While this approach is an apt description for much of what we do, I want to share our most recent example: embracing technology to enhance the visitor experience with a powerhouse resource at our side.
Fueled by a burgeoning partnership with Bloomberg Connects, today we announce the launch of a deeply researched, highly entertaining digital guide covering all corners of NMOA, whenever and wherever our audiences are seeking their cultural experiences. As we fully lean in on this strategy, we are excited about leveraging it to attract new visitors while delighting current guests with expansive looks into their favorite museum.
With on-site as well as pre- and post-Museum visits in mind, our marketing, curatorial, programming, and education teams, led by Deborah Kasindorf, Catherine Evans, and Silvia Filippini Fantoni, have created an easily accessible multigenerational resource. The rich content, available with a download of the app from Google Play or the Apple Store, includes photography, audio tours, games for the family, and in-depth video features. Think of it as a travel guide in your pocket. One that will be refreshed often along your journey.
I am also proud to share that with this unveiling, The Newark Museum of Art becomes the first museum in New Jersey to be part of this digital Bloomberg network. We join a respected and admired group of cultural institutions from around the globe, including the Guggenheim, MoMA PS1 in Queens, the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, the Benjamin Franklin House in London, and the London Mithraeum. We are honored that Bloomberg reached out to The Newark Museum of Art to contribute to Bloomberg Connects. And we are indeed appreciative of the grant that came with the partnership to help us develop original content that can now be viewed by local, national, and international audiences.
Creating our own challenge to make the most of this technology, the team worked hard to present the strengths of our vast collection in new and dynamic ways. We also felt it was important to take this opportunity to spotlight several influential voices in the Newark creative community. Recognizable narrators in our guide include Citi Medina from Equal Space and artist and entrepreneur Linda G. Street from Pink Dragon Artist Syndicate LLC. Adding to the depth of this perspective, we have included several studio tours and behind-the-scenes videos of Newark and New Jersey-based artists’ works.
The timing was also excellent because the app allows us to showcase the beloved Ballantine House while the physical estate is closed to the public as it undergoes major exterior renovation/restorations. (I have mentioned this transformation in an earlier fall letter, but this project bears repeating and expanding on that message. Stay tuned for more details on this painstaking and impressive historical restoration project.) Once the House reopens, more content will be developed about specific rooms and added to the guide.
In the meantime, I hope you consider this an invitation to begin exploring—before, during, and after your next visit!
Linda C. Harrison
Director and CEO
The Newark Museum of Art
