For those of you interested in amassing exquisite works of art for your own private collection, but who lack the funds or the stamina to deal with those greedy auction houses, snobby galleries and pesky art dealers, there are now a number of museum websites that allow visitors the pleasure of creating and maintaining virtual art collections, without the hassle and the expense.
One of these is ArtsConnectEd, the product of a partnership among The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center and MCI. The site is organized in different sections such as art gallery, for your classroom, library & archives and playground. The art gallery allows you to search the art database and explore the art in the permanent collections of the MIA and the WAC. You can also browse through various tours and adventures, among them the "Art Collector." After registering, you are asked to name your collection and then to start the process of building it. You can select works through the "search to add art" function. For each work selected, you can add text or a close-up view of the image, or use the collection control buttons to make changes affecting your collection as a whole, such as print, present, or publish.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City offers "My Met Gallery" to visitors who register with the website by signing the guestbook. Visitors can curate a private exhibition by saving their favorite works of art from an extensive listing from each department within the Met's collection, among them, American Decorative Arts, Arms and Armor, The Costume Institute, Drawings and Prints, Egyptian Art, Medieval Art, Musical Instruments, and Photographs. In order to navigate through the hundreds, possibly thousands, of works available on the site, you can choose between viewing fifty thumbnail "highlights," ten works at a time, ten text-only listings, or one work at a time, with a full description - including signature, marks and inscriptions - of each work. An "add to my met gallery" link under the image allows you to select the work for your gallery.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco's website also contains a "Virtual Gallery," where you can be your own curator and select from the 75,000 works of art from the collections of the de Young Museum and the Palace of the Legion of Honor. This site also allows you to browse through the galleries created by others. When you enter the "Virtual Gallery," a separate window opens on your computer screen that shows an empty gallery space. You can do a keyword search to select the works you want to display, then click and drag the thumbnail images onto the gallery walls and, voilà, your art gallery is now open for business! A pop-up screen asks you to personalize the exhibition and to draft a short invitation announcing the gallery's opening so you can invite your friends for a viewing. Once you save the exhibition to the server, the "Virtual Gallery" floor plan displays your personal gallery alongside those belonging to other "curators."
Finally, the Seattle Art Museum's "My Art Gallery" introduces young visitors to Mona and her dog Pablo as they take you on a wonderful animated journey in curating an art exhibition online. This website was developed as part of a four-year project called "Growing Up With Art," a partnership with Seattle public schools to develop a comprehensive arts program, which resulted in two student-curated exhibitions that were held at the Seattle Art Museum.
However you decide to set up your collection, through one or more of these interactive sites, you will find not only visual pleasure but also a sense of satisfaction in curating an exhibition according to your own unique vision.
About the Author:
Maria Doiranlis studied at University College London, where she earned her Master's Degree in Art History. She now lives and works in the New York City area. Her previous Linkage, in Newsletter 18, on symbols and the work of Matt Mullican, can be found in the Archives.
Resources:
The ArtsConnectEd website can be found at http://www.artsconnected.org.
The website of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is available at http://www.metmuseum.org. The site also contains a "Timeline of Art History," an overview of the history of art as illustrated and represented in the Met's collection. The material has been researched, written and reviewed by the museum's curatorial staff.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), http://www.thinker.org, is the city's largest public arts institution. Comprised of the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, FAMSF is also the city's most successful public/private partnership. Although a designated city department, most of the museum's operational funding and all funding for art acquisitions and exhibitions are raised privately. The "Virtual Gallery" requires the free Shockwave 8 player from Macromedia, which is available for download through links at the museum's site.
Seattle Art Museum's website can be found at http://www.seattleartmuseum.org.
