ideas + images

curated by sierra gonzalez 
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creative commons

 

"It's time we Met" on Flickr

The photographs for the latest ad campaign at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York aren't from the museum's archives or commissioned photographers--they're submissions on Flickr from average museum-goers, and they're causing quite a stir.

As with many photos culled from Flickr for commercial use, professional (or aspiring) photographers are raising concerns over fair compensation for the photographs used in the "It's time we Met" campaign.  The comments on the NYTimes Arts blog covering the story neglect the fact that the photos are part of a voluntary contest that requires photographers to license their submissions (using Creative Commons) for use. While I don't think permissions is a problem, the campaign brings up some interesting points:

What will the quality of the museum visit be like with visitors snapping photos left and right? Will this inspire (or even condone?) visitors posing like Greek statues for the sake of a good photo? Does this lessen the respect for the art, or does it encourage visitors to take a closer look at what they're seeing?

How does this change the Met's relationship with photographers? Some professional photographers see the contest as a penny-pinching way to grab marketing creative and are resentful of the museum's perceived lack of support for their industry. (On the other hand, as a non-profit, the Met's advertising budget may require cost-saving tactics.) Other photographers are grateful that the Met has embraced picture-taking in most of its galleries, since many museums do not allow photographing art (for various reasons).

What does this mean for museums on the web? The Met's embrace of social media shows that they're keeping tabs of communication trends and open to learning from their visitors. (The museum's participation--along with over a dozen other art institutions--in Wikipedia Loves Art is another great example.) Is online content for museum websites on its way to being user-driven?

Filed under  //   advertising   creative commons   flickr   marketing   museum   photography  

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