listed, and the interaction is a simple start/restart button.

An example of how the Gold Museum explains the history and significance of the artifacts on display through printed text and graphic imagery.

In the Gold Museum it’s also made clear why certain objects are grouped together, and how they fit into the larger exhibit context.

Artifacts on display in the open at the Jade Museum that must not be touched.

The Jade Museum contains many interactive elements and touchable objects, but don’t touch these! There’s a small sticker on one pedestal (and guards in every gallery) to let you know.

An example of how the Gold Museum tells its patrons what they can and cannot touch.

Meanwhile, the Gold Museum makes it clear: if you are physically able to touch it, you’re allowed to.

Life-like figures offer a snapshot into what history has told us about the everyday lives of the Costa Rican indigenous peoples.

Indigenous peoples are depicted solely from a historical, anthropological point of view in the Jade Museum.

The Gold Museum represents indigenous people through modern narratives and videos of how their lives has evolved through present day.

Narratives about the evolving lives of indigenous Costa Rican peoples are woven throughout the Gold Museum. A video gallery tells the stories of contemporary indigenous individuals while a projection mapping shows the home regions of the group of each speaker.

This temporary exhibit at the Jade Museum is visually and contextually in contrast with the rest of the museum.

A temporary exhibit space in the Jade Museum allows for fresh content for repeat visitors, but the aesthetics of the space are completely different and the content is of questionable relevance. 20th century Russian paintings are loosely tied to Costa Rica generally, but with no ties to pre-Columbian culture or jade.

This temporary exhibit at the Gold Museum looks and feels like the central theme represented throughout the rest of the museum.

A temporary art exhibit by a contemporary Costa Rican artist
exploring similar themes to the rest of the exhibits concludes the Gold Museum.

Both the Jade Museum and the Gold Museum have remarkably
similar subject matter and goals, and both institutions clearly spent a lot of
money to create these exhibits. The success of the Gold Museum shows the value
of visitor experience and interpretive consistency over the flash of the
glowing Jade Museum.