Statue of Rocky outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A group of us here recently attended the annual Museums and the Web conference, held this year in Philadelphia.  The conference brings together museums from around the world to explore the role of technology in our various initiatives – whether they be online, in the galleries, or even in how our museums function.  Between lunch runs to Reading Terminal Market (amazing), the references to Ben Franklin (ever-present), and meeting with colleagues old and new (always a highlight), we each came away with a list of projects/ideas/encounters that grabbed our attention and will inspire our work throughout the upcoming year.  Here are our top takeaways from this year’s conference:

Rachel Craft:

1) The meeting kicked off with an opening plenary from Kristin Purcell of the Pew Research Center.  She gave a great talk about the actual usage of a lot of the tools we all are focusing on – mobile technologies, e-readers, social media usage, etc. – and shared stats that, for me, helped frame the rest of the conference. Knowing how our audiences are consuming information helps us to better shape how we deliver our content. (If you’re interested, check out her presentation here).

2) This segues nicely into my second takeaway, which is that approach to delivery – how are we streamlining what we produce to accommodate multiple channels (mobile, apps, website) without duplicating our efforts, while still tailoring the resulting media for each need?  I really enjoyed SFMOMA’s presentation on their approach.

3) Philadelphia’s cultural institutions was a huge part of the experience for me, and definitely one of the most inspiring.  The Mutter Museum with its incredible collection (seriously, check it out) also has a really great, dramatic way of conveying the story behind these objects.  Albert Barnes hung his collection in a way that specifically highlighted the (often unconventional) relationships he saw between paintings and objects, creating a powerful visual experience at the Barnes Foundation.  The arrangement of works cross time periods, geographies, and styles for the purpose of comparison and study – which is an interesting approach to consider for multimedia, as well. If we explored different approaches to storytelling, what kind of new, revealing connections could be made?   And at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, well, I could have stayed in this room all day.

Charlie Moad:

1) Drupal, the open source content management system that the IMA uses extensively, seems to have really taken its place within the museum community. I had a nice chat with George from Palantir who has been attending Museums and the Web for several years now. He stated that a few years ago he constantly had to explain what Drupal was. This year however, he was accompanied by a handful of other vendors who were also focused solely on Drupal based services.

2) There was another subtle theme that I picked up on across several sessions. Museums are starting to recognize the inevitability that much of the online interactions that occur with its content won’t necessarily happen on their websites. There was even an unconference session questioning the amount of effort that museums place on their websites redesigns due to this fact. As social networks and search engines provide web visitors with more and more of the information they seek, how can museums ensure they are making the most out of the online efforts?

3) Finally, it was a joy to have people walk up and show me their own TAP-based applications on their iPhones. Seeing others benefit from and use the tools we release has a reinvigorating quality.

Matt Gipson:

1) Mobile is the way of the walk. Mobile was definitely a heavy theme throughout the conference. Everywhere I looked somebody was using an iPad. The Mobile Parade was a great chance for museums to briefly show off their mobile achievements. It was especially great to see how the MFA took TAP and ran with it. The re-design touches they put on their app are superb!

2.  Museum tech people, in the flesh! I got to meet several art/tech people in person who I normally only see “online.” Surprisingly, I recognized several faces just from seeing their Twitter avatar. Looking forward to seeing you all at the next museum conference(s)!

3. How to launch a beta site. During a talk on museum collections on the web, the always brilliant Tate’s James Davis slyly dropped a link to their new art collection browser. There are a lot of subtle and smart things going on here. Also, there is a great paper describing their process here.

Honorable mentions: Mutter Museum, late-night back-room karaoke, cheese steaks, Chifa, Philly micro-brews, and disco naps.

Rob Stein:

1) One of the things I like the best about attending the Museum and the Web conferences are those happy surprises when you learn about work from a different part of the field that compliments your own.  This year was no exception!  I was sitting in a conference session on social tagging as I have so many times before, and was completely caught off-guard by some wonderful work coming out of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).  Gunho Chae, and Jungwha Kim presented their work on faceted tagging with the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art (GMOMA) and how other museums might improve their own tagging systems by adding facets.  It was so nice to see new quality work extending on earlier work of the steve.museum project.  Gunho, and Jungwha presented really solid work, a well written paper, AND were delightful colleagues at the same time.  What a wonderful occasion! You can read their paper here.

2) While our team from the IMA presents our work often at these conferences, I think we will all agree that the most valuable interactions are those where we get to pick the brains of our peers from other museums.  This year it was so great to meet and talk in more depth with Michael Parry from the Australian Center for the Moving Image.  Michael’s museum was the recipient of the Best Overall Site award from the conference this year for their work on the ACMI Generator, a site that teaches media storytelling techniques through the creation of user-generated storyboards.  Generator is a really sweet tool that provides a nice set of features for storytelling without confusing the users.

Recently, at the IMA, we’ve been working on similar projects related to the ArtBabble and finding that digital storytelling is a skill that’s not well understood in the states.  Michael was gracious with his time and honest with his critiques of our efforts.  In short, a great peer.  A second of my favorite moments was a sort of group review of some in-progress work for ArtBabble.  Michael Parry, Len Steinbach, Paolo Paolini, Nicoletta Di Blas, and students provided good critique and encouragement!  By the way, Paolo and Nicoletta’s paper about reusable exhibition content is a good read.

3) Lastly, I was proud to be a part of a community that can on one hand be very technical and scholarly, but on the other work for and support basic and fundamental human rights.  Supporting the arts, and the work of artists puts museums at the crux of all kinds of political, social, and moral issues.  It’s one of the wonderful reasons to work or volunteer for your local cultural organizations.  Leading up to this year’s conference we saw the arrest of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.  It was great, therefore, to see the Tate’s project for Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds exhibition win an award for the best use of social media. A great project no matter the circumstance, but especially poignant this year!  Along those lines, it was wonderful to see the Guggenheim step up and issue a Call for the Release of Ai Weiwei and for a number of museums (including the IMA) using their blogs to share with our audiences about why this matters.

As a technologist, and software guy by training, there are many places in the world for me to work.  I’m continually happy to be a part of one field that has so much potential for impact and long-term change.

Artworks that are displayed outdoors face different risks than those that are kept inside. The pigeon, for example, is a dangerous bird to bronze sculptures; the acids in guano can actually corrode a bronze patina in a fairly short time. Another risk public artworks face is that we simply stop caring. When we stop noticing the artworks that surround us, their significance and cultural context is lost.

(via Flickr user travelbex)

Enter Wikipedia Saves Public Art (WSPA) which we created as part of our Fall IUPUI Museum Studies class (you might remember our student, Elizabeth Basile, blogged about her personal experience with the project back in December). The logic of this project is to put information about public artworks into Wikipedia so that people won’t forget or stop caring about them. Yes, there’s a lot of guano in Wikipedia, but with its millions of viewers a day and openness to participation, it’s a vital resource for the cultural sector.

Before we started WSPA, there were only a handful of articles in Wikipedia about public art in Indianapolis—not so good for a city that brags about having more monuments than any city other than Washington, DC. Through our efforts, there are now 57 articles (and more each week) about local public artworks on Wikipedia. Since we started WSPA, our articles have been viewed more than 66,000 times. Now we are thinking big about how WSPA can truly become a global project and how to get more people to make articles about public art in their own town.

Recently, we’ve had a lot of help from Lori Byrd Phillips (an IUPUI Museum Studies graduate student) and Sarah Stierch (a soon-to-be George Washington University Graduate student, who runs her own blog, Sarah – Your Favorite Museum Intern. Together, we’ve begun developing “The Process” to help Wikipedians and public art advocates translate information contained in public databases into Wikipedia articles. For example, did you know that volunteers working through Heritage Preservation’s Save Outdoor Sculpture! surveyed Indianapolis in 1992-1994 and found 205 sculptures? Information about all of them is available online through the Smithsonian’s public database.

Thanks to Magnus for making the application that allowed us to make this chart

But a lot has happened in Indy’s world of public art since the early 1990s. That’s why actually going out and visiting the artworks is important—to verify the information contained in the Smithsonian’s database, to make note of any changes, and to use the tools of 2010 to research and share information about those changes. In addition to finding artworks surveyed by the SOS! folks, you can research new artworks that have been installed across the city. We’re grateful to have our laptops, cell phones, and Web-based tools that have allowed us to create these cool things:

Here’s the Flickr map that we are using to plot the location of the more than 500 images we’ve taken of public art in Indianapolis. By mapping them in Flickr we also resolve their GPS coordinates.

Here’s the Google map that we’re using to plot the original 205 SOS! entries from the Smithsonian database. While the Flickr map is a lot easier to use, we are also experimenting with Google Maps because its satellite maps are so much better.

And here are two Gowalla trips we’ve made for Indianapolis:

IUPUI Public Art Collection Highlights Tour.

Top 10 Public Artworks in Indianapolis.

Gowalla is an iPhone-based app that has a lot of potential for helping to geo-locate and photo document public artworks. Look, for example, at the number of people that have checked in and taken a photograph at the Texas Rangers Monument in Austin.

These tools have helped us locate, document, and share information about hundreds of public artworks in just a few weeks. With this information we will continue making Wikipedia articles about public art in Indianapolis. As mobile technology spreads (particularly GPS-based technologies), opportunities to care for public art will also grow.

Wikipedia Saves Public Art. Logo designed in 2009 by Michael Mikulay.

With all of this in mind, we’re excited about travelling to Denver next Tuesday to participate in the one-day workshop, Wikimedia@MW2010. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to discuss how WSPA is an effective tool for documenting collections of public art that are not well known beyond their distinct local context. Also in Denver, we’ll be joining Rob Stein to listen to Max Anderson and Samuel J. Klein (Wikimedia Board of Directors) give the keynote presentations and then work through important issues and ideas raised by other participants. Our experiences with WSPA have given us a few ideas for the cultural sector that we’d like to share in advance of Wikimedia@MW2010:

* In the spirit of the Encyclopédie and in particular the Descriptions des Arts et Métiers, Wikipedia can become the central hub of information about the materials, tools, and techniques artists have used and are currently using in their practices. Likewise, Wikipedia can become the central hub of information for the materials, tools, and techniques art conservators use in their work. An ideal article about a public artwork would include a material and technical description that was linked to corresponding and accurate information within Wikipedia.

* Public art today is often made using “current technology,” which presents an entire new set of issues. For example, Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain in Chicago is comprised of thousands of LEDs. Many technologies used in art quickly become outdated or difficult to update after a few short years. What if we could develop a similar “Conservation Status” for technologies like what exists for endangered animal species like the Bengal Tiger?

* Cultural institutions and public repositories should be encouraged to share their out-of-copyright images of art and put them in Wikimedia Commons.

* Finally, wouldn’t it be cool if the article about Art21 and all of its seasons was as thoroughly detailed and researched as iCarly’s?

What WSPA really needs, though, is for more people to make articles about public art in Wikipedia. Why not try it? If you need some inspiration, check out the “Template”, “Showcase,”, and “Open tasks”. And be sure to use the “talk pages” to leave feedback, questions, or ideas so we can all work together to make the project better.

Everything we know about Wikipedia and the other digital tools discussed above, we’ve learned by using our computers to experiment and engage in dialogue with more experienced contributors. (Wikipedia even gives “newbies” a sandbox to play in!) If you care about cultural heritage, you’ll find many kindred spirits in Wikipedia. That’s why we’d like to see you on Wikipedia, where we can work together and maybe even enjoy some Wiki Love. In an effort to bring some of the energy from Wikimedia@MW2010 directly back to Indianapolis, we’ve invited Liam Wyatt (Vice President, Wikimedia Australia) to give a public lecture at the Herron School of Art and Design on April 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the Basile Auditorium.

The IMA is not immune to the viral video idea.  Our first ever YouTube video was conceived as a marketing, viral video in support of an exhibition.  That was almost three years ago.

To date, this video has 4, 621 views.  Not our most viewed video by any means.  It never quite took off virally, but does serve as our lone example of a viral video attempt.

Can a museum/corporation/individual purposely set out to make a viral video?  I always felt that a ‘viral video’ often exhibited a certain set of traits – unplanned, shock and awe, and the unexpected to name a few.  And I’m not sure I include sketch comedy in this grouping – videos from Flight of the Conchords, Old Gregg or anything with Michael Cera are not viral – they’re comedy.  Right?

So what about Aleksey Vayne’s video resume (below), Susan Boyle or an SNL short?  Possibly.  Some are unplanned (the outcomes anyway), some involve live TV and others are planned as something viral, where rules do not apply.

Phil reviewed some other viral videos yesterday, but it still seems to me that a true viral video usually involves an individual that happened to catch an unthinkable, unexpected, imperfect moment on camera.  But I might be wrong.  Can an organization self-produce, develop internally, and create a real viral video?

I did want to mention ArtBabble (of course I would) and a video we produced in time for the launch.  I’m definitely not calling it viral, but it is most definitely a marketing video.  We feature this on our front page and our views are currently around 11,603.  We also have it on YouTube where we have 83.  So enjoy our ArtBabble marketing video and please let us know how we would produce an IMA viral video.  Phil might just do it.  (OR – if you just want to share some of your favorite videos in the comments, that would be fine too.)

The Museums and the Web 2009 conference was here in Indianapolis last week and I came out of it with a bunch of web related scripts for my patient Monday patients. Here’s a few…

boxee.tv – This is the most incredible 10-foot HTPC interface I’ve ever seen. Windows Media Center and Front Row don’t hold a candle. If it had a PVR feature it would be perfect. And since it already lets you watch Hulu and YouTube as if they are just a normal television channel, MW2009 chats thinks there should be a channel for ArtBabble.

blurb.com – Free book making software. Best part is, you can print as few or as many as you want and the prices are super reasonable. There was a session at the conference where I got to actually check out a sample of their product and it looked just like something you would buy off the shelf at Borders. Oh, they make little flip books too that are super cute. I’m thinking limited edition ArtBabble something.

Mega Menus – In a website critique session at MW2009, I suggested that this slick new interface techniqe was about to be “hot right now.” Funny thing is, nobody had ever heard of a Mega Menu and thus my avant-garde status was confirmed. Oddly, my favorite implementation is on the State Farm Insurance website.

Twitterfall – Thanks to Twitterfall and a video projector, all the Twitter activity tagged with #MW2009 could be seen streaming by as the IMA’s Director, Max Anderson, gave the conference’s opening plenary address. A few months ago a display like this may have been distracting; however, during Max’s speech it was really interesting and helpful to see what people were thinking about as words were hitting their brains.

Monday Music – “Once We Were Strangers” by Peggy Sue. Third rainy Monday in a row. Once We Were Strangers by Peggy Sue

Phil’s Pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia.

Digital Graffiti – Pretty cool link from Jenny that tells of a little resort village that lets artists “paint” their town walls with digital graffiti. And for you projection artists out there, Digital Graffiti is accepting submissions for their 2009 show in Alys Beach.

Skittles.com – This new Mars website for its Skittles brand of fruity morsels takes all your buzz worthy social media sites (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc) and uses them as replacements for traditional brand landing pages. Clever. However, add in a goofy peice of navigation, an equally goofy enter your birthday thing, the possibilty for people to spam your Facebook Wall and Twitter feed with garbage, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for frustration. Taste the Pain-Bow.

PostSecret – Got a secret you want to share with the web? Write it on a post card and send it to PostSecret. Check the blog.

Museums and the Web – is going to be in Indianapolis this year and the IMA is hosting a few events. Check out the agenda here.

Danny Beyer, sporting the new IMA Blog t-shirt

The IMA joined Flickr a little late in the game, but I feel like we are really starting to use it in some interesting ways.  My colleague Despi recently created a set featuring the new IMA blog t-shirts.  You’ll be hearing more about that.  Our conversation department has been active creating individual case studies on art objects.  You can learn about a recent Thornton Dial acquisition here (complete with video), or the treatment of a Saarinen Sideboard.  It’s an interesting glimpse into some behind-the-scenes action at an art museum and a new way of discovering engaging content.  Look for more of these conservation case studies in the very near future.

2009 will bring lots of activity to the IMA, especially in 100 Acres: The Virginia B.  Fairbanks Art and Nature Park.  The Nugget Factory will be working very closely with the contemporary department to document the art installations, capturing artist interviews and developing new visitor experiences.  On Flickr, we created a set dedicated set to Type A’s involvement in this space, here (I recommend the videos).  Under development, is the official 100 Acres Flickr group.  We’re still tweaking it, but please feel free to join and contribute your photography.

IMA’s Horticulture department was kind enough to place some new signs across the beautiful IMA campus.  We often spot photographers walking our grounds and we would love to see their perspective.  I hope these signs encourage or inspire our visitors to go online and shape IMA’s presence on Flickr.  I mean that.

We really want you to get involved in Flickr

IMA blogger Noelle, also just completed a Flickr article in PREVIEWS, the publication for members of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  I told you we love Flickr, perhaps a little obsessed.  If anyone is interested in a copy, leave a comment and I’ll send you one.

And finally, Museums and the Web will be hosting their annual conference in Indianapolis next April.  They’ve created a group requesting images of Indianapolis.  It will give conference attendees from all over the world (Australia, Japan and Holland) a chance to discover our city and check out the new airport.

I’m all Flickr’d out.  Have any Flickr ideas?  Let me know.

A group of IMA staff (myself not included) attended the Museums and the Web conference in Montreal last week. This conference is an annual gathering for the ever-growing crowd of technology-focused staff in museums around the world. They also host the “Best of the Web” Awards. IMA’s project, Roman Art Webisodes, was picked last week as “Best Podcast.” IMA’s Dashboard picked up an Honourable Mention in the “Professional” category. We are excited that our work has been so well received by our peers.

Also, last week we were notified that Roman Art Webisodes were also chosen as an Official Honoree for the 2008 Webby Awards. A very competitive and widely entered contest, we placed in the top 15 in the Non-Profit/ Educational category for Interactive Advertisting. I was most excited about this competition since last year they honored David Bowie and he is on the judging committee this year. What could be better than winning an award from the same people who gave one to Ziggy Stardust. Needless to say we are delighted.

In other news, the Media and Technology Committee of the American Association of Museums has selected IMA’s Dashboard as the winner of a 2008 MUSE Award.

So who knows what’s next for us! We have entered many other projects in a variety of competitions, so hopefully as spring continues to progress we will have more good news…