The IMA blog staff is filled with all types. Some of them know their blog topics weeks ahead of time. Some work at a steady pace and figure out an idea a couple of days in advance. Some (me) usually wait until the last minute. I realized this yesterday and turned to Twitter and Facebook for inspiration. Some suggestions were inappropriate for an IMA post, some were funny, some were thoughtful, and I had a lot of people suggest blogging about IMA’s Deaccessioned artwork page.  Yes it’s cool….it’s transparent….it’s many things….but I had absolutely nothing to do with it.  If you do want more info, bug Charlie or IMA’s registration department- bravo to everyone involved in that project.

Thinking about that page led me to think more broadly about IMA’s main website.  Inside the museum, the IMA site is a major topic of conversation amongst the web team.  We’re in the planning stages for a web redesign of imamuseum.org.  This will include a better calendar system, better integration of digital content, a new collection page and lots more bells and whistles I can’t mention right now.  This process has really made me consider one word and one section: Interact.

IMA's Interact Section

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“Has anyone seen our intern?” This blog series follows the IMA’s Public Affairs Intern, Jennifer Anderson, as she escapes the office space for a little R&R in the galleries…

#6. IMA's Six Degrees of Separation

LACMA did it, everyone on Facebook is doing it, and now the IMA is turning it up a notch with blog “tagging”. Here it is…what you all have been waiting for…25 Random Things about the IMA.  Read the rest of this entry »

In previous posts, I’ve not been shy in expressing my respect, admiration or jealousy for other institutions.  So, it’s surprising it took me this long to mention the Tate Modern.  Earlier this spring, I e-mailed Jane Burton, Creative Director at Tate Modern, to introduce myself and express my sincere appreciation for the work they produce – especially video – and you know how much video The Nugget Factory produces.  This e-mail turned into an invitation to a conference on handheld technology at the Tate Modern organized by Jane and Nancy Proctor of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM’s doing some pretty innovative things too.  This post hopes to share some the experiences in the conference: From Audiotours to iPhones Workshop.

Developed for IMA's American Galleries in 2005

Rewind a few years.  Does anyone remember the American Gallery handheld project – ArtXplore – that the IMA piloted in 2005?  It was a short-lived project that helped (indirectly)shape much of the current technology strategies at IMA.  It was a difficult project, with some victories, lessons learned and a big part of the technology, evolutionary process at our museum.  Since 2005, we have re-focused our efforts to create digital content that visitors in any location can access. Although we do offer audio tours at the Lilly House, a cell phone tour for the Gardens and Grounds – our primary strategy has to increase the reputation of IMA globally, and share our stories about art with a much larger online audience.  It’s an approach I support, but with the opening of the Art and Nature Park next year, should we try another attempt with some sort of handheld device?  Perhaps.
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