Like the rest, AI won’t take many jobs. It may take over redundant and tiresome duties but not the ones that need amazing human brains. Undoubtedly, paintings and arts fall into that category. So, there’s no need for artists to lose sleep over AI generators.

So, what’s the fuss about? Let us clear something up right here. No AI generator can ever replace artists. AI isn’t human and lacks a humanistic touch. Moreover, art enthusiasts will never accept the displacement of artists. But considering that, artists can take advantage of AI, right?

As Sun Tzu once said, “Keep your friends close and enemies closer”. Following the mantra, artists have found superb assistance in AI’s form. Instead of fearing, artists can befriend AI to be in an advantageous position.

How? Well, this article serves the purpose of proving how AI generators are beneficial for artists. We’ll explore how artists can up their game with AI. So, let’s get started:

IDEA GENERATION:

Often, artists find themselves in a conundrum situation. They explore ideas around them and still don’t find anything worth drawing. Why? Because they get overwhelmed by their surroundings.

However, AI is always at hand’s length to help them out. Using ChatGPT and Openart.ai, artists can seek help from AI. Using prompts, artists can filter out genius ideas. Sometimes, mingled thoughts don’t let them paint. So, AI tools can help clear their thoughts.

Not only this, AI generators can paint with minimal instructions. So, artists can get an initial outlook on their paintings. Also, it’ll assist them through the process of painting. However, artists generally don’t get help from an external source. But without a doubt, they won’t discard taking help from AI generators that can directly affect the end product.

Also, AI generators can be great for abstract painters. Sometimes, abstract painters lack idea generation. Even if they get the idea, they are clueless about painting it. So, AI generators can assist them in no time. Just roll out the prompt and see the results.

However, there’s an important thing to keep in mind. Such AI tools and generators usually don’t work as intended on a substandard connection. The reason is simple. It’s because they’ve tremendous loads of data and rolling it out on a subpar speed isn’t possible. So, they keep on dragging the results. Because neither a veteran nor an aspiring painter wants to lose touch when in a mood to create, check your connection first before seeking out help from such AI tools.

GLOBAL MARKET:

Most times, aspiring artists struggle to sell their artwork. They don’t often find the right market to sell their work. However, digital artists have been gaining a lot of traction lately. It appears they’ve hit a jackpot. But let’s clarify. They haven’t hit any jackpot or treasure chest. They’ve found the right market, and that market encompasses the entire globe.

Using AI tools, anyone can explore the trends among people. For example, you can find out what cereal is top-selling in the United States or what’s the price of tomatoes in Madrid today. Based on AI’s algorithm, you can find anything.

So, using AI tools, artists can explore people’s likes and dislikes. Considering that, they can come up with paintings that are trendy among the masses. Moreover, they can even sell them globally.

Using NFTs, painters can sell paintings digitally. NFTs are non-fungible tokens that are bought or sold digitally. Artists can convert physical paintings to digital assets on NFT platforms.

AUGMENTED REALITY:

AR infused with AI can be a game changer for painters. Some artists may find it troubling to picture scenery or objects while painting them down. However, AR can visualize anything for them.

With the help of AR, artists can access the color scheme, lighting, and different settings to maximize results. It’s like gazing at something before perfecting it and then painting it on a canvas. So, using AR, artists can achieve much more than they think.

PREVIEWING:

Most artists are quite conscious of their results and are looking for admiration and insights for their work. However, artists seldom get feedback on possible mistakes in their masterpieces.

AI generators can help them in this regard as well. Using a generator, they can upload images of their paintings for review. The AI generator will thoroughly access the painting and give recommendations. Such recommendations would be reasonable as well. Simply because they’d be coming out of a tool specially designed for the purpose. This way, they can act on the recommendations to make their work more appealing and saleable.

BOTTOM LINE:

There’s no need for artists to fear AI. In no sense should they be worried about AI displacing them. Instead, AI tools can work in their favor for the above reasons. Taking advantage of the technological advancements can assist them and secure their place in the world of art.

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Author’s Bio

Katherine S. Baker

Content Marketer at Local Cable Deals

Business graduate, a digital marketer by profession, and a writer by passion. Katherine loves to play Chess. She shares her expertise for several brands including Cox communications en español to improve their rankings on Google. Probably one of the most amazing things about her is her ability to stay relevant. Her work has been posted on multiple blogs and e-zines across the web.

The post 3 Reasons Why AI Isn’t an Artists Competitor appeared first on Art Business News.

Rediscovering the Roots of Artistic Progress:

Throughout history, artists have led the charge in embracing scientific and technological advancements. Be it the adoption of newly discovered pigments or the pioneering use of optical devices like the camera obscura and lucida, artists have consistently sought inventive methods to produce realistic and captivating masterpieces. In the past, these developments were lauded and adopted by renowned artists.

Before the advent of cameras, the only means of capturing someone’s likeness was through an artist’s rendering. Consequently, artists relied on every available resource to fulfill their clients’ expectations. Far from being hesitant to use technology, artists kept their technological techniques and tools a closely guarded secret, due to the immense power and prestige they held. In contrast, contemporary views on technology in the traditional art world often label any form of technological assistance as “cheating,” clashing with the rich history of artistic ingenuity and exploration.

Groundbreaking Advancements

The camera obscura, an ancestor of modern photography, is an optical instrument dating back to the 13th century. It comprises a dark chamber or enclosure with a tiny aperture on one side, which allows light to enter and project an inverted image of the external scene onto the opposite surface. Although ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers were familiar with the camera obscura’s principle, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that it found its place as an artistic aid. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and, subsequently, Canaletto and Vermeer utilized camera obscura-type devices to produce meticulously detailed and accurate drawings and paintings.

By examining the projected images, artists gained a deeper understanding of perspective, light, and shadow, integrating these elements into their work with exceptional accuracy. The camera obscura not only helped artists hone their techniques but also inspired them to investigate new subjects, laying the groundwork for the realism and naturalism that defined Renaissance art and beyond.

These breakthroughs have significantly contributed to the growth and appreciation of art, fostering a more profound comprehension of the creative process. Far from undermining art, these tools have propelled artists to new heights and inspired continued innovation. Consequently, this has broadened the scope of artistic possibilities and heightened the enjoyment of art for both creators and audiences. Historically, the fusion of technology and art has proven to be a potent alliance that promotes progress and elevates the artistic experience for all.

Da Vinci Eye: Fusing Art and Technology:

Da Vinci Eye is committed to revitalizing the bond between technology and traditional artists. The objective is to integrate advanced tools, such as augmented reality, into the conventional artist’s repertoire. We aim to prove that by harnessing technology, artists can improve their creative processes, broaden their reach, and engage with their mediums in ways never imagined.

For example, the Da Vinci Eye app enables artists to trace images onto any surface using augmented reality, acting as an art projector or modern camera obscura. This feature alone has already aided thousands of artists in refining their skills and realizing their visions. This trailblazing approach builds on the long-standing tradition of artists employing technology to elevate their work while also adapting to the contemporary digital landscape. The idea itself is hundreds of years old, a modern take on a camera lucida, however, the adaptation into a digital form makes it much easier and practical to use for the everyday artist.

Challenging the Criticism: The Role of Technology in Unleashing Artistic Potential

One criticism often encountered by the Da Vinci Eye developers, quite surprisingly, is that the technology makes creating art too easy. It’s a baffling reaction, especially considering that most art teachers dream of hearing such words from their students. While it’s true that the artwork of a complete beginner may have accurate proportions and thus look better with the app, the creativity and the process of creation remain entirely in the hands of the artist. Like a ruler, the app simply serves as a tool to be wielded by an individual who wishes to create art, and the outcome is ultimately determined by the artist’s experience.

Moreover, when new artists start, they often feel disheartened because their initial work doesn’t meet their expectations. By using this app, they have good results and feel inspired to continue creating.

Empowering Creativity: A Visually Impaired Artist’s Inspiring Journey with Augmented Reality

In a conversation with a gifted visually impaired artist who has used the Da Vinci Eye app, an uplifting story was revealed that exemplifies the potential of technology in the hands of a resourceful person, no matter their physical constraints. She mentioned that, despite her visual challenges, her passion for art remained strong, and she constantly sought avenues to express her creative side.

When tested, she discovered the app’s augmented reality feature, along with the magnification options, allowed her to experiment with composition and perspective in ways she had never imagined possible. The tool helped her not only create several pieces she was proud of but also boosted her confidence in her artistic capabilities.

Her experience demonstrates the ability of technology to not just improve an artist’s skills but also to eliminate obstacles, enabling them to explore their creativity in novel and thrilling ways. By harnessing technology, she managed to overcome her limitations and achieve new heights in her artistic career.

Technology as an Enhancement

As technology continues to advance, it’s essential to understand how it can enhance the artistic experience instead of viewing it as a danger to art’s authenticity. By connecting art and technology, we can enable artists to extend their creative limits and present their work globally in unparalleled ways. Art’s future resides in the balance between traditional methods and modern innovation. The Da Vinci Eye is one way of providing a digital art tool that assists artists of all skill levels in honing their abilities while also motivating them to pursue their creative endeavors. As we challenge the stigma surrounding technology’s role in art, it may pave the way for a more inclusive and dynamic artistic landscape.

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Author’s bio

Sam Gherman is the multitalented founder of Da Vinci Eye, the viral AR app company for non-digital artists. With the goal of giving everyone the ability to create incredible artwork, their flagship app has reached #2 top paid app spot in the US, Apple’s Top Paid Apps of 2021, and is currently one of Apple’s Top 100 Graphics and design apps since switching to a freemium model. Sam, a self-taught developer and creative professional by day and part-time magician/mentalist by night, has bootstrapped, designed, developed, and marketed Da Vinci Eye with his partner for the last 7 years.

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What is an NFT?

The NFT acronym stands for non-fungible token. It is a collectible digital asset that has value as a cryptocurrency and as a form of art and culture. NFT is a digital token like Bitcoin and Ethereum; but unlike coins in the blockchain, it is unique and cannot be exchanged for something similar to it; that is why it is called non-fungible.

What makes NFT unique and different from crypto coins then? NFT files store information aside from currencies. That makes it possible for them to be converted into absolutely anything. There are different types of NFTs, but the most common one right now is digital art.

When you think of NFT art, imagine a physical collectors’ item. But instead of getting an oil painting on a canvas to hang on your wall, you get a JPEG file. NFT art owners can sell artwork in the form of a blockchain gif just as legally as traditional artists sell their paintings.

How do NFTs Work?

NFTs have become very popular in the digital art and gaming worlds. For digital artists, stepping into NFTs is an avenue to showcase their work to the world. With these digital expressions of their art, they can get support and recognition and earn money.

In the gaming world, NFTs have shaken up the concept of buying game assets too. Initially, people purchased virtual gaming assets belonging to a company. But with NFTs, players can own these gaming assets.

Do NFTs Give Hope to Digital Artists?

As they say, modern problems require modern solutions. Plagiarism has hit the art world hard since the pandemic. So, artists, especially those who produce cyber art, have been at a loss.

Cyber art is a non-traditional style of painting that uses computer software and hardware. The most common cyber art tools are tablets, styluses, and software that can render images. But because this art style is digital, it is nearly impossible for artists to control how their art moves from hands to hands. A reliable way for digital artists online to protect their work while making a profit is by making it an NFT art.

Let’s use the Rainbow Cat GIF by NyanCat as an example. 

The artist sold this shaking GIF of a pixelated cat for $693,000, and it is an NFT art. But do you think we paid that much money to use it in this article? We aren’t Bill Gates yet, unfortunately.

Yes, anyone can download this GIF online, but our downloaded versions aren’t as valuable as the original NFT artwork nestling in a secure blockchain. There will only be one original Rainbow Cat gif and wealthy art lovers will fork out a fortune for its ownership rights.

So, is NFT Art Here to Stay?

NFT art has apparent benefits. The artwork Everydays: The First 5000 Days by Beeple was auctioned off at $69.3 million at Christie’s. 

After that sale, the internet and tabloids were frenzied as artists didn’t think digital art should cost that much money. Understandably, people fear what they don’t understand. For some, it felt like NFT art was stealing the thunder of other handmade works.

But the skepticism around NFT has steadily increased. Artnet analyzed Beeple’s art and found out that it contained many racist and sexist references. While that doesn’t necessarily undermine NFT art, it takes some shine off the Beeple’s milestone.

Is NFT Art Sustainable?

Since NFT is under the Ethereum blockchain, this information does not fill us with much hope because an Ethereum transaction takes up the electricity equivalent of an American household for two days. Even a single Bitcoin transaction takes up more electricity than Argentina does. So, for every NFT minted, there is a drawback.

NFTs operate in a largely unregulated market, just like cryptocurrencies. And if you are looking to buy NFT art for investment purposes, such a market may not be your kettle of fish. Items appreciate and lose value on a whim in the crypto market.

As an NFT art investor, there is little guarantee that you will profit when you hold an artwork to resell later. How much profit you make by reselling in the NFT marketplace depends on the demand for your art, not on its value. Additionally, the fact that anyone can download superficially indistinguishable copies of your art means that ordinary folks have less incentive to pay for it.

When you purchase an NFT art, what exactly do you own? Why stake that much for something intangible? At the moment, there is no indication that you get paid when users freely download or share an NFT art that you own. These and many more question marks form a bubble around what the future holds for NFT artists and collectors.

The Bottom Line

The pandemic has affected every sphere of our lives and livelihoods. Art creators also had a tough time selling their works since people were stocking up on essentials. So NFTs became an innovative response for these artists to make money.

As an artist, you can decide to make your work a non-fungible token, but don’t put all your eggs in that basket yet. The value of your artwork hinges on the trends in a market that you have little control of, and a digital token can drastically lose value at any point. NFT art is making waves right now, but we haven’t seen enough to believe that it will stand the test of time. While we admire the concept behind the NFT marketplace, it is likely to be a fast trend.

Author’s Bio: Amanda Dudley is a professional essayist who works in a college essay writing service agency. She is also a professor of history at Stanford University, lending to her credibility in the world of academic writing. Amanda is passionate about teaching and has worked with special needs children. To sharpen her mind, she stays abreast of new developments in art and technology.

The post Fast Trend or Stand-Alone Direction: Is NFT Art Here to Stay? appeared first on Art Business News.

Chatbot technology is quite standard, and if you’re a frequenter of the Book of Ra slot game, you’ve probably interacted with it. Despite its popularity, many experts in the field still consider it to be in its infancy stage. However, since appearing in the 1960s, chatbot technology is making leaps and bounds on interaction and engagement with humans. Before we get into the intricacies of the subject matter, let’s start from the beginning. 

What Is Chatbot Technology Anyway, and Most Importantly, Why Is It Such a Big Deal? 

Chatbot technology is a computer program based on AI. It’s used to process and interpret user questions by simulating natural human conversation. Ideally, when you interact with a chatbot service, you expect to have an experience similar to that of a normal conversation with another human being. 

The only difference is that you ask the questions, and the technology has programmed answers to your problem. Chatbot technology was first created in 1964, thanks to the MIT AI Lab and Joseph Weizenbaum, a computer scientist. ELIZA, the first chatbot, simulated a psychotherapist by integrating pattern matching and programmed responses.

Today, there are many different applications of chatbots across various industries. Businesses can no longer ignore how cost-effective chatbot technology is. Drawing closer home, during the COVID-19 pandemic, large organizations, such as WHO and the CDC, rely on it to disseminate related info to millions of users. 

Adopting chatbot technology is essential to any business that’s keen to reduce its customer service burden while still ensuring that it can address concerns expressed by its clients. In a way, it helps sieve and prioritizes tasks for a business or whoever interacts with it. The most famous chatbot, Alexa (Amazon), is designed for home use. 

Chatbots in the Art Market

As many more industries embrace chatbot technology, the art market isn’t lagging. Recently, art museums and online art galleries implemented it as well. For example, Emma is a front-end technology that helps buyers find art that matches their unique preferences on ArtFinder. If you want to experience the benefits of using Emma, log in to Twitter, and see how this chatbot technology can help you find masterpieces that speak to your soul.

On the commercial front, commercial chatbots such as Morph, Botengine, Bold360, and Botisfy continue to reveal how customer support is changing with the use of AI. The art scene’s revolution is epic, as technology is evolving to learn how to create art pieces.

Everywhere you care to look, including online casinos, there’s chatbot technology. Take, for instance, the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. The center uses an SMS chatbot known as “Send Me SFMOMA.” It helps boost interaction, engage users, and make the museum’s vast art collection more accessible to audiences by countering user questions.

Using “Send Me SFMOMA,” audiences of museums can view previously unseen artwork focused on their interests rather than only what is on display in the museum. To access the collection, all you have to do is type in a “send me” SMS request in addition to a matching keyword or color to a provided number. 

Emoji addicts can get in on the loop by simply typing in a word and their favorite emoji. The museum’s chatbot technology will scan your request alongside the collection and respond with an appropriate image. 

In Belarus, the National Art Museum uses chatbot technology for similar functions, albeit in different capacities. The institution takes advantage of chatbots to offer visitors an online guide and improve correspondence. 

One of the most remarkable examples of how chatbot technology has impacted the art market is through MuseumBot. The AI makes works of art more approachable by integrating data, machine learning, and records to attract art aficionados to the growing field. 

More Than Customer Service

Our discussion above shows that museums and art centers are using chatbot technology to encourage interaction between audiences and institutions. Consequently, chatbot technology trends are evolving from considerations reserved for customer service to complex innovations. 

Chatbot technology is not only useful for disseminating information. Perhaps, through art, it will show us the symbiotic relationship between tech and the past. 

Additionally, with Natural Language Processing (NLP), incredible innovations and technology are bound to come through to help humans understand the world through art infused with chatbot technology. 

Take, for example, consider how the Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo Museum uses chatbot technology. With headphones and a smartphone, you can “talk” to the art pieces displayed at the institution.  

As you approach art exhibitions, use your assistant — in this case, their chatbot technology — to answer queries about different sculptures and paintings close to you. The museum’s chatbot technology is designed to answer complex questions such as the different styles the artist used or even expound on the elements on which the artwork was set.

This is an example of how we can use chatbot technology to aid growth in the industry and general learning. Using such kinds of learning experiences, people of all ages and intellectual capabilities can have the ultimate experience in cultural institutions, museums, and art centers. 

Additionally, chatbot technology plays a vital role in appealing to many who have never made an effort to visit such places for the simple reason that they aren’t interactive or utterly “boring.” 

Chatbot technology has shown how vital it is when used for business. Therefore, it can prove to be as useful in situations that call for learning, such as centers dedicated to cultural creativity. 

Technology is vital to improving our understanding of not just the world, but our relative realities. It can, in essence, form an extension of the human being and used as a vehicle for more technological advancements. 

Conclusion

As you interact with chatbot technology and other different kinds of bot techs, keep your mind open to what it can do for you. Have you interacted with any chatbot technology? What was the experience? Other than the tech used in your home or what you interact with on business websites, have you tried others? Tell us about the different chatbot technology you’ve dealt with, especially those related to art. We’d love to know.

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Thomas Glare demonstrates his expertise through various social media management pieces. Through various blogs, he has helped a significant number of social media managers succeed. He also consults for various websites and online businesses, such as Book of Ra. 

Link: https://thefrisky.com/how-technology-opened-avenues-for-gaming-enthusiasts/

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The three innovative art exhibits described below demonstrate how audiovisual technologies are enabling new experiences, engaging visitors in new ways and providing the ability to turn any space into an immersive digital art exhibit.

Engaging Diverse Crowds and Controlling Traffic Flow

For the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, IMG partnered with Design Electronics to develop a traveling exhibit called King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh that leverages immersive projection systems, creative audio features and projection mapping to deliver an engaging tour for visitors of all ages.

The first thing visitors see in the exhibit is an animated video that identifies artifacts and their roles in Tut’s mummification process. To truly engage and capture the attention of the audience, Design Electronics created a 23-foot-wide, seven-foot-tall projection screen that wraps 180 degrees around visitors and is positioned slightly overhead so viewers can gaze up at it as they would a night sky. As this intro video ends, lights activate and the doors open to the next gallery  – each gallery in the exhibit is designed to move people through with a natural flow.

Sound also plays an important role in the flow and sensory experience, according to Khalil Williams at Design Electronics. “We use sound to spatially create the effect that you are passing along with Tut,” Williams explained, adding that IMG was a big proponent of high-quality audio to complete the effect. Determining the appropriate sound levels was another key consideration to properly present the exhibit to visitors of all ages and cultural preferences as it travels around the globe.

The exhibit’s technology also needed to highlight the importance of the physical artifacts without overshadowing or distracting from them. Williams said the alternating digital and physical aspects “maintain a certain attention span, with pop-ups of experience to keep things fresh as they go through.”

In one location where the exhibit covered two floors, a second intro show was developed around “The Wishing Cup.” As visitors gather at the entrance, they see projections before them but are unaware that physical objects are hiding behind the screens. Williams explains, “We used a translucent projection material that when projected on becomes opaque, so they don’t know what’s hiding there.”

An audio narration explains the story of The Wishing Cup, then visitors hear sound effects as if a chisel is hitting stone. As it’s chiseled, the image falls away and the physical tomb behind it appears. Throughout this immersive experience, all the technology is hidden and used to highlight the history and artifacts, not the technology itself. This guiding principle continues with the exhibit’s use of projection mapping, which sees images projected onto complex 3D surfaces instead of flat screens – in this case the tops of gallery entry portals to create signage that blends into the exhibit.

Bringing Art to Life with Virtual and Augmented Reality

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., has more than 35,000 works of art and welcomes 500,000 visitors a year. Like many museums, it’s exploring ways to use virtual and augmented reality to engage visitors and enhance their experience – while also using VR as a marketing tool to engage fans at home and encourage them to visit.

A few years ago, a donor gave Nelson-Atkins an extensive collection of impressionist paintings. While the museum was building the gallery to host them, it created a VR recording of the collection in the donor’s home so people could get a preview and be encouraged to visit the museum or become a patron – both of which provide ROI by driving revenue.

Virtual reality also lets people experience art in ways that isn’t possible in the physical world. For example, Nelson-Atkins worked with a local hospital to CAT scan a collection of miniature angels carved out of ivory. The scans were then converted to a 360-degree immersive video that allows guests to experience a more up-close and intimate view of the angels without any chance of damaging them. “They’ll be able to explore that in a completely different way than they would in reality,” says Doug Allen, the museum’s CIO.

For documentation purposes, Nelson-Atkins is also now recording 360-degree videos every time it renovates a gallery or sets up an exhibition. “It’s standard to photograph an exhibition, but [now] we’re also going to be taking 360-degree video,” said Allen. “So [the technology] has taken on this additional function of documentation that makes it easier. Let’s say 10 years from now, somebody wants to look back on how we had it set up, we’ll be able to put on the headset and understand it.”

Nelson-Atkins is also looking to use virtual reality (VR) headsets to help design partners ensure each exhibit has optimal spacing and traffic flow, in addition to integrating augmented reality (AR) features that overlay information on top of live images of the museum rooms, potentially offering guided tours and non-intrusive information.

Dazzling with Digital Art in Commercial Spaces

We live in a digital world, and it is the only type of world that future generations will know. Realizing this, The LINQ casino in Las Vegas saw an opportunity during recent major renovations to introduce immersive digital art experiences that excite guests and elevate the casino in an extremely busy, competitive environment.

Entitled DATALAND, the one-of-a-kind digital art experience was designed and created by Turkish artist Refik Anadol. Anadol’s interactive art piece presents bright flowing 3D visuals in immersive digital spaces to create an intersection between digital and physical mediums that guests can walk through. Beginning outside the casino with a large rectangular LED display facing outward and an even larger LED display mounted on the ceiling above the entrance, the installation allows guests to journey into the art itself. Anadol claims DATALAND is one of the world’s largest and most interactive environmental art installations, including several ‘immersive zones’ where sensors detect guests’ movements and sounds and cause immediate changes to the on-screen visuals.

Spread throughout the hotel, the installation includes various LED sculptures and spaces, such as a hallway where the walls and ceiling form a single cohesive LED display surface. At a second entrance way, the entrance and several spaces behind it are completely wrapped in LED displays that present a single aesthetic, making the space feel like a living, breathing room. DATALAND has many distinct sections, including six interactive virtual reality bays where art gives way to entertainment as guests use their movements and sounds to become digital action heroes, professional boxers or outer space DJs.

Art Continues to Imitate Life

Artists and those who support them have always experimented with the new tools and mediums of the day, leaving the world some of our most valued treasures. The age of digital art may be the first time that an average citizen, or whole groups of people, are becoming part of art exhibits themselves, where their actions and movements directly affect the environment around them. The engaging, exciting nature of being involved in a large, enveloping art experience appeals to all ages and demographics.

For artists, museums, public spaces and private businesses, the new wave of digital artists and the incredibly creative installations they can build are likely to be crucial to keeping the idea of art installations relevant to a population with increasingly short attention spans. By staying on top of the latest cutting-edge audiovisual technologies, artists and their commissioners will keep audiences engaged and returning to see what experience they’ll think of next.

Dan Goldstein is Chief Marketing Officer for AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association. AVIXA represents the $231 billion global commercial AV industry and produces InfoComm trade shows around the world. For more information, visit www.avixa.org.

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IWM (Imperial War Museums) is a family of five museums and historic sites in the UK, covering war and conflict from the First World War to the present day. They strive to tell the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War. The museum’s unique collections, made up of both the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events.

The museum strives to tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. In doing so, they challenge people to see conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war.

Culture Under Attack (July 5, 2019 – January 5, 2020), the Imperial War Museum’s newest season of exhibitions, live music, performances and interventions, explores how war threatens not only lives – but culture, too. Comprised of three free exhibitions – What Remains, Art in Exile and Rebel Sounds – the new season spans 100 years and reveals why some try to erase or exploit culture, while others risk everything to protect, celebrate and rebuild it.

When designing Culture Under Attack, IWM’s Head of Design Michael Hoeschen knew that the key to powerful storytelling would be to engage visitors with the past in a contemporary way.

And what better way to do that than with technology. Today’s museums have a plethora of display technology at their disposal that connects to and engages with visitors – all while still tying into the design of the exhibit as a whole.

IWM worked with U.S.-based design engineering firm Oat Foundry to build a custom split flap display, which forms part of the season’s central installation. The split flap display by Oat Foundry is a modern take on the retro departures boards frequently found in 20^th century European travel terminals; it evokes 20^th century nostalgia but is equipped with 21^st century technology.

“Culture Under Attack is centered around memory and the loss of cultural objects,” Hoeschen said. “The split flap display is the ideal centerpiece for this season because it evokes a unique sense of the past in a contemporary way.”

Positioned in the space between the three exhibitions, the split flap display acts as an introduction to the season and poses questions to engage visitors with exhibition content. 

The physical installation addresses questions like, ‘Is it okay to destroy culture in order to win a war?’; ‘‘should historic buildings be protected in conflict zones?’ and ‘should art be saved during war?’ – among many others.

As the message on the board changes, the sound of the individual flaps spinning creates a seductive effect – deeply connecting visitors with the matter at hand.

Aside from the physical split flap, the motif of the display is also being broadcasted digitally within the three exhibitions’ response rooms– designated spaces placed at the end of each exhibition where visitors can ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with the proposed questions, creating an entirely new level of engagement. Visitors can also see how their responses compare to others as well, inspiring discussion.

“The installation allows us to ask really hard-hitting questions in a visually engaging way,” Hoeschen concluded, “merging history with 21^st century ideas.”

Credits: Graphic Design – IWM, Graphic Production – Displayways, Format Graphics and Witherbys, Interactive Design – Clay Interactive, Lighting – Luminance Lighting Design

About IWM: IWM (Imperial War Museums) tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War. Our unique collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives.

IWM’s five branches which attract over 2.5 million visitors each year are IWM London, IWM’s flagship branch that recently transformed with new, permanent and free First World War Galleries alongside new displays across the iconic Atrium to mark the Centenary of the First World War; IWM North, housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind; IWM Duxford, a world-renowned aviation museum and Britain’s best preserved wartime airfield; Churchill War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast. More information, visit IWM at https://www.iwm.org.uk/

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If you’re an artist looking to boost your Google rankings and create a strong presence, these SEO tips will help get you where you’re going.

What is SEO and why it matters?
SEO or search engine optimization is a process of affecting your online visibility and chances of appearing on the first page of Google search results. This is important because people will be able to find you more easily and this will get you website traffic, engagement, shares and so on. The more people see your content the better – and good SEO practices can help you get many eyes on your website.

There are many search engines out there which are more or less popular. But, you should focus on optimizing for Google because it’s the most used search engine. Everyone has it on their phones, desktop devices and other devices and so on. It’s integrated in our daily lives and you’ll get the most attention there.

Get Ranked #1
There are a few simple things you can do to help get you ranked in the top spot on Google. First and easiest thing is to use a domain name that matches your name. When someone searches your name, your website will rank high simply because it’s got your name embedded right there. The more you build your website and expand your reach using the other tips outlined below, the higher you’ll climb in the rankings.

Within the pages of your website, you’ll want to include text. If not, all Google can see are the images you’ve posted. The images alone can help you rank high for searches done by your name, but if you’re looking to be ranked higher for other searches, you’ll want to include text within the pages. Steer clear of embedding text into your images or using Flash, as this renders the text unreadable to Google. An easy way to see if text is readable to Google is to open the website and try to copy that text – if you can’t, Google won’t be able to read it and it will have zero benefits to your SEO efforts.

Put Together a Wikipedia Page
There are certain rules you’ll need to follow when creating your Wikipedia page. You’ll want to start by compiling a list of links from all articles you’re mentioned in online, preferably at least 15 sources. However, avoid anything that you’ve published as Wikipedia guidelines consider this to be biased information. Simply Google your name to see what results appear and start creating the list from there. After you’ve got the list together, you can start putting together the draft copy of your page.

Make sure everything you write is factual information, free from any bias. Cite as much as possible from outside sources – this doesn’t necessarily mean copying and pasting their information, but it will have to be their information you’re using.

“It’s a good idea to have an outside source review or even write your page, to avoid any bias you may not even realize you’re injecting. Find a writer who’s experienced in composing Wikipedia pages, they’ll know exactly what to include and what to leave out,” explains Ben Hunt, SEO Manager at StateOfWriting and EliteAssignmentHelp.

Use Image Optimization
When you’re ready to upload images of your artwork anywhere, always include as the file name, the title of your artwork and your name. If you’re looking to have a high presence in a Google Image search, you’ll want to use this naming tip. This same naming advice applies to any image you’re including on your website, social media platforms or anywhere else you post.

Pinterest is another great resource for creating a databank of images that are easily searchable and can quickly help you climb to the top of Google Images. Create a pinboard to help boost your online image presence.

Use Social Media to its Full Potential
Social media profiles typically rank quite high in Google. When someone searches for a name, generally the first results they see are that person’s social media profiles. So, these are important tools in dominating the Google search results. Any social media profiles you’ve got need to be 100% completed, and you’ll want to post frequently so that Google continues to recognize you as a legitimate person.

YouTube Your SEO
These days, everyone seems to want to turn to YouTube for information on anything. YouTube videos are wonderful because they remain on the site for quite a long period of time and can also appear in Google Search results. Videos are also very easy for an audience to consume, as there is no reading to be done. They’re also easily sharable with just the click of a button.

Within the video title, you should include your keyword, and within the video description, you should be mentioning that keyword 2 or 3 times. A few tags within the description are acceptable, but you may overdo it if you include too many.

Provide SEO Optimized Content
It’s one thing to create content to fill your website’s pages, but it’s another entirely to create content that will actually help to elevate your Google ranking. By putting together SEO optimized content, you can indeed move your way upwards to the top of Google. If you need a little assistance in creating and polishing that content, there are plenty of experienced online resources that can help you put together effective SEO optimized content.

• ViaWriting and MyWritingWay – Both excellent SEO copywriting guides
• Academized – Edit your work online here (as mentioned at revieweal)
• Study demic – If you need a little grammatical help, you’ll find it here
• Paperfellows and AustralianHelp – Have your content proofread online
• Academ Advisor – Generate enticing subheadings and title to grab the reader’s attention
• Big Assignments and OxEssays – The final touch for your finished product is a run through content formatting

SEO Optimizing Your Art Gallery
When you’re creating the SEO content for yourself, but you are also running an art gallery, you’ll likely want to be promoting both yourself as an artist as well as your gallery. If you’re promoting a number of different artists, you will want to create separate pages for each of them in order to help optimize the search results for each.

Your Google My Business Page should be completely filled in and include as many photos and other information as possible. This is the actual listing that is going to appear in Google Maps when someone searches for the gallery, so you want all of the information to be totally accurate and easy to find.

Nora Mork

Nora Mork is a business journalist and blog editor at UK Writings and Boom Essays. She helps businesses create effected communications strategies, and writes posts for online magazines and blogs, such as Essay Roo.

The post Promote Your Art Website on Google Today with These SEO Tips for Artists appeared first on Art Business News.

Pick up any art magazine published in the last decade and you’ll see articles discussing the intersection of art and technology. From a purely subjective perspective, it’s useful. It shelters artists who are uncomfortable under the tent of “conceptual art.” It suggests a cutting-edge approach, while terms like “media” might include relatively older gadgetry, like video art.

Technology has also radically altered the way we interact with art. Social media has provided a new platform for discovery. Savvy dealers and gallerists use online and social media as a means create a direct connection to prospective collectors. This gives galleries the ability to reach beyond their walls and showcase work remotely.

For all the advances in recent years though, it’s easy to understand why a field like art, which prizes expression and preservation over the ephemeral and efficient, might be reluctant to embrace technological change. But there are bigger, more practical reasons galleries struggle. Technology sometimes fails to deliver a personal connection and experience, despite its many promises. Then there’s the sheer physicality of artwork: it’s cumbersome to deal with. It defies easy digital solutions.

The Mingei International Museum in San Diego confronted these issues head on when they renovated their Balboa Park space earlier this year. They had to rehouse their entire collection in the process. “It was such an intensely monumental task that the people who were taking it on literally didn’t know where to start,” Alexis O’Banion, Creative Director & Technology Strategist of The Mingei International Museum recalls. “There was a lot of ‘What is this thing?’ We hadn’t done a thorough housekeeping in quite a while.”

The Mingei’s collection is a singular mix of decorative art and functional objects from across the ages, and around the globe. It’s a unique place, housing mid-century modern marvels alongside contemporary African masks and 13th century manuscripts. The collection comprises 26,000 objects of high art, all of which were designed with a functional purpose.

The task of moving and tracking this type of collection is no small feat when time isn’t critical. Not to mention, Mingei’s old inventory system was an outdated database that made everyday work a challenge. “There was no remote capability, no API,” O’Banion explains. “You had to be on a desktop to use it.”

The logistics for the project were further complicated by having to accommodate multiple stakeholders on different teams. O’Banion summarizes how a museum works: “Everything kind of is around an exhibition. You market it, you create programming around it, you use it to sell memberships. Everybody has their jobs to do, but it all relates to one big project.”

The museum needed a barcode system for tracking the movement of objects, all of which had to be packaged in different ways. As O’Banion recalls, “We had to create labels for the boxes that the objects were going in. One box could probably hold three or four objects depending on the size. Some objects were crated separately. You had the object, then you had a container, then you had a crate or pallet. These objects were kind of nested inside of their vessels.”

What’s more, every time an artwork is moved, a record has to be kept of the physical state the object is in, a process known as conditioning. “Any time that an object is packed, no matter if we are loaning something or storing it, we need to condition it. Another museum will condition when they get it, and then condition it again when it goes off view. We needed a way to quickly condition an object, label it, package it, and then crate it. Times 26,000 objects.”

The team needed a tool which that could be used remotely in their storage room, on a phone or tablet, which was robust and flexible enough to meet their own specific requirements, and which could be used by everyone on their team. Airtable was the solution—it allowed The Mingei to track the movements and condition of every object, every step of the way.

The approach was so impressive that they received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “It’s a really big deal in the museum community,” O’Banion says. “They were the first ones to fund people digitizing their collections. They don’t really do that anymore, unless you’re doing it in a way that’s game changing.”

The IMLS grant came with a warning that what the Mingei was attempting was a huge undertaking, and that the funds might not be sufficient. As O’Banion recalls, “They said, don’t be discouraged if you don’t accomplish it. And that was all I needed to motivate the notion that not only are we going to accomplish it, but we’re going to accomplish it like it’s no big deal.”

Airtable wasn’t the first choice. O’Banion, at the time, was also trying to get everyone to communicate via Slack. It proved to be overwhelming to the team, who started to think that everyday there was another aspect of the system to employ and learn. The exclusion of non-technical staff in a project or process is antithetical to the way a museum needs to function. “Any time we introduce new technology to our group,” O’Banion says, “It has to be really easy to understand and catch onto. It has to be very accessible. Anything that needs intense training is just not going to fly because we have really lean resources.”

Airtable proved easy for the entire team to master. “It was just starting from a spreadsheet. Starting from a spreadsheet is great because everybody knows what it is and knows basically how it works.” And with the ease of Airtable, the use multiplied. “I think it inspired our team to realize, “Hey, this is a really flexible tool. It’s not just something that the design department can use to track their projects. We can literally move a collection with it. We can track our events with it. We can make it do whatever we want.”

If there’s a particular synergy between The Mingei Museum’s and Airtable, it relates to their philosophy. As O’Banion puts it, “Function and beauty are interchangeable, in a way. A well-designed piece of furniture, a beautifully woven textile, a beautiful piece of jewelry is just as valuable as a Monet. We think an Eames lounger is just as valuable as a Monet, and in fact, maybe even more so because you can sit on it and it’s comfortable.”

But a product is only as good as the results it allows users to achieve. And the results? “We can literally see how many weeks it took us to pack certain objects, and there’s a graph week-by-week of how many objects are packed in a week. You can see some weeks they packed close to 4,000 objects. You can also see by color, which person was doing the packing. It was just this really cool way to see the number always ticking up. Even our director commented, ‘Oh, looks like we packed 10,000 more objects this week.’”

“We literally moved every single object in our collection, we know exactly where it is, and it’s going to be something that we’re going to be using for years. Years.”

The Mingei has officially embarked on the major renovation of the Balboa Park building. Find portions of the collection popping up all over San Diego, including at the store and café now open at Liberty Station.

Follow the updates on The Mingei Museum move at www.mingei.org

For more information on Airtable, please go to airtable.com

The post Creating Streamlined Processes that Provide for Function and Beauty appeared first on Art Business News.