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Retail
Milwaukee Art Museum: Beautiful Technology
The Milwaukee Art Museum had its origin in two
institutions - the Layton Art Gallery, which was established in 1888,
and the Milwaukee Art Institute, founded in the early 1900s. These two
institutions joined forces in 1957 to form the private, nonprofit
Milwaukee Art Center (now the Milwaukee Art Museum), and moved to its
current lakefront location.
The Museum’s physical
expansion over the years has significantly increased the Museum’s role
as a comprehensive art institution and strengthened its position as a
cultural cornerstone for the Milwaukee community and region. The
Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, the first Calatrava-designed
building to be completed in the United States, was named Time
Magazine’s “Best Design of 2001”.
“This was a monumental project, encompassing an
exceptional architectural and engineering masterpiece, dramatic new
gallery space, expanded facilities and visitor amenities, and elegant
public gardens,” said David Gordon, Museum director and CEO.
The expansion provided nearly a thirty percent increase
in overall gallery space, from 90,000 to 117,000 square feet and more
than 500,000 people visited the Milwaukee Art Museum during its first
full year of operation after the new building opened.
“When we considered digital signage, we had to be sure
that it would complement and blend with the unique architecture,” says
Elysia Borowy-Reeder, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications.
“It’s difficult to place signage without detracting from the overall
experience, so we decided to go with a system that allowed us to deliver
a lot of information without a large footprint.”
The solution was the AxisTV Version 6.2 Standard Edition
application feeding two Sharp 27” LCD screens placed in the Windhover
(Grand) Reception Hall. The system has been a hit with visitors and
staff since it went online September 14, 2006. “We’re able to advertise
both current and future programs to visitors. It’s a great way to create
awareness,” continues Reeder.
The Museum uses two Visix Channel Players with the
Widescreen Option to feed a horizontal three-frame layout on the
screens. One large frame displays marketing bulletins about current and
upcoming exhibitions, special events and store promotions. Two smaller
frames advertise visitor tips and event schedules.
“A big advantage of AxisTV is that it’s Web based,”
comments Reeder. “I used a competitor’s system at another museum where I
was employed and it was more complicated to work with. AxisTV allows you
to communicate from anywhere.”
Several members of Reeder’s team determine the type of
content that will be displayed and take care of message scheduling. The
in-house Design and Publications Department creates polished graphics in
Quark® and PhotoShop® and then imports them into AxisTV. “Once you set
your ratios, you know what you’re designing for and it’s quite fast and
easy to get bulletins up and running,” says Reeder. The team also
creates event schedules using AxisTV’s Event Schedule Bulletin tool.
The Museum has seen direct results of their digital
signage strategy. “We see visitors checking the screens and then heading
to the Information Desk for details,” explains Reeder. “A lot of our
special programs have benefited from the displays. For example, our
First Friday is a monthly event that takes a lot of pre-promotion. Now
that we advertise it with AxisTV, people are buying tickets in advance.”
The Museum took
advantage of Visix Services for implementation, training and a Software
Maintenance and Support Agreement when they purchased AxisTV. “The
implementation was very smooth,” continues Reeder. “The training was
really good and it allowed us to quickly examine the software’s
capabilities and options, and determine how we were going to use it.”
Reeder is looking at ways to improve the visitor
experience using their digital signage. “We are always evaluating our
content,” says Reeder. “Right now, we’re working toward integrating a
Flash® movie showing the Brise Soleil movement.”
The Burke Brise Soleil is the moveable, wing-like sun
screen that rests on top of the Museum’s vaulted, glass-enclosed
reception hall. Considered a moving sculpture, the Brise Soleil is
unprecedented in American architecture, and is the signature element of
the Museum’s new 142,050-square-foot Quadracci Pavilion. It opens when
the Museum opens and closes when the Museum closes. The “wings” also
“flap” (close and open) each day at noon for visitors’ enjoyment,
weather permitting. Reeder continued, “Visitors are very disappointed
when they miss it, so we are going to use the displays to run a
full-screen movie of the event.”
Becky Goral, IS Manager for the Museum, managed the
digital signage integration and looks forward to future projects. She
summarizes, “We’ve really enjoyed working with Visix. Everyone from our
sales rep, to the help desk and installation support technicians, even
the President of the company has been extremely friendly, accommodating,
helpful and resourceful in making the setup of our system seamless and
enjoyable.”
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