A change in philosophy on how museums present the past?

Warwick Castle is a good visit.

Somewhat related. Something the missus and me really enjoyed and learned a lot from. A few years ago in Toronto, a fine mix of art and technology;
https://www.lastingimpressionsin3d.com/

Re 'one artist' museums. I love certain American folk art, and Warren Kimble's spot in Vermont was a great visit for me. As is the Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY. Corning also has a good glass museum.

I really dislike use of tech in museums for tech's sake. All too often it's poorly executed and usually not working. The tech should aid a better telling of the story and help highlight the artifacts that illustrate the story. Running some facet of museum social media has been a new experience.

I do like to view the artifacts in cases, but dang it! please have good copy that clearly identifies the artifact being described, its history and importance. Peeved too many times by poor copy. Through the years I've enjoyed getting detailed photos of iron artifacts then coming home and getting in the forge and reproducing the artifact.

I've worked in museum education for 30 years now. Learned early in my career that I never want to work in a house history museum ever again. Too many shenanigans. Living history museums are tops. In my travels I've absolutely loved the Mary Rose Museum, Weald and Downland Museum, the Museums of the Gorge in Ironbridge, the Dutch Open-air Museum, the Museum of London, and the Wallace Collection. Sometimes I've searched out a museum just to see one artifact or painting. Off to the den Haag just to see the Girl with the Pearl Earring, or the Science Museum in London just to see the painting Coalbrookdale by Night. In turn I was disappointed by the HMS Belfast, the IWM and a D-Day museum - Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie - in Bayeux.

25 years ago, it was common for museums to have a room dedicated to showing a video on a loop to add context to what people were about to see, so I guess adding technology to the experience is nothing new. I don't have an issue with bringing more realism to the artifacts but there is always the danger that people end up spending more time on the technology than admiring the actual museum collection. This is especially true with art museums. I know I have been guilty of spending more time reading about a panting than I have looking at the actual painting. Now, you can download a museum's app as you go around and go on a ten-minute deep dive on a painting while still only looking at the actual painting for 30 seconds.

I think the best approach will always be to read about and research what you are going to see before you go there. Having knowledge of the subject will not only enhance your experience but save you time now since you can leave the technology alone.

I've only heard good things about San Francisco's Exploratorium museum. Been hoping to go for years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploratorium

[snip]
The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California. Founded by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, the museum was originally located in the Palace of Fine Arts and was relocated in 2013 to Piers 15 and 17 on San Francisco's waterfront.

The museum has over 1,000 participatory exhibits and is divided into several galleries, mainly separated by content. Since its inception, the Exploratorium has expanded into other domains and has inspired an international network of participatory museums.

https://www.exploratorium.edu/

The Gernika Peace Museum (https://www.museodelapaz.eus/en/) does an interesting simulation of the attack of April 26, 1937. You sit in a room that looks like it belongs to a house of the period. You listen to narration about life in Gernika and the plans for the day. Then the bombing starts, and a wall that was a mirror becomes see-through, and the room you are in seems to be reduced to rubble. It's very affecting.

Allan, you're right, this is a great blog post of Cameron's. It makes me wish I were more insightful about my museum experiences. I'm really not a fan of history museums that are a collection of artifacts and that require a lot of reading. (I like to call these "Arrowhead Museums.") I derive no pleasure from looking at things that have no aesthetic value and are just relics. If more museums find a way to engage the visitor through technology, I vote yea!