I chose to review the website of the NIC, short for the Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center, located in Casper, Wyoming. Here is a little background of why I chose to review the NIC website.
Background: During the mid-1980s my mother-in-law organized a few of the children’s exhibits which included hands-on art activities. Many of her exhibits brought in families, as well as donations from these families which assisted with the funds to build the current building the NIC resides today.
Review: The NIC website communicates the necessary information to draw in visitors. Even though the NIC website doesn’t show photos of the displayed art in the museum, it doesn’t shy web-viewers from retrieving information about the museum. The website focuses on posting information on future events and exhibitions, past exhibitions, and educational opportunities in the museum.
As stated on the website, the NIC is split into two parts; the art museum which displays contemporary works of art of the Rocky Mountain Region from artists around the nation, and the discovery center for visitors to get a hands-on art experience. The museum’s mission statement is one sentence but covers the museum’s purpose. The statement reads, “The Nicolaysen Art Museum educates and enriches the community through engaging experiences in contemporary art.”
After browsing the NIC website, I noticed the NIC seems to be highly involved with the community. Upcoming events are posted for the entire year which not only includes new art exhibitions but new classes, educational programs, and community art events. The NIC also rent available space for events, such as, weddings, receptions, and other events needing space. Even though renting out the NIC for non art events has nothing to do with the mission of the museum, it may be one way for the NIC to raise money to keep the museum going and to advertize the museum to those who may not have a reason to visit in the hope they will visit in the future.
What’s nice about museum websites is the additional information visitors may not see, or even care to see, in the museum when they go to visit, for example, information about past museum exhibitions or the museum collections not on display.
The discovery center link of the website invites all visitors, if they visit the NIC and they become inspired by the art they see, to be creative too. Visitors can start their work of art right in the museum. The website uses photos to give web-viewers an idea about the area where they might be able spill some creative juices out on a piece of paper. The website advertises the discovery center for users of all ages but I think kids would love it more than adults.
The NIC website gives just enough information to intrigue one to visit and/or get one to attend one of the museum’s free events. The NIC website highlights and expands the mission statement by using a website but a web-viewer needs to physical visit the museum to know if the mission statement is consistent with the practices. Almost all museum websites are advertisements to draw in visitors.
More information is available at http://www.thenic.org/.
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