Enhancing the Humanities Through Innovation: The Extended Collection Project

The Extended Collection is an innovative, participant-driven project that links the successful docent development program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with new digital tools that hold the capacity to extend the museum experience, reveal unseen works of art, create a platform for research and discussion with experts, and attract new audiences. The program ultimately seeks to train museum docents as discussion moderators, specialists and customization assistants specific to online encounters, audiences and assets. A Level I Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant will underwrite a pilot study towards the creation of a working prototype that meets docents with digital assets and environments. Outcomes will include a position paper on new paradigms for volunteer participation at arts and cultural museums, and a prototype for docent engagement with the public in digital environments