The FRAME website: A foundation for French/American museum collaboration, cultural diplomacy, and regional tourism
Paul Kahn, Kahn+Associates, France
Leonard Steinbach, USA
Dominique Negel, Kahn+Associates, France
http://www.framemuseums.org
This demonstration will present the recently unveiled website of FRAME, the French Regional American Museum Exchange. FRAME is a consortium of museums in 12 French and 12 American cities which constitutes a new model of international museum collaboration and cultural diplomacy. Founded in 1999, FRAME provides an organizational framework and collegial forum for bilateral exchanges among these museums which all share a dedication to promoting the circulation and exchange of works of art, information, ideas, professional practices, technology-based projects and various other resources. FRAME is also thus engaged in the promotion of cultural tourism in their regions as a wider public on both sides of the Atlantic gains a new awareness of their treasures and expertise. FRAME has already sponsored more that six significant traveling exhibitions drawing from the collections and expertise of its members museums, along with associated catalogs which demonstrate the highest caliber of scholarship and publication design. Management of FRAME is shared by a co-director on each side of the Atlantic. Similarly, technology projects and issues are co-managed by technology coordinators from each nation. The FRAME website presents an information architecture and graphic design which brings together and presents art images from all of the member museums in a way that gives visitors both a taste of the aggregate collection as well as the flavor of each individual institution. In addition, public relations materials, calendars, feature articles, and educational material including games, and links to the member institution web sites underscore the wealth of resources such a collaboration can represent. The website is presented in both French and English versions. The project was created by Kahn + Associates, Paris, France, Paul Kahn, Principal and Project Manager, Leonard Steinbach, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Alain Daguerre de Hureaux, The Augustins Museum of Toulouse, FRAME technology coordinators managing the project, with Dominique Negel, FRAME webmaster. Members of the team will demonstrate the website, explain its underlying architecture, and discuss various aspects of its operation, use, and challenges of coordinating content among more than 24 member institutions in two languages.
Demonstration: Demonstrations - 2 [Close-Up]
Keywords: collaboration, France, collections, education, tourism, multi-lingual
