Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum is the first US art museum to offer a TikTok creator-in-residence programme to increase its engagement on the social media platform.
The Massachusetts institution is now accepting applications for summer 2023, and is looking to work with New England art students or recent graduates.
Applicants should have a portfolio of TikTok videos showcasing “creativity, storytelling, and production skills”, the Peabody Essex Museum said in a statement.
@peabodyessex We’re feeling not-so-accidentally Wes Anderson! Romanticize your next trip to PEM Anderson-style with symmetry, bright colors and quirkiness to boot. We’re open 10 am–5 pm, Thursday–Monday for all your artsy adventures! #wesanderson #wesandersontrend #wesandersonfilm #wesandersonaesthetic #peabodyessexmusuem #museumtok #museum #fyp #salem ♬ original sound – Jeremy Cascamisi
The paid part-time employee will get to produce creative videos that explore the museum’s art and collections, events and stories.
“As an institution that readily embraces innovation and creativity in all of its forms, we are thrilled to launch our TikTok creator-in-residence program,” said Kurt Steinberg, the museum’s chief operating officer.
The programme “offers a singular opportunity for art school students to combine their love of art and culture with a valuable experience in content creation and brand building”, Steinberg added.
Using TikTok to attract younger guests
He said: “We look forward to working with a talented content creator to find surprising and entertaining new ways to highlight the programs, collections, and people that make the Peabody Essex Museum a world-renowned organization.”
TikTok is a powerful tool for attracting museum visitors. After launching a TikTok account, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence doubled its number of younger visitors. During the pandemic, one of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s TikTok videos went viral.
The Peabody Essex Museum has been on the video platform for just over a year. It currently has just 547 followers. In comparison, the Uffizi has more than 160,000 followers, and the Aquarium of the Pacific has 2.8 million.
@peabodyessex PEM’s TikTok account turns one today! 🎉In honor of our first anniversary, we want to ask our followers: what would YOU like to see on our channels next? Whether it’s behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews or even more #pedropascal…let us know what you’re curious about on TikTok, Instagram and our other accounts! #peabodyessexmuseum ##museum#museumtok #salem #salemmassachusetts #museumtiktok #artmuseum #artmuseumtiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – Peabody Essex Museum
“We are excited to see the energy that [the Peabody Essex Museum’s] TikTok creator-in-residence will bring to the museum, and we look forward to collaborating with them to bring the museum’s art and collections to new audiences,” said Derek O’Brien, the museum’s chief marketing officer.
“Through this new initiative, we hope to inspire and engage with art enthusiasts across the region and around the globe.”
Images: Peabody Essex Museum
