Venturing into the Virtual: An Analysis of Virtual Museums and Creation of UMACF Southwestern Basketry Virtual Exhibit

The prevalence of virtual museums has grown in recent years and this relatively new exhibition format has presented the museum field with opportunities for growth. In an effort to explore the virtual sphere as an effective avenue for museum growth and change, I conduct an analysis of what virtual museums are, the challenges they pose, and the benefits they can provide to museum education. Case studies of University of California Chico, University of New Mexico, University of Arizona, and University of Nevada Reno’s virtual exhibition of materials from each university’s anthropology collections serves to further the exploration of the efficacy of virtual museums. Informed by the critical analysis of virtual museums and the case studies, I created a prototype draft for a virtual exhibit of baskets from the University of Montana Anthropological Curation Facility. This project serves to showcase the potential of virtual museums to increase accessibility and engage visitors for a more interactive learning experience