Never Get Lost in a Museum Again – Unless You Want To

Visiting a world class museum provides a unique opportunity to connect with and experience incredible works of art. But it can also mean navigating complex buildings, being overwhelmed by the volume of exhibits, missing out on things you’d have liked to have seen, and leaving with unanswered questions about what you did see.

But thanks to technology, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. Traditional fixes like guided tours and audio guides certainly make a big difference – but what if we applied the latest mobile technology to the problem?

That’s what my foundation asked of several leading institutions whose audio tour programs have long been supported by Bloomberg. The answer, of course, is that we can harness that technology to improve the visitor experience in incredible ways. We could use GPS technology to help visitors find their way through labyrinthine galleries. We could use 3D imaging and scanning technology to allow visitors to get in-depth information on particular work. We could also put multimedia (and multi-lingual) presentations from artists and curators in the palm of visitors’ hands.

Of course doing that isn’t cheap. That’s why today Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching the Digital Arts Engagement Initiative, which will provide $15 million over three years to five incredible institutions – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, New York Botanical Garden, and Museum of Modern Art – to develop unique (and free) mobile applications for visitors.

We made the announcement at the Guggenheim, whose new Bloomberg-funded app launched today in advance of the new James Turrell exhibition opening on June 21.

The Guggenheim app (which is Android and iOS-compatible) will provide visitors with an enhanced experience before, during and after their time at the museum. Users can download information on exhibits using the app – all before even walking in the door. Once inside, a detailed floor map will ensure museum-goers don’t get lost, while multimedia tours provide in-depth looks at the museum’s collection and at new special exhibitions. Much of that information will even be available after guests leave the museum.

The Guggenheim’s app is one of the first to roll out with the help of Bloomberg Philanthropies, with other participating institutions rolling out their own in the next five years.

The Initiative is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts program, which seeks to improve access to the arts for the greatest number of people. To us, access doesn’t stop once people walk in the door – getting into the museum doesn’t mean anything if you can’t find your way around or learn more about the exhibitions on view. That’s why this initiative is so important.

So if you live in New York – or are one of the millions who will visit our City this year – be sure to stop by the Guggenheim and use the new app to optimize your experience.