The Met Announces Enhanced Online Programs and Social Media Initiatives

New York — The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today a robust selection of online content and social media initiatives that offer ways for audiences to access and enjoy its collection, programs, and educational resources while the Museum is temporarily closed. The newly launched #MetAnywhere is surfacing content from across the Museum's deep digital reserves, while inviting creative engagement on all platforms. The homepage has pivoted from encouraging onsite visits to featuring web-based highlights, including 360-degree views of iconic spaces; behind-the-scenes videos; and dynamic explorations of exhibitions.

The Met will also continue to share weekly favorites like #TuesdayTrivia and #MetSketch on its social channels, while introducing new ways to feature unique stories from the Museum's followers and for curators to share their thoughts and expertise from home. Over the last week, the Museum's social accounts experienced significant increases in their engagement rates—Instagram increased by 78 percent, Twitter by 63 percent, and Facebook by 34 percent. YouTube views are up by 150 percent compared to weekly averages. Traffic to the website has also increased.
   
Max Hollein, Director of The Met, said, "The Museum's collection represents 5,000 years of the world's creative expression. As we are thinking of everyone in New York City and beyond in this exceptional time, we want to share the riches of the Museum's art and scholarship as a means for inspiration and connection. The website and social media channels have something for all—from a virtual gallery visit, or a close look at a masterpiece alongside a renowned artist, or an engaging activity that can be enjoyed with others. We hope that, even when the buildings are temporarily closed, the Museum can provide some measure of comfort and community through the beauty and wonder of the world's shared cultural history."
 
Highlights

Audiences can virtually tour the Museum's most iconic spaces with the popular and award-winning Met 360 Project; watch contemporary artists as they discuss a specific work or gallery through The Artist Project video series, which features 120 episodes; scroll through more than 450,000 images of over 230,000 distinct art objects available for use without restriction through the Open Access Program; explore highlights of recent acquisitions in MetCollects; dive into exhibitions through digital Primers; or catch up on Met Stories, a new video series and year-long social media initiative that shares unexpected and compelling stories about the Museum. The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History has hundreds of essays and chronologies tracing the course of art history. Families can discover interactive maps, videos, and fun facts for children with #MetKids; a wide selection of lesson plans for grades K-12, which integrate works of art into each educational resource; and Family Guides with activities that can be enjoyed at home. Series that offer personal perspectives on the collection include 82nd & Fifth, in which one hundred curators each discuss one work of art that has had a significant impact on their lives and scholarship, and Connections, which features voices from across the Museum. MetPublications is a portal to the Museum's comprehensive publishing program with hundreds of downloadable titles. Additional options include browsing the audio guide library or the Museum's extensive video vault, which houses films both made and collected by the Museum beginning in the 1920s. The Museum will continually be updating the website with videos, blogs, collection pages, and features, and new content will be highlighted in The Met's Newsletters.