Now at the Met Blog Added to MMA's Web Site
By STAN PARCHIN
January 29, 2010
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| Thomas P. Campbell. Photograph provided by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
When Thomas P. Campbell assumed the role of Director at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in January 2009, he announced that one of his chief priorities was the better dissemination of information about the institution's vast collections through technology. The Met has since increased its presence on the Internet through social networking sites and YouTube. Following the Greek and Roman Art Department's lead, the American Wing's renovated period rooms now feature touch screens that describe their various works on display. Since these innovations, the museum's Web site has been undergoing a quiet yet thorough overhaul. Launched today is its latest addition, a blog called Now at the Met.
While news to some, Now at the Met should come as no surprise to habitués of the museum's Web site. It's a logical outgrowth of the highly active blog established last year for the landmark exhibition Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages (June 2-August 23, 2009).
Now at the Met is a growing compendium of information about the museum's permanent collections, special exhibitions, programs and research, a sort of insider's view. The content is prepared by its curators, scientists and educators. This online resource provides event schedules, news and articles about developments in the main building on Fifth Avenue and The Cloisters Museum and Gardens, its branch devoted to medieval art and architecture located in Manhattan's scenic Fort Tryon Park.
Check out Behind the Scenes: The Department of Scientific Research. Written by Marco Leona, The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Scientist in Charge, the article gives a color-illustrated overview of how his expert team of chemists, biologists, geologists and engineers examine works of art and contribute to their preservation.
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