Rob Stein | Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

5 Ingredients for a Successful Mobile Standard

Sep 14 2010

Last week, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in London at the 2010 Tate Handheld Conference where a group of really smart folks were gathered to plan and brainstorm ways that museums can take advantage of new advances in mobile technology.

Planning the Future of Museum Mobile Experiences @ Tate

Many of you may know that the IMA has been really active in building mobile content for our main website, our special exhibitions, and 100 Acres. One of the things I love about working at the IMA is that we always try to give a little love back to our museum buddies when we undertake new projects. That’s why we’ve made all the software for these mobile experiences available for free to anyone who’d like to play around with them.

While I’m happy that many museums can pick these tools up and use them for their own content, it won’t be the right solution for everyone. In fact, it only solves just part of the problem.

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Filed under: Technology

Blogs and Coffee

Posted By Meg Liffick | 1 Comment »

Jan 13 2010

Poster in My Office

In case you haven’t heard yet, we’re searching for a blogger. (See instructions for submission.) So far, we’ve received nearly 20 submissions and each is pretty darn good. It’s going to be a difficult process of narrowing down the field. However, I believe that the IMA’s Social Media Committee of Excellence is up for the task, and we hope that our blog readers will in turn be up for the challenge of voting for their favorite in the coming weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Musings

The Pharmacy

Posted By Kate | No Comments »

Dec 21 2009

the-pharmacy-title

The Pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia.

sketchysantas.com

Blog: Sketchy Santas

In honor of the holiday season, please enjoy a blog devoted to creepy Claus encounters. You can even customize and send your own sketchy Santa greeting card.

ArtBabble Video: The Mummification Process

The ancient Egyptians developed a sophisticated method to preserve a dead body for the afterlife: mummification. Follow the steps of the mummification process in this short animation about the Getty Museum’s Romano-Egyptian mummy Herakleides.

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Filed under: Art, Current Events, New Media

Transparency and Museums (Part 2) – Reasons for Transparency

Posted By Rob Stein | 1 Comment »

Nov 10 2009

Last week in part one of this series, we looked at a working definition of transparency on which to base the context of our conversation. There was some good discussion in the comments about the concept in general and specifically about the differences between the valuation of museum collections and deaccessioning practices. Thanks to those of you who commented, and/or tweeted about the article.

Saying that transparency is a “good idea” is not enough to address concerns that many museums have about sharing information in this way. Today, we’ll spend some more time examining a few reasons why museum administrators should seriously consider an open approach to transparency as a strategic choice in running the museum.

Again, please chime in with thoughts / questions / analogies / etc… Your thoughts really add to and enrich the conversation. Do you think this would work in your museum? What would be the biggest concerns that would arise?

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Filed under: Musings, Technology

The Pharmacy

Posted By Kate | 2 Comments »

Oct 26 2009

the-pharmacy-title

The Pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia.

http://www.beardrevue.com

Blog: beard revue

It’s all about the beards, people. This blog has a simple description: ‘Review, commentary & discussion for the beard enthusiast. Up the beard ratio!’

ArtBabble Video: Creation of a Tibetan Mural

Pema Rinzin paints a mural of the Buddhist Guardian Kings of the Four directions. Pema Rinzin on his personal decision to paint the Four Great Guardian Kings: “They are unique imagery in that they are solid; they are protectors; and they are closest to our human form. For example, in Tibet at the largest monasteries like Drepung, all the Guardian Kings are in the front of the monastery. I thought they would also protect us here in the United States and at the Rubin Museum.

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Filed under: Art, New Media, Technology