From Sea to Shining Sea: National Park Service Virtual Museum Exhibits

I grew up in a family that loves the U.S. National Park system, so I've had the chance to visit many parks, monuments,  and historic sites.  These places are interesting and definitely teach you a lot about American history and the natural wonders of the United States, but they can also be very remote.  Luckily, if you want to visit one of these sites but don't have time to travel, the Park Service's Virtual Museum Exhibits can bring the parks to your computer.

So far, only a handful of sites have any sort of online exhibit presence, so you might not get to learn about a site you're most interested in.  The sites that are online display pictures of artifacts they have, along with interpretive texts and maps.  All pictures can be viewed in detail, and in some cases the site provides links for you to request a copy of the image.  A few sites, mostly ones based around outdoor scenery and natural formations, also offer video.

But while it's certainly interesting to see historical artifacts and learn about, say, civil war battles and Native American culture, it can quickly get boring just reading and looking.  This format might hold up for really engaging sites like Alcatraz, but I'm convinced that only the most die-hard presidential history buff wants to scroll through pages and pages of text on Harry Truman.

Dinosaur National Monument is the only site to offer truly interactive features in its virtual exhibits.  On their website you can see a movie about the monument, view a 3D dinosaur skull from different angles, and take a virtual tour of an artist's depiction of the prehistoric West.  Features like these help keep a visitor's interest, and it would be great if other sites could incorporate something similar into their online exhibits.

It's definitely worthwhile for these few sites to have an online presence where they can display artifacts, images and information.  The Park Service is a treasure, in my opinion, and is unknown and underutilized by too many people.  But virtual exhibits don't have to be so static - after all, what's contained at these sites is pretty amazing, and visitors should be able to grasp that.  I wish that more sites would display exhibits online - exhibits that are fun and engaging for all kinds of visitors.


National Park Service Virtual Museum Exhibits
Website:  www.nps.gov/museum

California Dreamin': The Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum

California may be the biggest state in the U.S., but there are still 274 million Americans who live in some other state or territory.  For many people who grew up elsewhere (including myself), California can seem like a distant, glamorous paradise filled with beautiful people and all kinds of different landscapes.  Other places on the internet can help you find the Golden State's crop of celebrities, but if you're instead interested in the scenery, I can recommend the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum for browsing and learning.

The sheer amount of information located in this museum is astounding.  You can learn about the art, literature, history, geology, ecology and topography of the area surrounding this mountain range, and also delve into the life stories of notable residents.  Almost every section has accompanying text, and those that don't have are interpreted by videos that combine images and audio clips (either from experts or from the time period being described).  You can also view art, nature photographs (I really liked seeing local petroglyphs), excepts from writings, and interactive maps.

What I especially enjoyed was the Virtual Field Trips, which use narrated video to explore well-known points of interest in the Sierra Nevada (like Yosemite Park and the Pacific Crest Trail).  I like that the museum really tries to bring nature to visitors, and that this section is presented as a series of field trips.  This really helps in bringing the museum's mission to the visitor and replicating a physical museum experience in an appropriate virtual format.

The one thing I didn't like about this museum is their over-reliance on film and animation.  It's great to include some video in the exhibits to keep visitors' attention, but it becomes a little overwhelming when nearly everything moves and plays music.  A few too many sections of the museum have both video and text, which becomes a little too much to take in after a while.  You should know that if you're using a raccoon with an annoying voice to introduce videos, you've gone overboard.

But aside from this one flaw, the museum is a pretty good example of what can be accomplished through a virtual museum.  You might never think of talking about and displaying nature on a computer screen, and yet this museum does it well.  By using a multimedia approach, and covering lots of ground in a mostly engaging manner, the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum really does bring California into your home.  It's the next best thing to being there.


Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum
Mission:  Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum is a multimedia, interactive online museum the rich history, culture, and natural history of the Sierra Nevada.
Website:  www.sierranevadavirtualmuseum.com

Friendly Skies: The Aviation History Online Museum

I've been to Kitty Hawk to see the Wright Brothers' airplane models.  I also went to Arctic Thunder 2010, a daylong air show at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.  Beyond that, my knowledge of air transportation is limited.  So I was glad to find the Aviation History Online Museum because, at least in some cases, it provides a lot of interesting and engaging information.

The best part of this museum is its Aircraft gallery, which lists many different airplane models (alphabetized by manufacturer).  For almost every model, you can view photos and a few short paragraphs of information.  You also have the option to see a much longer and more technically detailed history of the aircraft.  I love the way this is set up with two different levels of information because visitors who are really into aviation will be curious enough to read the longer texts, while those who are novices will find the shorter interpretation to be a good introduction.

I also really like the Early Years section, which details all the different inventors whose ideas led up to the first airplane.  The information here is truly interesting and not overly long, and it's presented in a way that lets you see how each person piggybacked off previous discoveries.  The Theory section also does a good job of taking difficult scientific concepts and explaining them for visitors to understand.  There's also a nice selection of videos that show clips of the Battle of Okinawa, the history of TWA, and many other relevant subjects.

There are a few sections that might be tough for the average visitor to get through, like the series of articles posted to the museum.  They're long and too much like Wikipedia, and I imagine that only the nerdiest of aircraft enthusiasts would find them interesting.  The same is true for the section on engines and, disappointingly, the gallery featuring famous aviators.

All in all, though, this is an unexpectedly engaging museum.  It makes aircraft and the history of flight fun and accessible to visitors of all interest levels.  There's a lot of pictures and simple explanations for those of us who have never considered why we fly, and there's also plenty of technical information for airplane enthusists.  I would recommend this museum to anyone, because I guarantee you'll learn something and maybe even become more interested in flying.


The Aviation History Online Museum
Website:  www.aviation-history.com

As Rome Goes: The Ostia Virtual Museum

Roman art and architecture is beautiful, even if most of it is now crumbling.  But since many people haven't had the chance to visit Italy's historical sites (I've only ever been to Rome's airport), we have to rely on images of the these ancient splendors.  That's the function of the Ostia Virtual Museum, which is dedicated to displaying ruins and unearthed artifacts from this port within the Roman empire.

The breadth of objects you can view at this museum is impressive - the images are organized by medium, so you can view things made of glass, metal, terra cotta, bone and marble, as well as mosaics, stucco reliefs, fading paintings and what's left of ancient buildings.  The images are of varying quality (only some are in color, and most were taken pre-digital camera) but almost every piece has been photographed at various angles, so you can still get a good sense of what each looks like.

The text accompanying the images is better than many other virtual museums I've encountered, but not perfect.  In many cases detailed information is provided about where the object was found and what is depicted, and where there are black-and-white photographs some effort is made to describe the true colors.  It would be nice to know about how old everything is (if ages are indeed known), but more importantly I would like to know just how each piece fits into the Rome's story and culture.

This, I think, is the biggest flaw in the museum:  there is not enough historical context.  From just browsing the museum's website, I got the impression that Ostia was a coastal city somewhere in Italy.  It took a visit to Wikipedia to learn that Ostia is in fact a part of the city of Rome, and was a popular place for Romans to vacation in the summer.  This is information that should be readily available throughout the museum, along with explanations of why the art and architecture mattered in that time.  If you were unfamiliar with Roman mythology, for example, a lot of the art might seem confusing, and the museum provides no way to help understand the depictions and symbolism.

I don't want this criticism to detract from the greatness of this museum, because it's definitely worth a look if you're at all interested in seeing how the ancients lived.  If you like Rome, old things, or seeing well-known myths illustrated, there's plenty to view here.  For a novice, though, this museum could seem stuffy and intimidating.  A little more information here could go a long way.


The Ostia Virtual Museum
Website:  www.ostia-antica.org/vmuseum/vmuseum.htm

Digital Millenium: The Museum of Computer Art

When you think of art, you probably imagine paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other hand-crafted works.  You might stretch your definition to include performance and found-art pieces, but likely any piece you consider to be art is the result of physical creation.  But what about non-physical art:  works that were created by someone but do not exist in the real world.  Are those art?  Certainly they are, according to the Museum of Computer Art, which aims to collect and display this kind of virtual art.

At this museum, art is categorized by its genesis.  You can view art that was created by manipulating pixels, by 3D rendering, or by algorithms and fractals, among other genres.  You can also search by artist or by the year the art was created.  For each artwork you can view larger images and interpretation by the artist, although it can be hard to get this information.  For some images, you have to click on a thumbnail of each piece just to see its title, and then click again to view any other interpretation.

The museum has also gathered several essays and other pieces of criticism about digital art on its website, which is helpful for the novice visitor.  Some of these are a little stuffy, but for the most part they're written to be at least somewhat helpful in understanding this new form of art.

The only thing I found really off-putting about this museum is the ads, which are incredibly distracting.  They're everywhere - on top of the pages, to the sides, even mixed in with text.  The homepage is such a cluttery mess that it's hard to tell what is and isn't part of the museum.  This is especially disappointing because the Museum of Computer Art tries hard to present itself as a formal museum, but this is greatly undermined by ads asking me to subscribe to People and check out Eastern European dating sites.

If you can get past this commercialization, though, this museum is worth checking out to learn about new forms of art.  There's a lot of art to browse, and enough supporting materials to help you understand why it matters.  If the Museum of Computer Art could only present a more professional image, it might earn its place as a virtual counterpoint to the world's physical art museums.


The Museum of Computer Art
Mission:  To promote digital art in its various forms and manifestations, including such categories as 3-D, fractals, photo-based, mixed technique, computer-drawn, surreal, video, etc.
Website:  moca.virtual.museum

Flowers in Your Hair: The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco

City by the Bay, Land of Hippies, the place where they riot when their baseball team wins ... San Francisco is known for all those things (and more!) today.  But for those of use who have never lived there, the city's past is probably murky.  So if you've ever wanted to know what events led to the San Francisco that we know today, the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco wants to enlighten you.

The Museum is laid out in 68 exhibitions that cover every subject you can possibly think of and go back as far as the 18th century.  Within each exhibition are a number of articles, some accompanied by a few images, that cover different aspects of San Francisco's history.  These articles are written by scholars or knowledgeable hobbyists or are sources from the past, transcribed online so we can get a first-hand account from the people who lived through each era.

All of this information creates a vast, well-documented history of the city of San Francisco, and I'm guessing that there's not one question you might have that can't be answered by this museum.  I'm especially impressed that historical documents are woven in with the scholarly articles to give a multi-faceted perspective of the city's history.

But this is a format better suited to a book, not a museum.  After all, a museum isn't a lecture, it's an experience.  There is way too much text and not enough images (or other supporting items) to be of interest to the average visitor.  I wish this wasn't the case, because there is so much to be learned here, but the fact is that only the most curious would be able to stay on the museum's website for long.


The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
Mission:  To bring the fabled history of San Francisco into the light of historical accuracy.
Website:  www.sfmuseum.org

Up in the Air: The National Museum of the Civil Air Patrol

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I only have a vague, fuzzy notion of what national security looks like on a personal level.  I can't name all the branches of the armed forces, and I don't know anything about non-militarized protective groups.  But after I stumbled upon the National Museum of the Civil Air Patrol, I'm a little more informed about at least one volunteer defense organization in the United States.

Created by the CAP Historical Foundation, the National Museum of the Civil Air Patrol consists of seven exhibits that detail the history of this organization, from its founding in the years before World War II to its present-day activities.  There is plenty of information available, but not too much text - I think these exhibits really hit the sweet spot of educating without overwhelming.  There are also plenty of photographs to accompany each exhibit, and they're all available enlarged in a separate photo gallery.

The only thing I'm not so crazy about is that the museum comes off as a little static.  It doesn't seem like there are any plans to add new exhibits or even update the existing ones.  There's also no links to outside content or any kind of supplemental materials for students or for those looking to further engage with this subject.  These would all be helpful additions, because if a museum wants repeat visitors who become loyal followers, it needs change every so often and do different things.

All in all, though, I believe this museum has done the best job I've seen in recreating the physical museum experience online.  It's not boring or too didactic, and it doesn't look like the work of hobbyist with some time on their hands.  It's professional, well-documented, interesting and informative.  It could stand to shake things up every once in a while, and perhaps speak to more and diverse audiences, but these are small critiques for a museum that really helps the uninitiated learn about what our fellow civilians are doing to help our country.


The National Museum of the Civil Air Patrol
Mission:  "To preserve the history and promote the proud heritage of the Civil Air Patrol and the WWII CAP Coastal Patrol."
Website:  www.caphistory.org/museum_lobby.html