Pinning History: Why Museums Should Be Using Pinterest

by Kim Schutte

While museums have been quick to jump onto the social media bandwagon in terms of Facebook and Twitter, some have been less sure about how to use Pinterest. Which is too bad, because Pinterest is a perfect fit for museums – and many of the most creative and forward-thinking museums are making the platform work for them. Here's how…

What Pinterest Can Do For Museums

1. Exhibiting Exhibitions

The basic premise of Pinterest is the organization of images into themes. That should ring a bell as essentially that’s what museums do with their collections. Pinterest gives museums a forum to showcase their holdings, but more importantly, Pinterest gives museums a way to display images differently than they are shown in the actual exhibit space. On Pinterest, images can be pinned according to an infinite – and changing – array of themes.

For example, the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Pinterest Page has, in addition to expected offerings such as “Museum Exhibitions,” boards titled:

• “Separated at Birth?” – where a wide variety of “arty doppelgangers” are pinned
  
• “Monkeys in the Margin” – that illustrates the mischievous nature of monkeys in the margins of medieval manuscripts
  
• “Majestic Ladies” – showcasing images of queens and princesses
  

2. Facilitating Discussion

Pinterest’s comment function plays into a new trend in museums, the creation of the “mindful museum.” The idea here is that museums do not serve to simply be the displayers of objects, but rather they are spaces that encourage visitors to interact with the exhibits and to be changed by the experience. By providing a safe and easy forum for commenting on pins, Pinterest opens a conduit for mindfulness.

3. Showcasing the Shop

A board dedicated to the items on offer in the museum shop is a no-brainer. With its focus on eye-catching images, Pinterest is a marketer’s dream. And now Pinterest makes it easy to add a price tag to your pin.

As museums struggle to retain their place in our culture, a strong and creative digital presence is increasingly vital. They can’t afford to neglect a social media site as popular as Pinterest.

Does your favorite museum use Pinterest? What boards would you love to see? Let me know in the comments!



IMAGE CREDIT