Social Media in the Visual Arts: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare

This reprint from the Chicago Gallery News, September-December 2010, which appeared in the Chicago Gallery News Blog contains valuable information about social media, especially for those working in the visual arts. Most of us have ideas about how to make tools such as Facebook and Twitter applicable to our organizations, but this article also discusses how to make Foursquare relevant in the gallery community.

http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/blog/post/2010/11/03/Social-Media-In-Chicagos-Art-World-Panel-Wrap-Up-2b-More.aspx

Online culture increase

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31975/theatre-website-use-increases-by-10-in-2010?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheStageNews+%28News+Headlines%29

The number of people participating in online culture has now increased by 10%. It really shows how our lives are revolving around computers and technology and how important it is for the arts to catch the wave and be a part of this.

"Digital participation is defined in the survey as visiting a culture website for any reason other than buying tickets or for finding out information such as the venue’s opening hours. This includes visiting a theatre website to view or download an arts performance or to discuss the arts."

It's so great that so many organizations are seeing the needs and fulfilling them for people to get involved from home in their own computer chairs.

Alice in Wonderland Ballet

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/apr/17/judith-mackrell-story-ballet-technology

A very cool way to integrate technology and the arts. We are finding that there are new ways to attract people's attention and interest. Theaters of the senses are becoming a reality.

"Digitally manipulated images and scenery now make it possible for Alice to swim in a virtual pool of tears, do battle with a virtual pack of cards or tumble down a virtual rabbithole."

While technology frees up the story ballet to go wherever it wants, it also has the potential to liberate choreographers from relying simply on body language. In his version of Alice, Christopher Wheeldon and his designer, Bob Crowley, projected words from Lewis Carroll's text on to the stage to create one of the work's strongest images – the solo where Alice dances alone, with the existential questions posed by the caterpillar looping threateningly around her head. And De Frutos was able to use a faux television broadcast to deliver the one undanceable moment in his story – the king's announcement that he will give his daughter and half his kingdom to the person who succeeds in creating "the most incredible thing". That concept would previously have tied a choreographer up in knots, or taken a paragraph of programme notes. In the digital world, it can be communicated briskly, wittily and efficiently.

Pina Bausch in 3d

http://www.artsjournal.com/sandow/2011/04/tipping_point.html

Bringing the art of dance into 3d - interesting article on how one filmmaker is bringing technology to the arts through film and 3d animation.

"Pina reinvented dance; I felt in my own way that I had to reinvent film-making, because I couldn’t build on anything that had gone before."

Philly orchestra

http://www.artsjournal.com/sandow/2011/04/tipping_point.html

It is amazing to me in this day and age that orchestras like Philadelphia aren't making use of technology the way that the LA Symphony is - broadcasting to local movie theaters etc. Why aren't they using the power of the web to solicit more donations? Why are we just now hearing about the plight of this organization in the news? Wouldn't it be smarter for them to have been reaching out and using technology to garner more interest and support earlier? What good is a paper insert in their programs which condemns themselves by their poor spending habits and donor withdrawal?

Yo Yo Ma and Lil Buck link

Reference: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogspot/post/yo-yo-ma-and-lil-buck-create-a-new-ballet/2011/04/15/AFvmh1jD_blog.html

Link to this u tube video of the Cellist Yo Yo Ma and a collaboration with the hip hop dancer Lil Buck. The collaboration is a promotion for an event to bring arts back into the schools. This is a great video to watch

Gamification at Museums

Reference: http://www.artsjournal.com/realcleararts/2011/engagement-via-games.html The Next New: Gamification at Museums, written by Judith H. Dobrzynski.
The article presents ways that museums are trying to appeal to new attendees by creating game like situations. The Metropolitan museum had a mystery at the museum event. The more one knew about art, the quicker one solved the mystery. Last year at the Smithsonian, users could use their Iphones or Androids to participate in the Smithsonian Trek application game. The author encouraged art institutions to share what they have learned in their gamification process as this is a new concept.

Sackler Gallery Uses 3D technology in exhibit

http://www.e-torch.org/2011/04/echoes-of-the-past-the-buddhist-cave-temples-of-xiangtangshan/

"Innovative digital components and 3D-imaging technology complement the majestic sixth-century Chinese Buddhist sculptures in “Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan,” on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery through July 31. The exhibition includes a video installation that offers an immersive, kinetic re-creation of one of the earliest and most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in China. Touch screens and research kiosks give detailed information about the site and the themes explored in the exhibition.

An artist's rendering of the 3D digitally reconstructed north, east and south altars of the South Cave in Northern Xiangtanshan. (Image by Jason Salavon and Travis Saul)

Carved into the mountains of northern China, the Buddhist cave temples of Xiangtangshan (pronounced “shahng-tahng-shahn”) were the crowning cultural achievement of the sixth-century Northern Qi dynasty (550-577 CE). Once home to a magnificent array of sculptures—monumental Buddhas, divine attendant figures and crouching monsters framed by floral motifs—the limestone caves were severely damaged in the first half of the 20th century when their contents were chiseled away and offered for sale on the international art market. The extensive damage to Xiangtangshan makes it nearly impossible for observers to appreciate the original appearance of the caves or to understand the rich and complex artistic and religious achievement they once represented. In recent years, research and new technologies have made it possible to digitally envision some of the caves as they once were."

Submitted by T. White

Should Writers Embrace Social Media?

European novelist Sara Sheridan shares her thoughts on how this era is defining our digital rights and the fact that writers are not considering the digital operations departments of major booksellers and publishing houses, and how those operations impact what (of an author's work) can be made public on the internet.

She also comments that commanding an online presence in addition to a presence in print allows an author to experience feedback regarding his or her work that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Sheet Music Galore

Edward Guo, a Canadian composter currently studying at Harvard Law, recently created the Internet Music Score Library Project. This online directory of sheet music boasts thousands of classical music scores and provides greater access for individuals in Canada. What makes Guo's project possible is Canadian law that says works by classical composers are considered in public domain 50 years after their deaths---unlike American law. Guo has been reported as saying the work it takes to scan the scores for online perusal is worth the satisfaction on behalf of his 'customer.'

This robot orchestra is ready to jam

This is an interesting article about the possibility of robots playing music with artists on stage in place of other humans with unheard sounds that are three-dimensional and interactive. This endeavor is called KarmetiK Machine Orchestra (after karma and kinetic) and combines elements of artificial intelligence/robotics, music and theater. These are things that humans are not able to do and is about new ways of making noise. The article asks, is it worth the effort? "Wouldn't performing robots dilute a core reason we play musical instruments in the first place — for the human expression of emotion through sound?"

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-robot-orchestra-20110424,0,4680790.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fentertainment%2Fnews%2Farts+%28Los+Angeles+Times+-+The+Arts%29

Museums and the Web Conference Takeaways

Technology in the Arts recently posted some great advice from the Museum and the Web conference that took place last week. Some people on this blog have already posted information about the conference but I found these five key takeaways from Molly Hans to be very helpful for anyone who is involved with using technology at visual arts organizations. Molly sums it up with the following five points:

Takeaway #1: The web can help you accomplish your mission in ways never before possible.
Takeaway #2: Online audience engagement is all about participation.
Takeaway #3: Simplicity is key.
Takeaway #4: Share, share, share!
Takeaway #5: Don’t be afraid of failure.

More details about each of these can be found here:
http://www.technologyinthearts.org/?p=1857#more-1857

Broadway Shows in HD

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater-dance/broadway-shows-are-captured-in-hd-for-the-silver-screen/2011/04/18/AFVEh3OE_story.html

The above article is about how Broadway shows are being filmed in HD and brought to movie houses around the country for limited engagements. This is an idea that I think has been coming for a long time. We can extend the run of a show until the end of time, but we cannot make a 750 seat theater a 2000 seat theater without construction. And construction is not always feasible. In addition, people who do not live in or around New York City may not be able to travel to Broadway to see the show live. Therefore, only a limited number of people will be able to see the live production. So how can we expand our audiences? By filming the show and presenting around the country in movie houses we are able to expand our audience base. Sure it isn't going to be exactly like going to a live production. And I am not suggesting that the filmed version of a show should act as a substitute for the live show. However, it is a way that we can make the show more accessible to the world at large and build more revenue at the same time. In fact I think it should be taken even further by offering the filmed version as a pay-per-view performance on the internet, cable and satellite providers, or as a great performances series on Public Broadcasting. We owe it to ourselves as art organizations to find new and innovative ways to present and market our art, and find other sources of revenue while bringing our art to the world.

Former Sony President Dies

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sony-says-former-president-norio-ohga-credited-with-developing-compact-disc-has-died/2011/04/23/AFNdefVE_story.html

In the above obituary we learn that the former President of the Sony Company, Norio Ohga, recently died. In the article he is credited with expanding the company by focusing on music, films and video games. He is also credited with developing the compact disc. He specifically wanted the design of the CD to be large enough to hold enough data to store Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in its entirety.

Anyone who is old enough to remember 8 track tapes can attest to how annoying it is when your music cuts out in mid-song to change tracks. So the importance of a cd holding an entire symphony is not lost on us.

It is interesting when you look back on the evolution of music and technology how far we've actually come in a reletively short period of time. Sony made music portable in a way no other company before it had with its invention of the transistor radio and then the walkman. They further improved the quality of sound by moving away from cassette tapes to compact disks. Even the article mentions how Sony used to be considered the electronics industry leader because of their advances with transistor radios, walkmans and compact discs.

Museums and the Web

"Museums and the Web is an annual conference exploring the social, cultural, design, technological, economic, and organizational issues of culture, science and heritage on-line. Taking an international perspective, MW reviews and analyzes the issues and impacts of networked cultural, natural and scientific heritage – wherever the network may reach."

Read more: Museums and the Web 2011 (MW2011) | conference.archimuse.com

Social Media in Prominent Art Museums

New York Times Article: “The Spirit of Sharing”

This March 16 article from the New York Times discusses how social media is turning museums into virtual community centers where everyone has a voice. Keeping visitors focused on the art and not the technology, and not getting caught up in technology fads are some of the difficulties museums are facing. The article also details media endeavors at several prominent arts institutions.

You can't escape social media, you have to embrace it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/arts/design/museums-pursue-engagement-with-social-media.html?ex=1317182400&en=54dcf425fad684ae&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=AR-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M195b-ROS-0411-PH&WT.mc_ev=click

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/04/21/koblin.data.art/index.html?hpt=C2

This is an interesting article about how data can be turned into art. I found it interesting and provocative in terms of how this one artist is utilizing digital media and data to create art. It makes you think of how different things can be approached from many different angles, and that which we would not off the bat think of as being artistic or related to the arts, can be turned into that.

Mainstream Companies Support the Arts + Technology

http://www.oh-yay.com/lg-electronics-makes-3d-technology-easier-for-new-filmmakers-8810396.html

LG Electronics USA, known for their cellphones and televisions, is joining Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy to provide new 3D TV technology for upcoming film makers. LG will supply the equipment AND funding! Down the road, LG hopes to expand this new technology to consumers.

Want to see some of the film makers creations? Attend the Annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York City April 20- May 1 for a premiere experience!

National Arts Strategies Interview

“Patricia Mooradian: How can arts organizations use social media to deepen visitor experience?"

This is a one-minute video with Patricia Mooradian, President of the Henry Ford. In the video she discusses how her museum uses social media to deepen visitor experience. What intrigued me the most was how the museum’s social media interaction is engaged by the visitor…and through this dialogue (visitor postings of video, pictures, etc.) the institution is able to learn so much.

http://blip.tv/file/4091988

Let the Ratings Fly

As of yesterday, the video game ratings board began introducing computers to the job of deciding whether a game is approproate for everyone, Teens, or for Mature gamers (16+).

In the past, actual individuals rated the video games in regard to how gory or sexy they were--but because of a surge of games being released online, the Entertainment Software Ratings board has written a program designed to replicate the perceived cultural normas in society of the typical American consumer in regards to what is and is not appropriate for children.

This will be done in the form of a detailed digital questionnaire to be filled out by the game's makers (with a penalty for any nondisclosure), making it easy and more efficient for games to be deemed appropriate for nation and international markets at a time when the production of these games remains in high demand.

Performers find all the world wide web's a stage

This article discusses how Australian arts companies are falling behind their international peers when exploiting new digital technology. "Many companies are struggling to keep up with the massive leap in expertise required in the digital arena and also the increasing costs involved."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/performers-find-all-the-world-wide-webs-a-stage/story-e6frg8n6-1226038684067

Evolution of Opera

Below is a link to an interesting article about the evolution of opera and how technological advances have changed operatic performances.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-opera-in-21st-century-20110417,0,7951626.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fentertainment%2Fnews%2Farts+%28Los+Angeles+Times+-+The+Arts%29

Tony Award Winning Theater Closes Temporarily

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014793900_intiman17m.html

The above article addresses how the Intiman Theatre of Seattle, a Tony Award winning theater and one of the big three theaters of Seattle has decided to close its doors and cancel the rest of their season in hopes of being able to reopen their doors for a 2012 season. In the article they note that the theater has been consistently losing money since 2003. They also report, "In public statements about its financial state, the theater had blamed "management missteps" and lapses in oversight." They further report that the theater had not had regular external audits for over 21 months due to a change in their fiscal year.

Just another example of how important it is to have good arts managers involved in your organization.

Video Conversations With Ai Weiwei

I realize that most small or medium sized visual arts organizations do not have the capacity to organize something like this on a large scale. Once you read about the virtual conversation project set up by the Tate Modern, you may start to think about new ways to get creative with video technology at your organization. I posted something about Broadcastr.com last week and am now wondering about simple ways to make video content interactive and further engage our audience.

http://aiweiwei.tate.org.uk/

Los Angeles Philharmonic and technology

Reference: artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2011/04/exclusive-the-future-as-see-f.html The article was a print version of a speech giv en by executive director, Deborah Borda, of theLos Angeles Philharmonic. She discussed how this arts organization has addapted to using technology in reaching more audiences through HD broadcasts, marketing their concerts on I Tunes since 2005. Recently they added mobile apps programs for the IPhone such as a conducting program where the phone is the baton, to conduct exerps from Mahler symphonies, ticket sales and program and artist information. They used Twitter to promote a free concert introducing the new musical director Gustavo Dudamel. They use facebook to reach out to the audiences and receive much more feedback from audience goers than traditional snail mail.

Animation and Modern Art

This article from the New York Times is a different type of article that caught my eye. We all know that animators sneak images onto films that you hardly notice as a viewer. A man named Tom Klein, an animation professor looks over the past work of an animation director Shamus Culhane. He believes that Culhane worked brief experimental art films into cartoons displaying quick flashes of avant garde art.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/arts/design/woody-woodpecker-and-shamus-culhanes-animation.html?_r=1

ATMs the new wave of the future

http://philanthropy.com/blogs/prospecting/atm-machines-raise-1-5-million-for-the-red-cross/29634

Imagine if we were to put ATMs in the lobbies of theaters of arts centers - what kind of response do you think we might garner from that? Imagine if you had to pay for your theater tickets with cash - use the ATM - and while you're at it - donate $10 extra to the theater. I think there is a lot of opportunity to grow here. If we can do this with disaster relief, why can't we use it for the arts?

Looking for local art? There's an App for That!

http://www.gazettes.com/news/government/article_0a933f3e-6084-11e0-8c2d-001cc4c002e0.html

The Arts Council of Long Beach is introducing a new app for Long Beach visitors and residents to access information on local art works. This new smartphone app is designed for users to access information and history on select art works, a project symbolizing Long Beach's commitment to art. Using GPS to find the user's location, the app allows searches under categories such as artist name, art type and location.

I know many small art organizations would appreciate an app of this nature for their local audiences. It would surely get their names out in the public and allow people to see what type of art and programs the organizations have to offer. There should definitely be some type of coupon or promo discount for first time users as a small incentive for people to start using the app and to spread the word!

Almost live: Theater goes to movies

Although many people are not going to see "live" movies anymore as discussed in the post below, more people are going out to the movies to see "live" theater productions. Since the Metropolitan Opera began broadcasting performances five years ago, theater is beginning to jump on board.

"We film by giving cameras the best seats in the house and film in really sophisticated ways," says David Sabel, producer of NT Live. "Nothing is edited. Audiences suspend disbelief and feel they are sharing the experience with everyone in the theater."

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/119439714.html

Technology and the Movies: Better now or before?

New digital technologies have transformed not only how movies are shot, processed, edited, distributed, and exhibited---but also how they are watched. When comparing movie-going of the 20th century vs. now, technology has had a huge inpact on the type of social experience we now have with movies. In the 1940's, movie-going was a more extroverted social experience that brought together the masses; you physically went to the theatre with friends or on a date to see the latest musical picture starring Gene Kelly or Judy Garland. Now, the social experience is different and vastly introverted. Technology has made movie-going so accessible (on demand, streaming, etc) that it has lost that special something that made it unique and indicative of American pop culture. The masses no longer meet in the theatres on Friday night, they stay in by themselves or with a friend and cue up their Netflix.

Mobile Donations? Yes, please!

According to In The Works, A Google Mobile Payment Service, banking and finance companies (like Visa, Wells Fargo and Paypal), telecommunications companies (T-Mobile and Verizon), and tech giant Google are all testing and developing mobile payment services with launch dates expected over the next 2 years. These services could prove extremely beneficial to non-profit development departments across the globe as payments will be able to be accepted with virtually no staff time required. In an economic climate where layoffs at arst institutions seem to be happening more often than not, arts professionals are being forced to absorb more work than ever before---if technology like this can make things a bit easier for development departments, I'm all for it.

Want to save money while you're printing?

Hate those pesky ads or logos that print out from an online website when you merely want the text? Me too! And think how much WASTE occurs in that process. In addition, ink waste occurs when printing documents from your shared drive (of an arts organization) for personal use (ie: you print a press release to review and the press release has sponsor logos and your logo, etc). There are several products out there that free or virtually free that flag this excessive waste of ink and are compatible with most printers. These products include GreenPrint, FinePrint, and AdBlock Plus and allow you to print just what you need rather than every e-mail chain or website. For those that do cost money, the price is discounted a great deal for non-profits.

Check With Your Partrons First

Have your heard of Sliderocket? A new online presentation tool similar to a more advanced version of Powerpoint, Sliderocket allows you to embed polls in your presentations for immediate feedback from patrons and archive and embed your presentations on your website or blog for easy sharing and use as educational or training materials. Why is this important to the arts? As arts managers, we are always looking for more efficient ways to discern what our patrons want us to produce. Sliderocket's features afford us the opportunity to ask what our patrons think about a potential production before we produce it. Say, for example, an arts institution plans to commission a work from another theatre company to come and perform in its own space as a part of a theatre season. Imagination Stage did this recently with its production of Aquarium, a show conceived by Lyngo--an Ireland-based children's theatre. Using a tool like Sliderocket, a theatre could potentially preview stills or a video of a show they are interested in commissioning and poll its viewers with questions like: "Would you like to see a show like this at Imagination Stage?" or "What is your favorite part of this video? As commissioning a show can be costly, especially when dealing with a foreign company, a poll like this done early on can gauge interest from your patrons in a work you wish to produce.

A Virtual World Choir

The link below sends you to an amazing video of a world choir conducted completely online by Eric Whitacre. 2052 singers representing 58 different countries sing from the comfort of their own homes. Each portion sung is synchronized to create a virtual choir that rivals a live experience. Now although enjoying a live musical performance is more memorable, the visuals that accompany this musical achievement truly draw the viewer into the moment. I don't think that an online choir can ever take the place of a live musical performance, however, technology is definitely opening the doors to new and different avenues for more and more people to enjoy and experience different art forms. The question is now, how to proliferate the market so that these experiences are known by many more people.

http://www.artsjournal.com/gap/2011/04/hes-got-the-whole-world/

Collaborative Notions: Virtual Museum of Canada

The Virtual Museum of Canada [VMC] is an initiative of the Cultural Heritage Information Network [CHIN] and the country’s museum community. For a number of years CHIN has been helping Canadian museums integrate information technology into their practices.

The Virtual Museum of Canada’s website states: “as an endless source of discoveries, virtualmuseum.ca is a unique interactive space that brings together Canadian museum collections and riches in a variety of thought-provoking and instructive contents. It’s the window on current museum news and the reference guide to planning an outing.”

Not only is the website a collection of multimedia exhibitions, it also contains an image gallery, teaching resources, a directory of museums and a lab where visitors can learn about exploratory projects and technologies. All of the exhibits are interactive and provide activities, “how it’s made” videos, webcasts, “meet the artist” interviews, and lesson plans. The technology is cutting edge and practical in every sense. But the site isn’t just centered around one institution—it’s a collaborative effort, uniting content from museums all over the country.

While this exact endeavor is more realistic in a country like Canada where there are fewer cultural institutions over a much larger area; this collaborative, interactive model should be indicative of the direction that entire arts and culture industry needs to be heading.

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp

Unleashing the Inner Artist

New smartphone apps are allowing museum and gallery visitors to enhance their experience by having them virtually interact with works of art hanging on the wall. We often talk about ways to engage our audiences and tips for making their visits more fun and interesting - smartphone apps may be one way of doing this. The video below was recently posted on ArtsJournal.com and illustrates how new technology is augmenting the visual art experience.

http://bcove.me/h1jwl1l3

Artsteps: Creating Personal, Virtual Galleries

As stated on its website: It [Artsteps] is an application for artists, art organizations and art enthusiasts to model actual or virtual exhibitions by designing realistic 3-dimensional room complexes. Virtual exhibitions may include 2-dimensional artifacts (e.g. paintings, photos and posters), 3-dimensional artifacts (e.g. sculptures or small installations) and streaming videos.

Unlike the Google Art Project, which only allows audiences to view existing spaces, Artsteps is a tool that allows audiences to actually create their own spaces and feature personal or existing artwork. This tool is ideal for smaller galleries and museums as well as artists who wish to get edge up on the presentation of their work. Presenting works of art in a 3-D platform, closer to the way they are experienced in real life, is much different than looking at artwork flat on a computer screen. Growing in popularity and improving in their implementation, 3-D galleries rather than photo slideshows could the future trend.

http://www.artsteps.com/

Have Museums gone TOO Far With Interactives?

http://www.artsjournal.com/realcleararts/2011/04/monet-water-lillies-now.html

This article discusses how a Kansas museum is using hands on interactives and technology to "enhance" visitor experiences- by using one of the most famous Impressionist works ever as a centerpiece.

Rather than just display the paintings as the artist intended, they have included archival footage, background music, "copycat" paintings that guests can touch, and a computer interactive that guests can create their own versions of the masterpiece and email it back to themselves.

As someone who works in a busy museum, I cannot see how any of these things will enhance the visitor experience rather than coddle their minds or encourage vandalism/boredom in more traditional museums. First, how arrogant to assume what sort of background music should be played with a painting. By playing background music the museum is "setting the mood" for how they think a guest will/should react to a painting. Next, by creating a touchable "copycat" version that shows the steps Monet took in creating his famous flowered scene, you can potentially cheapen his artistic ability to guests (the "Oh, I can do that!" syndrome) or give them the idea that museums are always supposed to have things they can touch (maybe I'm old school, but the whole concept of a museum is you come and look, not touch. Even now in a museum that HAS hands on interactives, I am reluctant to touch them out of habit/respect...). And the computer interactive sounds like an ok idea...so long as the computer systems work seamlessly. One missed email or glitch and you've ruined the guests perception of the museum/exhibit forever.

I give them two points for an effort...but maybe they should be trying to educate and stimulate ideas some other way.

TWhite

Technology Certifications in the Arts

http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2011/04/05/gaffta-offers-creative-technology-certification-for-artists/

Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) is offering certifications in Creative Technology Studies to designers and artists. The four categories are: Sound Emphasis, Visual Emphasis, Physical Interaction and Web Emphasis.

This is a fantastic idea! Many people in the arts have not been exposed to some of these key areas of technology. The Certificate is an excellent alternative to spending a fortune on college courses. I think once the program is accredited, people will find an increased value in their certification.

Street Art and IT

http://blog.creamglobal.com/right_brain_left_brain/2011/04/technology-makes-street-art-appreciated-brands-meet-banksy.html

Interesting commentary regarding how our social media and appreciation of the marketing world interacts with IT and Art.

Fraud and Social Media

http://philanthropy.com/article/As-Fund-Raising-on-Social/126771/ - It was only a matter of time before people would start utilizing social networking sites to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Unfortunately it seems that as much as we are looking to grow in these free mediums, we must be cautious to legitimize ourselves and stand apart from the scammers. It raises an interesting thought about how we can make ourselves different and legitimate when the arts so often struggle with legitimacy in terms of finish product in comparison to other markets.

Podcast Episode #81 – Audience Feedback 2.0 – Quantifying Intrinsic Impact

From Technology in the Arts: In this episode, David talks with Clayton Lord from Theatre Bay Area about their work on “Audience Feedback 2.0″ – a research study conducted with Wolf Brown on measuring the intrinsic impact (intellectual, social, and emotional) of a theatrical performance on audiences within 18 theatres in 6 cities throughout the United States. The study seeks to establish: • A web-based interface to eventually allow any company to do their own impact study at minimal expense • A data set that will be useful for artists, administrators, advocates, funders and audience members • A series of national conversations designed to tackle how best to talk about the arts in a way that isn’t economic For more information: The Intrinsic Impact Project – Theatre Bay Area’s current online record for the project Intrinsic Impact: New Approaches to Audience and Visitor Feedback – a 60-minute webinar conducted by Wolf Brown and hosted by Americans for the Arts. (Must be an AFTA member to view this webinar.) Major University Presenters Value and Impact Study – a two-year study of the values and motivations driving performing arts attendance and donation. View article... Enclosures: TITA81.mp3 (11 MB) http://traffic.libsyn.com/technologyinthearts/TITA81.mp3

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival online archive

reference http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/dance-along-with-twyla-and-others-online-nuggets The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival debuted thier online archive on 3/28/11. This festival has online clips from 1937 forward. There are even more clips in their physical archives site. The festival is an historical reference of dance, performers, choreoghraphers and an instant asset to anyone with questions about dance This festival is the longest running international dance festival (since 1933) and has thousands of attendees, with this year featuring about 50 dance companies, and over 200 free performances each year

Amazon Cloud Drive

reference www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/03/john-naughton-amazon-cloud-drive-google-sony Amazon launched thier new cloud drive service which allows a user to store up to 5 GB for free in a digital locker. If the user wants more storage the cost is 1 dollar per GB per year. Any files stored in the digital locker can then be streamed to any device that the user owns. So for example if a user uploads their music library, they can stream the music to their phone, computer, laptop, IPOD etc. Amazon will store any MP3 file purchased in the Amazon store in the users cloud at the above rates. This allows Amazon a corner on store purchases, cloud storage and streaming, a unique monopoly or should I say triopoly.

Video Games as Art

The Smithsonian will have an exhibition on the art of gaming next year, curated by Chris Melissinos.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

"Melissinos considers himself part of the “bit-baby” generation, that is, the first to grow up with computers in the home. He now has children of his own, who are top-notch gamers themselves.

The fact that the bit-babies now have children old enough to appreciate video games, Melissinos said, is part of what makes now the right time for an exhibit like this one to be displayed at the Smithsonian, which is known for, among other things, chronicling culturally significant trends and milestones in American history.

Now, several decades after the industry’s inception, the evolution of the medium of video games is also being examined as a story itself.

But he also contends that the video game as an art form has always been worth putting on display. Even though most art exhibits focus on visual works, Melissinos insists that viewing a game in the context of art involves not only its visual and musical components, but also the storyline, dialogue and mechanics."

What does this mean for the visual arts themselves? Do you think that we'll reach a point where art is completely digitized and the human touch has been completely erased?

http://voices.allthingsd.com/20110403/video-games-as-art-with-an-upcoming-smithsonian-exhibit-pong-equals-picasso/

Art Reinvigorates the Economy...Again

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-celine-dion-vegas-20110403,0,3203363,full.story

I read with surprise the above story about how the city of Las Vegas expects a huge boost in the economy due to Celine Dion's return engagement scheduled to last for another three years. I'm not surprised that the singer's appearance will generate ticket sales. After all her previous run from 2003 - 2007 grossed more than $400 million and sold out a total of 723 times. My suprise is that Las Vegas, the city known as the hedonist's paradise, had experienced a sharp economic downturn since 2007. Of course it is only natural that they would be effected by the current recession just as the rest of the nation has been. It just seems hard to imagine that the gambler's paradise which is still reporting an annual income of approximately $88 billion is having as tough a time generating jobs and income as the rest of the country. The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas predicts that Celine Dion's return will generate a potential $135 million this year alone and will indirectly create about 2200 jobs.

This is just more proof that the arts are important not just for its entertainment value, but also for its ability to reinvigorate the economy through the creation of jobs as well as ticket sales.

MoMA Digitizes Audience Responses

Recently the Museum of Modern Art [MoMA] asked its visitors to share stories of their visits. The museum provided small sheets of paper with the incomplete phrase “I went to the MoMA and…” and blank space below. At the bottom of the sheet were lines for the visitor’s first name, hometown, the date and the time. The MoMA then scanned and digitized hundreds of the responses, posting them on wall on their website. [Click here to view the wall.]

This is an example of one of the most basic forms of audience participation combined easily and effectively with technology. By posting audience responses in their original form on its website, the museum makes public the breadth of its audience and the commonalities between them. The project is also a way to highlight the diversity of the museum’s collection while allowing the viewer to serve as the messenger.

http://www.moma.org/iwent/

A New Way to Tell Your Story - Broadcastr.com

Is your arts organization trying to find a new way to deliver its message? Broadcastr is a new location-based storytelling social media platform that is helping arts organizations and their audiences tell their stories in a great new way. This technology employs the oldest form of storytelling - the oral tradition. Users can upload audio and video clips from their PDAs and smartphones and pin them to a map. It's simple, it's free, and it is empowering organizations to tell us more about themselves.

http://www.technologyinthearts.org/?p=1826#more-1826