OMA Visitor Using iVE.
Image courtesy of the
Orlando Museum of Art.
I didual
N o Experience(iVE):
The iPod as an EducationalTool
in the Museum
BY LAURA LOPEZ, DANNY DANEAU,
SUSAN MERRILL ROSOFF, AND KRISTIN G. CONGDON
Some
art can seem so far removed from our everyday experiences that it is hard to understand. Contemporary art and art
from cultures foreign to our own can be especially difficult.
In 2006, using the iPod as an educational tool, University of
Central Florida (UCF) graduate film students Laura Lopez and Danny
Daneau worked with artist Edouard Duval-Carri6, UCF professor
Kristin Congdon, and Orlando Museum of Art education curator
Susan Rosoff, to develop short video clips that were used to contextualize his exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). This article
explores some of the ways that technology is being used to enhance
educational programs in art exhibitions and how Lopez and Daneau's
videocasts might be used to help educate viewers about art.
JANUARY 2008 / ART EDUCATION
13
Museum Education
According to Dipti Desai (2000), because
valued and expnsive works of art are
associated with people ih have wealth and
with our top museums, wany people believe
that what is exbited is "tI history, values,
beliefs, and idenities ... of ertain powerful
groups in socie (p. 119)AWhen these works
of art are studie in our universities,
reproduced in hoks, in calendars, and on
postcards, theyome to be ipresentations of
the lives and identities of not only a small
group of powerul people, Liat they become
representations of culture, our culture in
general. "Furthermore:' as Desai claims,
",'museums' own collections which are not
only [seen as] Dational tresures, but are
considered treasures of humanity" (p. 119).
The iPod's ability to play
video provided the
perfect new technology
to both see and hear the
artist discuss details of
his work ... It allowed
visitors to see short video
clips of the artist and two
scholars as they explain
the artwork. In a sense,
the iPod became a talking
text panel for the work in
the exhibition.
14
ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 2008
When museums display artworks from
cultures foreign to many visitors, education
is important so that appropriate understanding is possible. Teaching about religious
experiences related to art may be especially
difficult. In 1972, Graeme Chalmers pointed
out the importance of dealing with various
kinds of human experience, including that
which is related to religion. He wrote, "If art
is the 'creation of forms symbolic of human
feeling: then students of art must attempt to
analyze the human feelings symbolized in
the art they study, by discovering the ways
art has been used to reinforce beliefs,
customs and values-religious and secular"
(p. 284). Ralph Smith (1983) agreed, writing
that teaching about other cultures needs to
be done without "self-deception, distortion,
and the telling of half-truths" (p. 31). Ernesto
Pujol (2001) claimed that, long before
curatorial departments, museum educators
dealt with multi-cultural issues and the
changing demographics in the United States.
He said, "Museum educators deserve much
praise for their hard work, which often faced
resistance from curators still washing their
hands of the diversity mandate" (p. 5). OMKs
education department works continuously to
find new ways of educating visitors and
presenting diverse ideas about art as they
encourage the museum to present works
from many cultural groups.
OMA presented Divine Revolution: The
Art of EdouardDuval-Carrigin the fall of
2006. The Museum's interest in contemporary art and its goal of presenting programs
that reach diverse and inclusive audiences
were both addressed through this exhibition.
However, OMA also wanted to raise the
number of young visitors to the Museum
with this exhibition. Education Curator
Susan Rosoff understood that Duval-Carrie's
work would appeal to teenagers and young
adults if they took the time to try to
understand it.
Duval-Carri6's art focuses on the multifaceted history of his native Haiti and celebrates
the spiritual energy that endures there. It was
important for Museum visitors to understand
the rich symbolism, allegory, and personal
memories embedded in his visual images.
To facilitate insight into the many layers of
complexity in Duval-Carries paintings, it
seemed necessary to take the traditional
museum audio tour or podcast (a digital
media file distributed over the Internet) a step
further. The iPod's ability to play video
provided the perfect new technology to both
see and hear the artist discuss details of his
work. So the iVE (individual Video
Experience) was born. It allowed visitors to
see short video clips of the artist and two
scholars as they explain the artwork. In a
sense, the iPod became a talking text panel
for the work in the exhibition.
Technology in The "New"
Museum
Museums are both leading the way and
following new trends in using technology to
educate visitors. Douglas Davis (2005) wrote
about the new museum as one that is decentered in that it "gives primacy to its
program, not its material condition or
geographical place" (p. 75). One way this decentering is facilitated is through the use of
new media as "the entire curatorial community is aware that the interactive digital access
provided by the Web must be central, not
marginal, in its thinking" (p. 75).
Audio guides are part of museums'
educational practices. The Guggenheim staff
claims they use gallery guides to help educate
visitors, partly because so many of museum
participants are angry about contemporary
art because it is difficult to understand (Loos,
2006, p. 23). Visitors do not have the
necessary context to understand what they
see when they look at newer works. OMA's
staff knew this would be true for the majority
of visitors to the Duval-Carri6 exhibition.
Duval-Carri('s art, which reflects the soul
of Haiti, is a colorful blend of African,
European, and Caribbean influences. The
artwork encompasses multiple aspects of the
Haitian experience. Duval-CarriE's themes
range from slavery and migration to heroes of
the 1804 Haitian revolution and the Vodou
pantheon. His images are rich in allegory and
full of paradox, making it especially important to understand Duval-Carrie's symbolic
universe. Rosoff was therefore open to using
new technology to help visitors decode the
artist's language.
The public is just beginning to explore the
many ways the iPod can be used. For
example, Kara Shallenberg, who is used to
reading books to her son Henry, expanded
her audience by placing her readings on the
Web so they can be downloaded on iPods all
over the world (Silverman, 2006). Lopez and
Daneau suggested to Rosoff that iPods with
video screens could be used as an educational
tool in museums. They felt that the medium
would feel familiar to younger audiences. Just
as Shallenberg's reading to one person was
expanded to many with the use of the iPod,
experiencing a tour by artists and other
context providers has now become possible
with the birth of the iPod.
According to Randy Kennedy, who recently
wrote in The New York Times (May 19, 2006),
Above left: La Ddpart
(The Departure), 1996,
by Edouard Duval-Carri6.
Above right: La Traversse
(The Crossing), 1996, by
Edouard Duval-Carri6.
Left: L'emprise du Funestee
Baron (The Influence of the
DisastrousBaron), 1996, by
Edouard Duval-Carri6.
All three from Milocan,
ou La Migration des Esprits.
Oil on canvas in artist's frame.
Collection of the Bass
Museum of Art. Gift of
Dr. Jean Claude Conpass.
"Museum podcasts ... have taken off,
changing the look and feel of audio tours at
places ranging from the venerable, like the
Met and the Victoria and Albert ... the
Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art
Center and 'virtually unknownd museums"
(p. E25). Kennedy reported that for Peter
Samis, the San Francisco Museum of Modern
JANUARY 2008 / ART EDUCATION
15
Laura Lopez
checks lighting
for the filming
of Edouard
Duval-Carrie.
Danny Daneau
setting up for the
filming of Edouard
Duval-CarriL.
The iVE project, however, deals with
very short video clips that are not
intended to be the focus of the museum
exhibition. Rather, they function like
live didactic panels or a tour lead by the
artist and experts in art and religion.
16
ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 2008
Art's associate curator for interpretation, one
goal was "not just to create a new kind of
audio tour but also to free the audio tour
from the confines of the museum." The
videocasts (iVE) created by Lopez and
Daneau that are connected to the DuvalCarri6 exhibition have also broadened both
the time and place in which visitors can enjoy
and learn about the artwork. Viewers can
contemplate the ideas and images presented
before, during, or after they leave the
museum as well as view them without a
museum visit.
The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM)
created a multimedia iPod tour in June 2006
for the exhibition, Remote Viewing (Invented
Worlds in Recent Paintingand Drawing).
According to Louise Cameron, Head of
Interpretation, stops on the tour were
designed to help visitors explore the
paintings in the exhibition through the words
of the eight participating artists. A video
featured each artist, and audio-only guides
contained 16 segments related to works of art
in the exhibition. There were also interviews
with the artists conducted by telephone.
SLAM director Brent Benjamin and curator
for the exhibition Robin Clark provided
additional narration.
At first, 15% of SLAM's visitors made use
of the tour. However, when more assistance
became available on how to use the iPod,
usage went up to 40%. The Museum shared
their iPod tour with museum educators at a
conference on "Learning in Museums." A few
museum educators voiced concern that the
tour "got between me and the art" However,
the Saint Louis Art Museum had 98%
positive feedback about the iPod tour from
its visitors. Based on the success of the first
iPod tour, the Saint Louis Art Museum
created another for New Ireland: Art of the
South Pacific, which opened in October 2006.
This tour, unlike the first, could be downloaded from iTunes as well as watched on the
Museum's website (personal communication
with S. Rosoff, September 22, 2006).
In Orlando, Lopez and Daneau began their
iPod work in January 2006. Recognizing the
iPod's potential for the art museum, they
approached their professor, Kristin Congdon,
with the idea. A partnership with UCF's
Cultural Heritage Alliance, the School of
Film and Digital Media, OMA, and their
company, DoraMedia, was quickly formed.
Edouard Duval-Carri6 embraced the idea,
and Lopez and Daneau began filming.
Congdon, Professor of Film and Philosophy,
and Claudia Schippert, Assistant Professor of
Humanities and Religious Studies at UCF,
were also filmed to help provide content
information. Chantale Fontaine, Lead Web
Designer for the Cultural Heritage Alliance,
designed the webpage and uploaded the
video.
The Independent Video
Experience (iVE)
Daneau and Lopez conceived the project
through discussions of the latest trends in
video technology. In October 2005, the
television program Lost offered episodes for
download at the iTunes store. This opened a
new distribution channel, one that also
provided a possibility for distribution into
mobile technology.
The iPod continues to increase in popularity with adults, teenagers, and even young
children. The iPod Nano was the number one
electronic item on wish lists during the 2005
Christmas holiday season in the United
States (Shopping in America, 2005). The iPod
practically became a necessity for youth on
college campuses and with adults in major
metropolitan centers around the country
(Shopping in America, 2005).
Lopez and Daneau were enthusiastic about
technology's ability to transfer information
quickly. Television was rapidly changing as
production of short content segments
accompanied by text and behind-the- scenes
footage continued. The presentation of
varying perspectives on a topic shaped the
nature of the visual mediator. Both filmmakers sensed the upcoming generation's
desire for information about all kinds of
subjects. The UCF School of Film and Digital
Media encouraged its students to innovate
based on existing technology. Courses that
explore the importance of different ways of
seeing and opportunities for transmedia,(a
buzz word that implies the convergence of
multiple medias for a single purpose or goal)
and content creation challenge core traditional storytelling curriculum.
Brainstorming led Lopez and Daneau to
create a new media company, DoraMedia,
with a mission of offering an innovative way
to present customized content with a primary
emphasis in mobile video technology.
DoraMedia set off to create its pilot project,
a mobile video museum tour. Museums
around the country used large and uninviting
mp3 players for their audio tours. The
filmmakers decided to create unique short
video clips that allowed the museum patron
to perceived the art in a more personal way.
They established several criteria for content
creation: The level of language to be used
would address the everyday museum visitor.
The length of the video clips would be short
(an average time of 30 seconds) in order to
keep a participant's interest and allow for the
viewer to select topics of interest. The
interviews of Duval-Carri6, Congdon, and
Schippert would anticipate the visitor/iPod
user's desire for content information based
on themes and formal issues in the artist's
work, his insight into the creative process,
and contextual perspectives on Haitian
history and religion.
Daneau and Lopez did preliminary
research about the spiritual content of DuvalCarri6's Vodou-themed pieces with the
support of Schippert. To develop an
understanding of the intent of the exhibition
and develop thematic topics that could be
examined, Daneau and Lopez met with
Rosoff and Kalis, curators of the OMA
exhibition. Daneau and Lopez then traveled
to Miami to interview the artist. When they
returned, they had a wealth of knowledge
that they would analyze for their future work
on the video clips. The artist's provocative
themes, colorful palette, and charming
presence dn camera were key elements for
the success of theiVE.
Lopez and Daneau filmed interviews with
Duval-Carri6 three times in his Miami,
Florida studio. Filming of Schippert, who
added perspectives on theo Haitian spiritual
content, took place at UCE Filming of
Congdon, who provided humanities and art
historical background, took place at OMA,
as did the filming of Kalis, who gave a
welcoming introduction. Having the artist
and scholars provided the museum patrons
with multiple viewpoints on the artwork. In
total there were over 50 different video
segments, providing multiple perspectives for
every piece in the exhibition. These clips
linked to a specific work of art and focused
on a theme or idea. The goal was to construct
a journey in which museum patrons could
easily seek and find information that was as
engaging as it was revealing.
The Use of iVE in the Gallery
George Hein, in Museums: Places of
Learning (1998), cited research by
Merriam and Caffarella suggesting, "that
adults are eager to learn, although often
not in formal learning settings, that they
need to exercise considerable control over
their learning opportunities, and that the
relevance of the setting to their perceived
needs and previous knowledge is crucial"
(pp. 20-21). Because visitors could select
what they wanted to know from concentrated information, they had many
different entry points and could (1)
control what they wanted to learn, and
(2) process the information according to
their own learning style. Having three
narrators with differing points of view
also gave visitors a chance to construct
meaning and draw conclusions that were
uniquely their own.
Visitors either brought their own iPod
with the program already downloaded or
checked out an iPod and headphones
from the visitor information desk. Rosoff
found that adults unfamiliar with the
iPod tended to use iVE much like an
audio guide. They listened to the audio
portion while looking at the painting or
sculpture and did not look at the video
screen. Fifteen OMA visitors completed a
short. survey. Of the college students
surveyed, 80% indicated that they looked
backýand forth between the video and
the art.
OMA visitors using iVE. Image courtesy
of the Orlando Museum of Art.
JANUARY 2008 / ART EDUCATION
17
There were some surprises. One surprise
was that while non-iPod users on the
museum staff (our test audience) understood
the navigation on the iPod intuitively, most
adult visitors needed a significant amount of
help. The Saint Louis Art Museum solved
this problem with an introductory film
segment that illustrated how to use the iPod.
At OMA, some adults chose to reference an
interactive DVD playing in the gallery that
duplicated the material on the iVE instead of
using the iPod.
OMA tested a battery-operated speaker
with a jack that attached to the iPod to make
it possible for a number of individuals to use
a single iPod. The results were disappointing.
With 500mW of power, the volume level
could not be raised significantly enough to
be effective for group use. Effective ways to
engage multiple users will require more
research.
Future Uses of the iVE
Future portable media devices will have
the capability to join wireless networks,
eliminating the middle step of having to seek
and find the content before embarking on the
experience. DoraMedia, along with other
filmmakers and technology experts, is
currently developing the next generation of
the iVE, taking into consideration advancements in wireless technologies. In the future,
museums may be far more connected to
artists and art experts through a variety of
new technological advances. In the near
future, OMA will produce more iVEs for its
contemporary and ethnographic art
exhibitions. As these video segments enter
the museum and appear on websites, debate
and discussion will increase over the ways in
which art can and should be presented.
Conclusion
Newsweek's Johnnie Roberts (2005)
claimed that, "Exactly who we are and how
and why we download and stream video are
perhaps the most urgent questions in the
tumultuous media universe these days" (p.
38). A recent poll by The Los Angeles Times
showed that young adults and 4 out of 10
teenagers said that they were not interested
in watching videos and television shows on
cell phones and iPods. The study showed a
widespread reluctance toward small screen
viewing in spite of an entertainment industry
that is dramatically looking at ways to build
on the popularity of hand held devices. Two
reasons for this finding are suggested: the
cost of the technology and the uneven
18
ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 2008
quality of the video (Gold, 2006, p. E5).' The
iVE project, however, deals with very short
video clips that are not intended to be the
focus of the museum exhibition. Rather, they
function like live didactic panels or a tour
lead by the artist and experts in art and
religion. But other questions can be raised:
How much information is needed in an art
museum for visitors to experience the
artwork? Can iVE's take away from, rather
than add to an art experience? Do viewers
mediate the information on the iPod screen
or do they use it in a multi-tasking manner?
What should be the future of the iPod in the
museum? Even in the short use of iVE with
the Duval-Carri6 exhibition, there were
issues that both concerned and delighted art
patrons.
The answers to these questions may not all
be positive. Museum educators would not
want a fascination with the iPod to override
the experience ofviewing the artwork. Some
curators may think the availability of too
much information can interrupt the potential
for aesthetic responses. By using the iVE, the
museum could reach people anytime and
anywhere with something of substance, but
there is continuing curatorial concern that
some potential visitors might think that
using the iPod in this manner could replace a
museum visit. And if visitors do use the iPod
as they view the artwork, extensive studies
need to be done to see if favorable results
take place in terms of learning and quality of
experience. The iPod should be used in the
museum context to engage the visitor. The
content presented in the iPod is just as
important to evaluate as the tool. The
"authorities" should engage the visitor as they
"help them understand, interpret, and
question" the information that is presented to
them (Giroux, 2006, p. 75).
Questions concerning the boundaries
between art and education result from artists
and educators increasing use of new
technology. Certainly Duval-Carri6 is both
an artist and an educator as he teaches us
about Haitians and their culture. And Lopez
and Daneau are filmmakers who artfully
present information through technology.
These confusions and blurrings of boundaries offer the art museum new ways of
addressing issues related to art, the artist,
education, and our changing world.
REFERENCES
Chalmers, F.G. (1972). Art, religion and
education. Religious Education,49(4), 279-285.
Davis, D. (2005). The museum of the third kind.
Art in America, 6, 75-79.
Desai, D. (2000). Imaging difference: The politics
of representation in multicultural art
education. Studies in Art Education,41(2),
114-129.
Giroux, H. A. (2006). Higher education under
siege: Implications for public intellectuals.
Thought and Action, 22, 63-78.
Gold, M. (2006, August 10). Moving images don't
move young people. Orlando Sentinel, p. E5.
Hein, G. E., & Alexander, M., (1998). Museums:
Places of Learning.Washington, DC: American
Association of Museums.
Kennedy, R. (2006, May 19). At Museums:
Invasion of the Podcasts. The New York Times,
p. E25.
Loos, T. (2006, August 6). Hi, let's talk art. No,
really. It's my job. The New York Times,
p. AR23.
Merriam, S. B., & Caffarella, R. S. (1991). Learning
in adulthood: A Comprehensive guide. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pujol, E. (2001). The artist as educator: Challenges
in museum-based residencies. Art Journal,
60(3), 4-6.
Roberts, J. L. (2005, July 17). Watching the
watchers. Newsweek, 26-27.
Shopping in America: Holiday 2005. (November 2,
2005). Shopper Survey Analysis #2. Prepared
for the Macerich Company by August Partners,
pp. 1-16.
Silverman, C. (2006, August 25). Public domain
books, ready for your iPod. The New York
Times, p. B29.
Smith, R. A. (1983). Forms of multi-cultural
education in the arts. Journal of Multi-cultural
and Cross-culturalResearch in Art Education,
l(1),23-32.
1
ENDNOTE
For more information on this poll see latimes.
com/entertainmentpoll
AUTHORS' NOTES:
To see the videocasts used in the iVE go to:
http://sfdm.ucf.edu/heritagealliance/duvalcarrie
To view research titled, "Video iPod Pilot Study"
that was done at the Cleveland Museum of Natural
History go to: www.impactcommunications.com/
pilot/Video-iPod.pdf
The authors would like to thank Edouard DuvalCarri6 for his participation in this project. We all
agree that we could not have worked with a more
gracious and inspiring artist.
Laura Lopez and Danny Daneauare graduatefilm students at the University of Central
Floida and co-founders of DoraMedia.
Stsan Merrill Rosoff is the Curatorof Education at the Orlando Museum of Art.
Kristin G. Congdon is a Professorof Film and Philosophy and Director of the Cultural Heritage
Alliance at the University of CentralFlorida.E-mail: kcongdon@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
TITLE: The Individual Video Experience (iVE): The iPod as an
Educational Tool in the Museum
SOURCE: Art Educ 61 no1 Ja 2008
The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it
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