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Mara Kurlandsky, Project Coordinator for Digital Engagement at National Museum of Women in the Arts

In my interview with Mara Kurlandsky, we talked all things digital from NMWA’s website to the social media campaigns she was responsible for that included #5WomenArtists and #dayoffacts. She provided some great insight and lessons/tips that I plan to utilize as I continue to develop my own web project.

After inquiring how she got involved with the more digital side of museums and reminisced on the early days of the Internet, we got into the “nitty-gritty” of what she does and deals with on a daily basis. I was curious how she handled any hesitancy from other staff that may not be as open to the digital world and open access content. Social media and online collections gives so much to the online visitors, but where is the context lost? Is it lost? These are some of the questions posed by staff who are not sure the benefits to providing for the digital audience. Curators, who have already taken art and history and have contextualized their collection now have to consider how they can translate to a digital audience. Mara is in the school of thought that everything should be given free with entire collections being online and fully searchable and with the tools we have on hand, the museum can reach an audience across the world. But, she understands staff’s fear of giving up a level of control when this does happen. What do you guys think of this “Utopian” idea of full, open access? Do you feel the pros outweigh the cons? Do online objects still end up being conceptualized the way curators intended?  Or is there less control in the digital realm?

Being that NMWA is privately owned there is a little bit more leeway when it comes to budget and funding for digital endeavors. They do have some staff that can do some technical work and they also use an outside contractor to maintain digital formats. The success of #5WomenArtists helped also solidify the need to incorporate digital activities into the museum doings because of the outreach, promotion, and participation that occurred during it. Her greatest advice when it comes to money is “to just ask.” And she is right! What is the worst that can happen? They say no? You’ll never know what you can get unless you ask. This is a hesitancy we experience at LIM. Our budget is extremely tight and limited. Sometimes we move on from ideas or suggestions because we know chances are slim, but how many opportunities are missed because we didn’t take the risk?

Collaboration between different institutions can be hard to initiate, but once you have those relationships established, the process for getting others involved is easy.  To build those relationships, Mara has reached out to connections she has known from past conferences, grad school, etc. to see if they would participate in #5WomenArtists and #dayoffacts.  Again, to her, there is no harm in asking. Don’t be afraid to ask especially if it is something you are enthusiastic about! (Performing interviews like this is also a great way to build connections, I told Mara to include me on any upcoming projects she may endorse!)

Thank you again, Mara for speaking to me! I will take the insight and tips you provided me as I move forward to help bring LIM into the digital age!

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