In a few short days, you’ll have the chance to experience Tara Donovan: Untitled at the IMA and take the TAP tour along with it. Opening this weekend, it’s been a mad dash to finalize this exhibition experience that features audio commentary, polls, videos and high-res imagery, all accessible on an iPod Touch. Oh, and if you’re an IMA member, TAP is free to you.

This is the second TAP tour we’ve done for an exhibition, and another major accomplishment for the Nugget Factory. NF FTW! As with any project, the second go-around always seems a little smoother. We certainly couldn’t have done it without the collaborative spirit of the contemporary department. Also, big ups to our applications team for some slick interface modifications to the TAP software. Did I mention the entire software development, content production and implementation was done entirely in-house?

Another difference you’ll notice if you took the Sacred Spain tour last winter is that this tour focuses more on the visitor’s interpretation and experience and offers many different perspectives.

You’ll hear voices from curatorial, design, education, and conservation at the IMA. One of those voices is IMA’s Phil Lynam, Manager of Art and Design Education. We hope this sample stop will entice you to TAP into Tara Donovan:Untitled at the IMA. Listen below:

Stay tuned for more exciting news about TAP!

Filed under: Art, Conservation, Current Events, Design, Education, Interviews, Marketing, New Media, Technology

A week ago today the morning started off cold, gray, and foggy.

It was one of those rare days when the fog got worse as the morning went on. I think it was heaviest about 8:30am. Two volunteers and I were working on the South Parking Lot Hill doing spring clean-up, raking out leaves and twigs then cutting back the plants. The leaves of the Carex muskinguminsis and Diarrhena americana were frozen!

I had to beat the rake through them to get out the tree leaves and twigs!

The temperature at 9am was only around 32 degrees. Not sure how cold it had gotten overnight. But a landscape can be very pretty in the fog. I captured these photos after it had started to lift really. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Horticulture, Musings

Head on over to art:21‘s blog and check out IMA’s very own Maxwell L. Anderson as he continues the conversation on museums and deaccessioning. You can read his post here.

Filed under: Art, Current Events

A year ago, I was asked to serve as the IMA’s Accessibility Taskforce Chair, which included memorizing abbreviations UD, ADA, ASL, ALD and AD. The truth of the matter is, my previous experience was limited to working with cognitive disabilities. Thus, the adoption of the famous phrase coined by actor Bill Murray in What About Bob as a way of approaching the practice of access. “Baby step onto the elevator…baby step into the elevator…I’m in the elevator”. In March 2010, members of the Accessibility Taskforce partnered with the Museum’s Education and Public Programs departments to make a concerted effort to apply universal design (UD) to both the IMA environment and its programs.

* Architecture. On March 1st, the IMA opened a Nursing Mother’s Room. This private facility is equipped with comfortable seating, electrical outlets, a changing station, and sanitizer. It is also conveniently located next door to a private restroom with sink on the ground level of the museum.

* Audio Description. On March 5th, the IMA welcomed the Joe Goode Performance Group. The San Francisco-based dance group used puppeteering, narrative, sound and movement to perform the tale of Wonderboy, a superhero isolated by his gift of sensitivity. The IMA commissioned artist Dante Ventresca of Theater of Inclusion to write and perform an audio description for a universal audience via assistive listening devices.

* Awareness. On March 6th, the IMA hosted the annual Ms. Wheelchair Indiana program that named Joey Alise Murello the organization’s new public advocate. Over the next year, Joey will focus on the abilities of those with disabilities to help remove the perception that they are less capable.

Joey Alise Murello

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Education, Local

The IMA Design Team used creative methods to establish the maps and wayfinding signs in 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park. Join them as they ‘get lost’ to help others find their way:

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Design, IMA TV, Local