How Can we Make Indy more Globally Relevant?

(and exercise some technical savvy)

Indy Talks at the Central LibraryFebruary 24, 2010

Richard McCoy IMA Associate Conservator of Objects & Variable Art

The Boston Public library first opened in 1848, by an act of the Great and General Court of

Massachusetts. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States. It was the

first library to let people take books home.

How are people finding out about Indy today and tomorrow?

From the Internets, of course!

Indy is only as small as we make it.

One project, one person can change our cultural landscape.

Fall 2009 IUPUI Museum Studies Class

+

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20 IUPUI students made 40 Wikipedia articles, started the IUPUI Public Art Collection, and launched WSPA

The Results?

Search IUPUI Public Art ….

The IUPUI Public Art Collection exists because we made it.

Yes, there is now an IUPUI Public Art

Collection

What Collection Could We Make Next?

Categorize all of the Art Inside the Statehouse?

Categorize all of the Art Outside State House?

Do you know who this guy is?

Categorize all of the Art inside Important Indianapolis Churches

Are these Tiffany Stained Glass Windows?

Let’s locate and accurately describe all of the monuments in the city.

How many do you know? Who made them? Why are they there?

We now have the tools to identify, locate, photograph, and describe everything in the city basically for free.

We can accurately catalog every public artwork in the city right now.

But, really why should you do it?

“So often outdoor sculptures are not appropriately labeled and the significance of the work is lost. With Wikipedia as a platform, the stories behind the art can be shared with a wide audience. The public will begin to care more about sculpture in their community, and beyond.”--IUPUI Graduate Student, Lori Byrd Phillips

And because there’s now a lot of public art in Indy, and going to be more tomorrow.

And because it’s so freaken’ soft!

By putting information about art in Wikipedia you are changing the way

people understand our city, and changing the way information is

created and shared.

Wikipedia is Participatory & Democratic

But how do we make it super cool?

Geo Tag Everything!

Upload and Locate images in Flickr, and Panoramio

What?

If you geo locate public artwork, you give it a unique place in the

world.We are about here: 38.77892386.156853

This is super important in Wikipedia

Look Carefully

A GPS Location Pulls together tons and tons of info, and is filled with potential.

GPS is becoming more important with mobile applications.

Put public art in in the public mainstream!

Did you hear any of that?Special thanks to:

IMA IUPUI Museum Studies Department

Jennifer Geigel Mikulay (IUPUI Faculty)Lori Byrd Phillips (Wikipedia Wiz)

Sarah Stierch (Gowalla Wiz)Mike Mikulay (Made the WSPA Logo)

Katie Chattin (Spreaden’ the word at IUPUI)

Want more info? Google: Wikipedia Saves Public Art