While technology and art combine frequently to facilitate the practices of arts managers, they are simultaneously blending to create a whole new artform--new media art.  All bets are off with this medium, as an array of tools, approaches and capabilities make it impossible to label as either visual or performance; in many cases, the art goes even farther and provides a social benefit to those who experience it.  This week’s TBT provides managers with a roundup of the research we’ve done so far to start piecing together a picture of what new media art means for the future of management in all types of arts venues and forums.

Free Open Access Database On Rhizome To Preserve Digital Art by Giorgia Gandolfini 
Rhizome ArtBase is the epitome of interweaving arts and technology: a digital gallery for new media art.  This article discusses what differentiates this gallery from others; namely, a strong support system for new media artists.

How Museums Are Dealing With New Media Art Part 1 and Part 2 by Giorgia Gandolfini 
In this 2014 series, Giorgia sparks a conversation about the history of new media art as a recognized medium, and the challenges and considerations museums face when figuring out where they belong in the visual arts.

Interview With Undervolt and Co. by Stewart Urist
Stewart’s podcast shares a 10 minute interview with Undervolt, a unique label for experimental artists.  After listening to the podcast, we’d suggest checking out their website to get an idea of the broad array of work that their label covers!

Health, Happiness, and the Hospital Hallway: An Interactive LED Installation by Elizabeth Quaglieri
This article from early 2013 shows how new media art can be used to create positive social impact--in this case, by creating an LED animated hallway in a children’s hospital.  The piece, called “Nature Trail”, uses lights and patterns to animate scenes and animals from nature.  The youtube video in the article no longer direct links, but still works (and can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j2RegeSwYM).  Less than 3 minutes can give you some warm fuzzies for the whole day!

When Artists are Building Robots by Grace Q
Although this article is just over two years old, just the description of robots gives an idea of how we have advanced in our understanding of the potential uses of robots in our society.  This article introduces a few artists who are playing in the new field of robotic art.

A Little Sun, Solar Power, And Electricity: Olafur Eliasson At The Tate Modern by Naina Singh
Naina’s article describes a 2012 exhibit at the Tate Modern by Olafur Eliasson called Little Sun.  Little Sun is both an art piece and a B Corp that distributes solar power to benefit communities without electricity, with distribution in over 10 African countries.

The Hello Cube at the Tate Modern: A Tweetable Installation by Naina Singh
Little Sun is not the only new media piece we covered from Tate Modern.  The Hello Cube was another 2012 exhibition which featured a cube that tweeted back (and obeyed commands) when audiences used Twitter to address it.  Hellicar and Lewis, the artists behind the cube, are a study in the fusion of arts and tech themselves; one is a skateboard and art director, while the other is a mathematician and interaction designer.