This photo was snapped just this morning down in 100 Acres by Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Lisa Freiman and promptly tweeted by CEO Max Anderson:

Steel workers gather for a photo opp. on top of Free Basket by Los Carpinteros

Take for instance how social media has reshaped the world of journalism. “Citizen journalism” is the concept of members of the public “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information.” Examples of this can be seen through blogs, twitter, and camera phone images.

As a museum, we can employ this same idea. Staff, artists and visitors can capture events as they happen with their iPhone or a Flip Video. The following images were captured on artist duo Type A’s cell phones and then uploaded to Facebook:

The top ring of "Team Building (Align)" casts a shadow

Astronomer Brian Murphy of Butler U. and Andrew of Type A work out some calculations to place the second ring for "Team Building (Align)"

So, budding art journalists, here are some tips from caffienatedtraveller.com to get you started:

• Acknowledge the artwork and museum in the photo credits. It is time for bloggers to step up and put on a professional face.
• Post great images and not the family snap shots on your blog. Why discredit a good art exhibit.
• Flash photography? Don’t go there unless you have explicit permission from the museum. Not even when you think you’re alone.
• Leave the fanatical blogger psyche at the entry door. Spend some zen time in the moment, with the art and the space and then shoot.

In the meantime, I’ll be looking for your tweets, status updates and image uploads. And let’s continue to blur the lines together, shall we?

My first idea was to do simply what I described above. I searched around a bit for a Flickr app, but I haven’t found one written by the Flickr team and I don’t really want to give my information to yet another third party. It seems, however, that Flickr has a really nice mobile web interface. Paired with the ability to email photos to Flickr from the phone, I think I have all I need to take that route. However, in the meantime I found that uploading photos with the Facebook app is really easy. This, along with the fact that the iPhone camera can’t compete for image quality with my digital camera, has led me to decide that the iPhone will fit the bill for the sort of in-group photojournalism that my close friends would appreciate, as I capture photos of my pets (and theirs) and other humorous things while I’m out and about. Some might argue that this is a waste of digital resources, but hey… what’s life without a little whimsy?

My discovery of the Google Earth app’s integration with Wikipedia and Panoramio, however, rekindled my interest in contributing high quality geotagged content. Contributing content to these resources is something that could have been done before, but the iPhone (and other devices that utilize both GPS and wireless networks) provides a new level of exposure. Rather than needing to research a travel destination beforehand, it is now possible to whip out a device like this and find interesting features nearby, or learn more about your current surroundings.

I decided that it would be quickest to try out Panoramio. After signing up for an account, I uploaded a couple of my photographs (one of them taken here at the 100 Acres) and found the process to be very easy. I could really see myself getting addicted to uploading new images and waiting in great anticipation to see if they are deemed Google Earth worthy, at which point they should show up on my phone. There are also thematic contests that are very easy to enter, so I couldn’t resist adding my photos to those as well. We’ll see if people think they’re any good.

I might also try out Wikipedia. After signing up and reading the newbie documentation, I’m a little concerned about finding what they would call “notable” subjects (among other qualifications, things of more than just local interest). According to the guidelines, I can’t write about the IMA, so I’ll have to find other local gems… seems like a good challenge.

I believe that these new devices could open up an era of increased engagement with our surroundings. It will be interesting to see how these tools handle the increasing amount of geotagged information as more people contribute content. Hopefully the result will be high quality resources that educate and inspire the people who use them.

I’ve had a few brushes with fame and significant individuals in my lifetime. Through my work with the youth journalism program Y-Press, I met and interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. When I traveled to Northern Ireland with Y-Press, I interviewed Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness in his home. When we returned to the States, we interviewed his colleague Gerry Adams by phone.

Lately, my brushes with celebrity have been a little more close-to-home. Peyton Manning came into Harry & Izzys and ate dinner at the bar while my husband and I were having drinks there. (He is a part owner of the restaurant.) I saw his teammate, Jeff Saturday, having his car valet parked downtown a few months ago. And former Pacers star Reggie Miller was sitting discreetly in the corner of a popular restaurant I visited once this winter. Really, it’s pretty easy to run into athletes in this town. And, in my line of work, I tend to run into visiting artists pretty frequently too.

But my favorite brush with fame is my most recent. I got to meet my favorite journalist, Tim Russert at the IMA almost 2 months ago.

Long story short, I emailed a jpeg of a portrait in our collection by Hyacinthe Rigaud to one of his producers because our staff had joked for a while that Tim Russert looked so much like the “gentleman” in the portrait. You can judge for yourself. A couple of his producers sent me some kind emails back, asking more questions about the artwork.

Then, the political primary season continued to charge on, and for the first time in 40 years, Indiana’s primary was in the national spotlight.

My friend and colleague, Jyl called me on May 2 to say that she heard Meet the Press was going to be in town that weekend in advance of Indiana’s primary. I emailed one of the producers who I’d exchanged emails with earlier, and I invited their staff to come see the work in person. I figured it was a long shot given their presumably busy schedules. But that Saturday morning, I got back to my car after running the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, and I had a voicemail from his producer. By the time I called her back, they were on their way to the Museum.

I raced up to the Museum from downtown (still wearing my race number), and I got to take Tim Russert and his producer up to see the portrait hanging in our European galleries.

The experience was everything I could have hoped for. I always thought I had a lot in common with Tim Russert. He’s Irish American; I’m Irish American. His parents worked hard to send him to Catholic schools. My parents worked hard to send me to Catholic schools. He loved politics. I love politics. He loved sports. I love sports. He was from Buffalo. I have family in Buffalo. He worked for Mario Cuomo; I interviewed Mario Cuomo. He worked for Daniel Patrick Moynihan. I have a brother named Daniel and a brother named Patrick.

The 25 minutes or so that I got to spend with Tim Russert and his great producer, lead me to believe that everything that his been said about him since his untimely passing is true. We got to chat about Indiana’s presidential primary (and how my friends were divided in their support of the candidates). He commented on the beauty of the IMA’s gardens and grounds, and he said that everyone at our local NBC affiliate had treated him very well. His love of current events was evident, as he already knew the story of the “co-winners” at that morning’s mini-marathon – something I hadn’t even heard myself yet. And, I think he really got a kick out of seeing the portrait that he looked so much like.

I hesitate to pontificate about the death of someone who I met only briefly, but I will point to one of the best lessons I ever learned in school – something that I’ve been thinking about as I’ve watched and read coverage of Tim Russert’s passing. I had a high school teacher who wrote the following on his blackboard everyday: “Prepare through life for no regrets in death.” To me it seems that Tim Russert modeled this idea in the way he lived his life. What a great role model to have.