Accessibility is a key part of the Georgia Museum of Art’s mission to connect people of all ages and backgrounds to art. From K – 12 lesson plans to creative aging workshops, the museum takes pride in ensuring that there is a place for everyone to experience curiosity and wonder free of charge. By joining Bloomberg Connects, the museum is taking significant strides toward ensuring that everyone can experience its collections and exhibitions.
Bloomberg Connects is a free, user-friendly mobile app that allows museums and other cultural institutions to upload digital guides complete with maps, audio descriptions, artist interviews and other supplemental materials. Hillary Brown, the museum’s director of communications, said, “We have limited space on the wall labels, and sometimes there’s more to say. Bloomberg Connects also gives us the ability to feature more voices.” Furthermore, the app allows the museum to bridge language barriers by automatically translating text into 50 different languages. It also supports audiences with disabilities through audio descriptions, alt-text image descriptions, adjustable font sizes and digital access to all uploaded content.
The museum’s account is already live, complete with information about the institution, audio descriptions of popular works in the permanent collection and descriptions of current and upcoming exhibitions. The first temporary exhibition to use the app is “We, Too, Are Made of Wonders.” This exhibition features art and poetry from throughout the ages that explore humanity’s timeless fascination with the sky and the universe. The artists and poets encourage viewers to engage their curiosity through science, mythology or wonder. Bloomberg Connects features live readings of select poems, and many works have digital labels from student guides. “We didn’t have space for all of them on the wall, but the app lets us include what they had to say,” said Brown.
The museum’s goal for the coming year is to thoughtfully incorporate Bloomberg Connects into its permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. “I’m already seeing curators think of ways to incorporate it into new installations,” Brown said. “I also hope that our visitors enjoy it and get something out of using it. Technology is a tool, not a goal in and of itself, and I think this is one piece of technology that can really be useful.”
Authored by:
Nabiha Rahman
