A few months ago, the blog team had an idea; we wanted to open up the IMA blog to a member of the public in order to present an ‘outside’ perspective of the Museum. After a little brainstorming, the “So You Think You Can Blog” contest was born. Dozens of potential bloggers submitted to the contest.  5 finalists were chosen. And our blog readers chose 1 winner – Katie Neville. Congratulations!

THANK YOU to all our blogger candidates. It was fascinating to read your perspectives on the museum experience. We really appreciate your willingness to participate and share.

THANK YOU to all of our blog readers that voted. The poll got record-breaking participation. In fact, on Wednesday, March 10, our Web site received the most  hits in a single day in IMA history. Votes were cast from as far away as the Netherlands (27 votes) and China (17 votes).  We even had 3 votes from Trinidad and Tobago.

OK, so that’s it for now! The NEW IMA blogger has been crowned. Ms. Neville will be joining the team this April and we’re looking forward to what she has to say. Until then, we’ll be working on a new blog contest…Stay tuned!

Oh, oh and Katie – Expect an email from the Blog Team today. We’re excited to have you on board!

Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Musings

THE CHALLENGE

On January 6, 2010 we announced that the IMA was searching for its next blogger and outlined the rules of the contest.

The IMA is searching for its next blogger and we want you! Interested in sharing your thoughts about the IMA from an “outsider’s” perspective? Not afraid to muse publicly about the museum’s programs and exhibitions? Able to attend IMA events and willing to submit 300-600 words once a month? Then you could be the blogger for the job.

THE FINALISTS

After receiving dozens of submissions, the IMA narrowed the field to 5. Over the course of the last 5 weeks, we posted the candidates blog entries. Each had to answer the following questions:

Tell us a little about yourself:
Tell us a story. We want to know how good your yarn-spinning skills are, so give your best anecdote involving an experience you’ve had at the museum.
Why should you be an IMA blogger?

Review the Finalist’s Posts…

• Katie Neville
• Heather McAlister
• Jenni Clarkson
• Crystal Hammon
• Jessica Hancock

THE VOTE

Whose voice do you want to hear on a monthly basis? Blog readers, it’s time for you to decide! From now until March 23 at 11:59 pm you can vote for your favorite finalist.  The winner will be announced on March 24. Don’t forget, what’s at stake – The IMA’s Next Top Blogger gets a free membership to the IMA, invitations to special events throughout the year, and the opportunity to share her thoughts about art, design, the natural environment, and the IMA with the world.

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Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Musings

The second annual American Idol-style Summer Nights Film Poll is back. This is your chance to tell us what you want to see on the big screen! Last year you voted, we listened, and you watched movies under the stars at the IMA: This is Spinal Tap, Glory, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Mummy, The Big Lebowski, Strangers on a Train, Devil in a Blue Dress, Dr. Strangelove, Sholay and Ghostbusters.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Summer Nights 2008

Now it’s time to mark your calendars for season #34 of Summer Nights, June 5-August 28. As one of the few art museums in the country with an amphitheater, the IMA offers a unique movie-going experience. All you need is a blanket, some friends and a picnic basket full of goodies. And, by popular demand, another special midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is in the works.

VOTE NOW! Below are four categories of films. Vote for your favorite film in each of the categories as often as you like. Polls close at noon on February 25, and results, including the full Summer Nights schedule, will be announced in March on the IMA Blog.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Film, Polls, Public Programs

That’s right.  We did it.  We made blog t-shirts.  We asked you for slogans, compiled all the ideas and then chose the cream of the crop for an IMA blog poll.  If you recall, the top 5 slogans were:

• “Blog your art out” by Eric
• “Future IMA Guest Blogger” by Despi (that’s me)
• “Like you have something better to do” by Henry
• Front “Ping” Back “www.imamuseum.org/blog” by Lindsey
• “When you need a good poll” by Despi (yep, two from me)

The poll winner was Eric, by a landslide.  So it is his slogan that made its way onto the t shirt.

Slogan conceived by Eric, design perfected by IMA

Designed by IMA Apps Team member and Web Designer, Matt Gipson, these tees are available for sale in the IMA gift shop ($20).  For those of you who submitted suggestions for the poll, you should have received an e-mail from the awesome Emily (also known as Demily) asking for your address.  If you responded a t-shirt is on its way to you right now!

So what should the next poll be?

Filed under: New Media, Polls

Taking concepts from philanthropy and social activism, entrepreneurship, the Underground Railroad and the music of Naptown, to The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Nascar, going green, public art, gas prices and a hypothetical mass transit system, artist Chakaia Booker has ignited conversation pieces on Indianapolis’s sidewalks. By cutting, twisting and weaving together rubber tires, Booker has fashioned a temporary urban art exhibition specifically for Indy, removing the road block between the city’s past and present. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art, Exhibitions, Local, Polls