The NEW On the Cusp

Back at the IMA, there’s lots going on, including an experiment with a motion activated bird cam in 100 Acres, our Art and Nature park.  We’ve been working with our Grounds and Horticulture staff for the past couple of months, trying to capture some of the wildlife on our campus.  In the upcoming year, we will see the construction of a visitor center and countless installations of site specific art.  We’ll be documenting all of this, as well as much of the natural environment.  Hopefully wildlife interacting with art.  In the meantime, enjoy the video below, which includes several shots, of – you guessed it, woodpeckers.

The Facebook/Twitter call to arms went surprisingly well and I got some ridiculous, funny, relevant and interesting suggestions.  Here are a few,  including…

• how about a commentary about Kanye West and his supposed status as an artist…
• how about “what is an online exhibition” we don’t talk about it but we should because physical ones are not always possible
• post ideas: what consistently surprises you at IMA / what’s your long-term plan / How have visitors responded / best project

So here are some of my responses.

how about a commentary about Kanye West and his supposed status as an artist…?

I’m not messing with Kanye.

how about “what is an online exhibition” we don’t talk about it but we should because physical ones are not always possible?

Online exhibitions are projects that make sense but aren’t often implemented.  The superb Vogel 50/50 program is an incredible concept and this site will become a great example of an online exhibition (it’s still under development by the National Gallery of Art) – but will beautifully pull together much of the 2,500 works of art from 50 States.  Tradtionally, the IMA focuses on physical installations of exhibitions.  New Media’s role in this is to provide interpretation online – working closely with curatorial, marketing, education and more.  Our focus is always on the story telling.   The curator is primarily focused on the actual installation.  But, there is room for more collaboration and new types of exhibitions to emerge, especially on the web.  Brooklyn Museum’s Click! should be a sign of things to come across the art museum field.  The possibilites at the IMA are endless, ranging from a traditional online exhibition of art not available in galleries, art too fragile too install, and other factors.  I’m most excited about the possibility of one day developing from scratch an online exhibition in complete collaboration with curator and artist.  We’ll see …but surely, the future of the online visitor/museum experience online will include more web-focused exhibition.  Right?

Vogel 50/50 site

what consistently surprises you at IMA / what’s your long-term plan / How have visitors responded / best project?

I most surprised that we keep coming up with ideas and that we have the freedom to implement them.

The long-term plan is to be brilliant at developing digital projects and content.  It’s hard to have a long-term plan in this field though, things change quickly and it’s a big mistake to assume that our visitors will buy into our plan.  Agility is essential.

The visitors that interact with us online have been overwhelmingly positive.  We want to interact more and hear from everyone – even if it’s not positive.

My top (3), favorite projects I’ve been lucky enought to work on at the IMA have to be – Roman Art from the Louvre Webisodes, Nature Holds My Camera: The Video Art of Sam Easterson, and ArtBabble.  Having said that, I could also easily create a Top-100 list.

Speaking of ArtBabble, check out the new section called Goodies, and have a little fun.

I’m signing off, but I would love to hear your input on anything in this post – online exhibitions, IMA projects, woodpeckers, ArtBabble Goodies, even Kanye.

It took 3 flights, about 19 hours of flying time and 6 hours of airport mulling to make it here.  How does someone that works in new media stay occupied, engaged and sane on a trip like this?  The glamour of economy class, cheap wine and tasteless food can only go so far.  I’m talking about other options – but with a new media twist.  So here goes –

Think about the next big thing.  Think about nothing.  Or, think about Flickr.  I always opt for the window seat.  It allows uninterrupted moments of thought and a great view.  I love clouds and the landscape below, so in between naps, reading or thinking of the next IMA project, I take photos, lots of them.  With that in mind, check out one of my favorite flickr groups, From the Airplane Window.  You might even see some of my snaps and you’ll think about flying differently the next time you take a flight.  And speaking of flickr, have you checked out IMA’s latest set of images?  You should, because they’re kind of cool.

I love planes and am happy to discuss my favorites or least favorites.  But hands down, the only plane for me is the Boeing 747.  It’s a beautiful piece of design – massive but elegant, stylish and timeless.  Which of course leads me to mention IMA’s blog – specifically our first guest blogger, Patrick Smith, who submitted a superb post on the 747, Pan Am, the Concorde, and the Jetliner as Art.  So – if you’re stuck in an airport with your laptop and looking for something to do (other than check work e-mail), read his post, then impress the person sitting next to you on your next flight, with your new knowledge of aircraft design.

If you’re not the chatty type, recline your seat, turn on your iPod and watch or listen to Indianapolis Museum of Art content.  Yes, you better believe it.  The IMA has its own iTunes page where you can check out some of our latest audio and video content.  And unlike airline food/drinks, our stuff is free, educational, engaging and sometimes funny.  Anyone remember the I love the A.D.’s webisode from the Roman Art from the Louvre exhibition?  It’s on our iTunes page.  Just click, here (make sure you have iTunes installed on your machine).

The NES practically raised me as a kid, so I still hold a special place in my heart for video games.  Recently, I’ve given more and more thought to the role that new handheld devices can assist our visitors in a more meaningful experience.  For instance, when our Art and Nature Park opens next year, should we provide visitors with handhelds such as iPhones, PSP’s or PDA’s?  I don’t know the answer to that…yet, but staff at the IMA are already thinking about the next innovative visitor experience.  Flying 35,000 in the air, I messed around with the Sony PSP as a possible device.  I watched our latest video with Jim Irsay and of course, played some video games – Lego Star Wars II being my favorite (who doesn’t love R2D2?).  It’s unlikely the IMA will partner with Rockstar Games to create an Art Museum Curator game, but we might just create content that will live on your PSP, iPhone/iTouch, or the next popular device.  We’re crafty that way.

It’s now 8:30am Monday morning (8:30pm Sunday night in Indy) and I’m off to some conference sessions.  I would love to hear your thoughts on how to use technology when traveling.  I’m sure I missed something.